NewsJuly2018

The 6the edition of Citytech will take place on 13-14 in Milan, Italy. The event consists of a conference and exhibition programme focusing on innovative urban mobility topics such as MaaS, automation, big data, electromobility and much more.
Citytech is an event organised by the city of Milan - a Polis member - and is supported by the European Commission. Citytech is an incubator of ideas and projects for cities who aim to make their urban mobility more sustainable, greener and smarter. The event features multiple partnerships among which Polis who will be represented by Suzanne Hoadley, Senior project manager.
In this year’s edition there will be also the possibility to test a driverless vehicle within the Autonomous Driving Arena. There will also be an entire thematic area dedicated to Maas – Mobility as a Service and its relation to public transport and other modes.
http://citytech.eu/en/hp

6th Biodiversity Summit of Local & Subnational Governments

The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are critically important at the local and subnational level. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are essential for the well-being of growing urban populations, and the decisions that cities, states and other local and subnational governments take can have major impacts on biodiversity. Thus, local and subnational governments are key actors for the achievement of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
http://cbc.iclei.org/event/6thbiodiversitysummit/

Estonia launches the largest free public transport scheme

As of 01 July, 2018, 11 of Estonia's 15 counties introduced free public transport on county buses. Passengers in Valga, Võru, Viljandi, Põlva, Järva, Jõgeva, Tartu, Ida-Viru, Hiiu, and Saare County, as well as on routes operated by the non-profit North-Estonia Public Transport Centre in the West county, will be able to enjoy free public transport. This move makes Estonia the first country in the world to introduce free public transport almost nation-wide. According to Estonia's minister of economic affairs Kadri Simson, free transport will make it easier for people with low and average incomes to remain mobile.
http://www.eltis.org/discover/news/estonia-launches-largest-free-public-transport-scheme-world

Could this Innovative Idea Solve Urban Storm Flooding?

Flooding, on the rise due to climate change, can devastate urban areas and result in drawn-out, costly repairs. Cities are in dire need of new strategies to manage the influx of stormwater. An interdisciplinary team of engineers and urban planners at MIT has now developed a solution: multifunctional urban stormwater wetlands and ponds that seamlessly integrate the control and cleaning of stormwater with ecological and recreational benefits.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/a-solution-for-urban-storm-flooding

Strengthening collaboration with local authorities crucial

The European Commission held the EU Partnership Forum 2018 in Brussels on 25-26 June 2018. The Forum stimulated an open dialogue on how to further strengthen our collaboration towards the implementation and localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and of the European Consensus on Development. It also enabled enhancing synergies between various stakeholders and the European Commission, including UCLG, other sister organisations and local authorities themselves.
https://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/strengthening-collaboration-local-authorities-crucial-localizing-global-agendas-0

Five Takeaways From 2020 Cities, Brussels

In June, Cities Today brought together municipal governments and mobility service providers to discuss the challenges of introducing ‘Mobility-as-a-Service’ (MaaS) to cities across Europe during the 11th 2020 Cities meeting.Pascal Smet, Brussels’ Mobility Chief and Chair of the 2020 Cities meetings, spoke about the goal of transforming the Belgian capital’s streets and buildings to create a zero-emissions city. Other key speakers included Miguel Gaspar, Deputy Mayor of Lisbon, Lilli Matson, Director of Strategy for Transport for London (TfL), Thomas Beermann, CEO of car2go, Alain Groff, Head of Mobility for Basel, and Eckart Diepenhorst, CEO of mytaxi.
http://www.urbangateway.org/news/five-takeaways-2020-cities-brussels

Hong Kong: Sunday in the Park

Sunday is day-off for 300,000 domestic workers living in Hong Kong. Required by law to live in the homes of their employers, a lack of privacy and personal space has made the city’s public spaces coveted places of Sunday repose and recreation. By accommodating a valuable part of its workforce, Hong Kong offers other cities an important lesson on how to support ever-increasing demand for service workers.
http://citiesofmigration.ca/good_idea/sunday-in-the-park/

Artificial Intelligence the next frontier for the local energy transition

From drones, self-driving cars and robot vacuum cleaners sweeping our homes to chatbots answering our service requests, artificial intelligence (AI) is already appearing more and more in our daily city lives. But the advent of AI won’t end there: as energy systems are becoming decentralised, decarbonised and digitalised, artificial intelligence is set to emerge as the next frontier for local energy transition. What will this mean for cities?
Artificial intelligence, which is the ability of machines to perform at the level of human intelligence, has been around for decades. In 1997, IBM developed the supercomputer "Deep Blue", which managed to beat the world’s best chess player (Garry Kasparov). It had been trained by chess experts for 3 years. At that time, humans had to give a helping hand to machines for them to succeed. Today, programs have evolved exponentially: using trial and error, they can learn by themselves and no longer require human interaction. The global AI race has accelerated in the last few years, with US and Chinese tech giants at the forefront, while Europe is still lagging behind.
http://www.energy-cities.eu/Artificial-Intelligence-the-next-frontier-for-the-local-energy-transition?pmv_nid=2

10th Citizens’ Energy Forum

The 2018 meeting will focus on the role of consumers on the energy market in the context of the measures proposed by the Clean Energy for all Europeans package and the recently adopted New Deal for Consumers package. It will also focus on presenting innovative solutions in the retail energy market in terms of consumer engagement and business models.
The Citizens' Energy Forum is organised by the European Commission in collaboration with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), Ireland’s independent energy and water regulator.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/events/10th-citizens-energy-forum-2018-sep-20_en

Traffic Management in a changing world

On 14 and 15 November 2018 the European ITS Platform organizes its bi-annual European conference on traffic management, the ITS Forum 2018. The main theme of the Forum is “Traffic Management in a changing world: Digitalization, Multimodality, Smart Infrastructures”. The venue of the ITS Forum 2018 is the LEF Future Centre at the headquarters of Rijkswaterstaat (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management) in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The conference targets (among others) road authorities, motorways operators, ITS consultants and ITS systems and service providers.
http://erticonetwork.com/its-forum-2018-traffic-management-in-a-changing-world/

Disability inclusion? Or disability as a market in aging cities?

This last May in Tokyo, we talked about demographic transitions and aging cities, in a week-long discussion with city leaders from around the world. Although we saw the opportunities that arise from having large numbers of elderly persons in cities, we also focused on the numerous challenges, many of which are grounded in age-related disability – both physical and cognitive. We had expected that the conversation would be as our flagship report on social inclusion, Inclusion Matters: The Foundation for Shared Prosperity, puts it – about “including” the elderly into markets, services, and spaces following our framework.
Enter Rich Donovan, with a riveting talk that stood our assumptions on their heads. Rich argued that persons with disability are a market. They are an opportunity. And that there is an economic “return on disability.” If we build and design having persons with disabilities in mind, we are in fact creating public goods. In short, and as Rich has said elsewhere - this new vision of disability “transforms efforts of charity into the world’s largest emerging market”.
http://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/disability-inclusion-or-disability-market-aging-cities

Dockless bike share: How to get the most out of it?

Over the last few years, China has seen tremendous growth in dockless bike share. Bikes, however, are piling up in the streets, vandalism, traffic violations, and poor user experiences are all posing problems. Can a city improve its transportation with dockless bike share? How can a city take advantage of the new technology, enhance user experience and overall provide better mobility while avoiding these issues?
https://ecomobility.org/dockless-bike-share/

"Electromobility in practice – solutions, experiences & lessons learnt".

Registrations open for the first Joint CleanMobilEnergy and SEEV4-City Electromobility Workshop, on 17 October 2018 in Paris
The European INTERREG projects CleanMobilEnergy (CME) and SEEV4-City join forces to organise the "Electromobility in practice – solutions, experiences & lessons learnt" Workshop in Paris on 17 October 2018. The meeting is organised back-to-back with AUTONOMY the Urban Mobility Summit.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/CleanMobilEnergy-and-SEEV4City-workshop-Polis-WG-on-clean-vehicles

The 2nd International Conference on Green Urbanism

GU 2nd Edition is about the importance of green urbanism and sustainable development and how can it affect the environment positively. This conference will be aimed to provide solutions towards zero waste cities.
Green urbanism is an attempt to create a more sustainable place, using fewer resources. By putting together the term “green” and the study of “urbanism” and despite its promise of a sustainable, energy-efficient and developed world, we are still faced with deep challenges.
https://www.ierek.com/events/green-urbanism-2nd-edition#introduction

10 Streets That Changed America

Americans define their homes in many different ways, but few parts of the landscape capture the culture of a city or the rhythm of daily life better than a signature street. From small town Main Streets to bustling commercial corridors, these are the places where everyday exchanges play out (Curbed explored the idea in our own feature on what 10 particular streets reveal about the state of the nation in 2016). They’re also the setting for a new TV series exploring how planning, culture, and technology helped shape the country. After all, what rhetorical device works better when charting the historical pathway of a nation than a road?
https://www.curbed.com/2018/7/5/17537514/broadway-pbs-streets-wilshire

Winners of Le Monde Smart Cities, Urban Innovation Awards

The jury of the Innovation Prize of Le Monde Smart Cities, in which INTA participated, announced the non-european prize winners in Singapore last week. The first prize was awarded to Brique par Brique, a Montreal based collective housing project funded by citizen investors.
https://inta-aivn.org/en/news/inta-news/2700-international-prize-list-le-monde-smart-cities-awards

Webinar: Delivering MaaS sustainably

The concept of MaaS claims to offer a personal mobility package based on lifestyle needs and delivered through a single interface and subscription. On 26 June, the first edition of the CIVITAS Webinar Series on MaaS took place. It discussed the how MaaS can be delivered sustainably. The next editions of the series are due in September and October, register here to learn about them.
http://www.civitas.eu/news/webinar-delivering-maas-sustainably

Intelligent Transport Conference 2018: Programme out now!

The Intelligent Transport Conference, which will take place on 1-2 November 2018 at the QEII Centre in London, will investigate how technology will shape the future of transport; improve air quality, operations, improve performance and the customer experience. Polis will speak about the role of transport for the smart city.
https://www.intelligenttransport.com/intelligent-transport-conference/

How Smart Cities Will Impact Retail Sales

I’m a retailer and retail industry technologist by trade. My early career days were spent in the apparel business. What was known then as women’s better sportswear. Sold through department stores, specialty stores, catalog houses, and those first little e-commerce sites.
For the past many years, however, I’ve viewed the business through a technology lens. For two reasons: my professional responsibilities and the fact that the entire retail industry has been pushed head-first into the digital age – often unwillingly, and with occasional stumbles and screams.
In a few days I’ll be participating in an exciting conference on the future of retail – and, specifically, the retail store — in the new landscape of the so-called connected or smart city.
http://meetingoftheminds.org/how-smart-cities-will-impact-retail-sales-27404

Health and Safety in the Age of the Megacity

The rise of cities around the globe has ushered in great challenges and great opportunities for citizens and businesses. As the share of city dwellers increases in almost every region of the world, questions about health and safety in these dense environments becomes paramount.
By 2050, 68 percent of the world’s population will be urban. The data points outlined below pull into focus a picture of the trends that are expected to unfold over the coming decades—from the implications of population growth for healthcare access to the exposure to risk that people and businesses face while living in urban environments.
http://www.brinknews.com/health-and-safety-in-the-age-of-the-megacity/

Fraudulent ITS Congress website

We are aware that a fraudulent website has been put up with the domain name: itsworldcongress2018.org
This website does not represent the ITS World Congress and is not affiliated with ERTICO – ITS Europe or any of the event organisers. People managing the fake website are attempting to sell fake registration and housing to potential participants of the ITS World Congress on behalf of the event organisers. If you receive a call or email of this nature we suggest that you treat it as suspicious and contact the organisers directly. If you received an email from Global Housing Services, please delete the email. ERTICO – ITS Europe does not have any affiliation with these companies.
Always register via the official registration portal and contact any hotel you wish to book with directly to avoid being scammed. The official registration portal and hotel agents are clearly listed on the event website.
The correct website is: www.itsworldcongress.com

BrabantStad Seminar on Sustainable Urban Mobility in the Smart City

Wednesday October 10th 2018 from 10.00 - 14.00h. BrabantStad organises an energetic seminar that focuses on serious deployment of Sustainable Urban Mobility in the Smart City.
Today’s cities and regions in Europe face challenges in terms of congestion, air quality, noise, livability, lack of space, global warming and sustainable economic development. The question is how will we move from a to b in the decades to come?
The solutions that industry can offer have the potential to be a game changer and have a large impact on society and the way how we use public space. Developments in mobility are complex and highly dynamic, meaning it is nearly impossible to accurately predict the future. What we know today is obsolete tomorrow, so this has to be a story of learning by doing. Governments, industry, researchers, citizens and all other stakeholders need to work together in living labs, real life test beds and learning ecosystems. We need creativity and partnership. Main question today is 'How to make change happen?' and six inspiring speakers might bring us closer to the answer.
With a 150-minute dynamic and interactive program, we intend to outline a number of stories in the field of Sustainable Urban Mobility. 5 minutes pitches of speakers are combined with round tables sessions of 10 minutes with the attendees.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1750/45/Save-the-date-BrabantStad-Seminar-on-Sustainable-Urban-Mobility-in-the-Smart-City---A-European-Week-of-Regions-and-Cities-side-event

20 Things Every City Can Do To Boost The Quality Of Public Life

Urbanists have a new playbook: The Assembly Civic Design Guidelines, a new set of recommendations for the public realm published by the Center for Active Design (CfAD)—a nonprofit that promotes design solutions for improving public health—and the Knight Foundation.
The CfAD’s recommendations might seem like old hat: plant trees, improve public transit, build more bike lanes. However, the report positions them as means to a specific end: a robust public life, which the organization defines as inspiring greater trust, participation, stewardship, and informed local voting. Plus, it has years of original research to back up the suggestions.
https://www.curbed.com/2018/6/21/17484062/center-for-active-design-civic-guidelines?mc_cid=fb69add645&mc_eid=b8edc2e40f

5G: The Urban Mobility Enabler

5G, the latest version of mobile and cellular networks, will be a key component of new urban mobility. Download Autonomy’s guide to learn how it will transform the transportation sector.
The 5G revolution in coming, and will play a monumental role in transforming urban mobility. From connected and autonomous vehicles to enhanced public transportation, bikes, and e-scooters, nearly every modality of mobility will be connected to 5G network services when available. This guide outlines the basics of 5G networks and the impact they will have on our future mobility. For those looking to grasp the immense advancements coming to connected mobility, understanding the power of 5G networks is an absolute must!
https://urbanmobilitydaily.com/5g-the-urban-mobility-enabler-an-introductory-guide/

Future Global Learning Forum?

Renewable Cities was built on the backs of two very successful international conferences. Three years ago we launched at Global Learning Forum 2015, which helped put wind in the sails for urban energy progress around North America, including for Vancouver's Renewable City Strategy. Last year, we convened Global Learning Forum 2017, which highlighted just how far 100% RE in cities had come.
With 2019 on the horizon, our team seriously contemplated holding another Forum next year. Despite the success of our first two forums, and our community's appetite for another, we have decided not to host a Global Learning Forum in 2019. Instead, with the next Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM10) coming to Vancouver in May 2019, we are exploring ways to advance the local government agenda at this tremendous gathering of leaders. Stay tuned for more information!
https://www.renewablecities.ca/events

Inclusive Metropolitan Cities and City-Regions · Register now!

The registration for the 2018 Metropolis Annual Meeting, hosted by the Gauteng Province and set to take place Johannesburg from August 26 to 29, is now open. Do not miss the opportunity to join this year's most important event for our global network of major cities and metropolitan areas!
The programme of this Annual Meeting is devoted to placing key issues of inclusivity on the global agenda of metropolitan areas.
It features 18 sessions with themes as diverse as: accountability, blockchain for sound metropolitan governance, environmental justice, gender policies for safety in public spaces, housing, inclusive mobility, job creation, land rights, settlement development, and more.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScBLx17WEhNhL_M6VsAUV7dtY_Cbf2rjaQ1OC1P2v9f8YyzRQ/viewform

Urban GreenUP catalogue of nature-based solutions for cities

URBAN GreenUP has released a Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) catalogue, which is publicly available on the project’s website. The catalogue aims at fostering the global uptake of the URBAN GreenUP approach by providing cities worldwide with robust indicators on how to embrace urban challenges using nature.
URBAN GreenUP is a five-year initiative that started back in June 2017 and is being funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme. Its primary goal is to implement tens of different NBS across its front-runner cities - Valladolid (Spain), Liverpool (UK) and Izmir (Turkey) - which in turn, will make these cities more sustainable and resilient to climate changes. In collaboration with the five Follower cities from Europe and beyond (Mantova in Italy, Ludwigsburg in Germany, Chengdu in China, Medellin in Colombia and QuyNohn in Vietnam), they will replicate the URBAN GreenUP model at a global scale.
http://www.urbangreenup.eu/news--events/news/the-urban-greenup-catalogue-of-nature-based-solutions-is-now-public_1.kl

City Forests Store Rainforest-Levels Of Carbon

Nations are hurrying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming, and one way they’re going about this is by encouraging the protection of forests. New research shows that even temperate forests in cities may be able to sequester nearly as much carbon as a similarly sized area of rainforest.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/06/city-forests-store-rainforest-levels-of-carbon-study-finds/

Unrivalled Programmes Released for International Security Expo

250+ World-Renowned Speakers delivering 55+ hours of CPD Certified Points over 2 days
Join us at International Security Expo 2018 on 28-29 November at Olympia London. Hear the latest security updates from world's leading industry experts, with over 350 exhibitors, 1,000+ product launches, inspiring features, a series of 13 FREE conferences it promises to be the biggest yet!

https://www.internationalsecurityexpo.com/welcomeISEC

EERA-UERA summer school on smart cities

The University of Newcastle, UERA and EERA, are organising a summer school, from Monday 23 – Friday 27 July 2018 on smart cities.
It will be delivered at Newcastle (UK), at the Urban Sciences Building at Science Central, a data-rich, sensed environment.The site is home to the Urban Observatory; a living lab gathering sensor data on its performance, energy sources and consumption, and even its building skins. Newcastle has extensive urban sensing at micro (appliance), meso (building) and macro (city) scales

https://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/event-calendar/eera-uera-summer-school-on-smart-cities/

American Cities Where Transit Access to Jobs Is Getting Better

Using Census data and transit schedules, researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a way to compare transit access to jobs in different cities. Along with core metrics like ridership, their analysis can shed light on which cities are making transit more useful to people.
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/07/09/these-are-the-american-cities-where-transit-access-to-jobs-is-getting-better/

The New City Multilateralism

As the world rapidly grows more urban, city leaders are turning to a new form of voluntary, locally oriented diplomacy to coordinate with their global peers on sustainable development, infrastructure, public safety, and climate change concerns.
https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/new-city-multilateralism

Save the date: Urban Transitions Pathways Symposium 2018

The symposium aims to capture the complexities and relational ramifications in a ‘dilemma-driven’ approach to the urban societal challenge of sustainable and liveable cities and urban areas (yet in an accessible format): how do we ask the questions? What types of urban R&I are relevant to tackle the challenge? If possible, indications of ways or ‘requirons’ needed to steer towards synergies: what kinds of re-thought understandings of how the urban works would it require? What kinds of ‘impossibilibilites’ present obstacles against turning friction into traction?
https://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/event-calendar/save-the-date-urban-transitions-pathways-symposium-2018/

Apply now for the 7th SUMP Award on Multimodality

The 2018 SUMP Award on multimodality is now open for applications! The call for applications is open until 1 October 2018.
First introduced by the European Commission in 2012, the award helps showcase successful SUMP implementation and honours cities that are demonstrating excellence and raising the profile of SUMPs across Europe.
The SUMP Award recognises local and regional authorities by focusing on a specific topic, each year. The 7th SUMP Award focuses on multimodality, which has been declared theme of the year by the European Commission - DG MOVE. This encourages planning for different modes and for a combination of several modes.
http://www.eltis.org/discover/news/apply-now-7th-sump-award-multimodality

CITyFiED enters its last year: it’s time to show the results

At the end of May the consortium came together in Lund, Sweden, to catch up on the latest developments, align on the status of the project and pinpoint future actions.
As the end of the project is nearing, it was high-time for the consortium to align their objectives with the actions to be taken in the future. Warmly hosted by the City of Lund, the meeting was a valuable opportunity for partners to assess progress of the project and to visit not only the Linero demo site, but also other fascinating areas. Discussions focused on fine-tuning the overall methodology used to monitor, present, and analyse results across countries, the KPIs, the business models, and the steps needed to exploit the project’s solutions with the help of CITyFIED’s extensive network of cities.
http://www.cityfied.eu/news/press-releases/cityfied-enters-into-its-last-year-its-time-to-show-the-results-and-to-meet-the-goal-.kl

'Cities Report' from Cities of Making

The JPI Urban Europe project Cities of Making has launched their 'Cities Report' which offers an insight into urban manufacturing in Brussels, London and Rotterdam. Each city has had a distinctive industrial heritage and is interpreting the future of manufacturing in very different ways. The report exposes unique qualities of each and common trends that may be relevant to many other European cities who are grappling with the future place of making.
https://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/news/cities-report-from-the-cities-of-making-project/

SCSEXPO survey: Challenges of a smart city

Please help us achieve our goal of highlighting urban challenges even more effectively by answering the few questions for us.
A large number of towns and cities – especially small and medium-sized ones – are confronted with the seemingly impossible task of keeping up with developments in areas such as digitalisation, mobility and urban infrastructure.
This sustainable economic, technological and social urban development is summed up by the term “smart city”.
The aim of this survey is to raise awareness of this issue and shed light on the current situation, including in smaller and medium-sized towns and cities.
Above all, however, SMART CITY SOLUTIONS part of INTERGEO and its World Cafés offer a platform for urban officials to talk to each other on an equal footing and also meet solution providers.
Click the link to the survey here: https://s.explori.com/survey/dsp?surveyUUID=7738A031-BD47-D61D-12AD21457279D588&langcode=en_GB
After having completed the questionnaire you get, should you wish so, a free ticket for SCSEXPO 2018 in Frankfurt as well as information about the results of the survey.
You can enter the survey until Thursday, 19 July 2018, 6PM CET.

Urban Transitions 2018

Book your place for Urban Transitions 2018 by 24 August 2018 to save on delegate fees.
A topical and comprehensive programme will comprise invited plenary lectures by the following speakers supplemented by parallel sessions of contributed talks selected from nearly 900 submitted abstracts
Register now to meet with world leading experts on urban and transport planning, architecture, environmental exposures, physical activity, and public health and governance to discuss multi-sectorial solutions to promote healthy urban development.
https://www.elsevier.com/events/conferences/urban-transitions

Blockchain in Cities

The white paper Blockchain in Cities: Restoring trust and Transparency in digital Transactions has been produced by National League of Cities (NLC). The main scope of the document is to provide an overview regarding the opportunities arising for smart cities and governance, as well as existing challenges and barriers. Some key insights for city leaders are also provided at the end of this report.
https://www.urenio.org/2018/07/08/blockchain-cities/

First cities to join the Urban Air Mobility initiative

Only one month after Geneva committed to becoming the first city to join the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Initiative, the cities of Hamburg, Ghent and Ingolstad have also joined the initiative. UAM aims to develop the market for this new dimension in urban mobility, which could help address unmet mobility user needs and offer new opportunities for European companies.
http://www.eltis.org/discover/news/first-cities-join-urban-air-mobility-initiative

7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism

The UNWTO Secretariat is pleased to inform that the 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism, will be held on 16-19 September in Seoul, Republic of Korea, under the theme ‘A 2030 Vision for Urban Tourism’.
The summit, co-organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Seoul Metropolitan Government and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization and the Seoul Tourism Organization, will provide a unique platform to discuss the key issues shaping the future of urban tourism in the context of the 2030 Urban Agenda.
http://destination.unwto.org/7th-global-summit-urban-tourism

EPA-Polis-CPA Urban Parking Workshop

On 13 September 2018, the Czech Parking Association will host the annual joint workshop of EPA and Polis in Prague.
Join the workshop gathering 80 urban parking professionals discussing the latest developments of parking, such as:
• fair and efficient enforcement: scheme design and technologies, clamping, cross-border and digital enforcement;
• the future of parking: parking as an enabler for car sharing, electromobility, parking policy in view of automated driving;
• parking policy processes in the EU and latest research: digital parking standards, PARK4SUMP project.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/events2/epa-polis-cpa-workshop-polis-wg-meeting

Better data can grant cities more ownership

Marseille’s eco-district of Îlot Allar uses seawater for heating and cooling through a new private initiative: Massileo. This renewable technology is likely to expand in the coming years, but what does this mean for public ownership of the energy systems?
http://www.energy-cities.eu/Better-data-can-grant-cities-more-ownership?pmv_nid=2

Mobility’s Missing Middle

I was invited to give a keynote on the future of Urban Mobility at ICLEI’s World Congress in Montreal last week. The audience consisted of representatives and mayors from more than 100 cities around the world. My presentation, “From Funders to Referees” was about the changing roles of cities as mobility undergoes not only a technological revolution but a business one too.
There is no better way to illustrate the business disruption than by focusing on Paris. Cities used to spend taxpayers’ money, giving one company a fixed-term contract to move its citizens. These single-operator partnerships run the risk of backing the wrong horse. Vélib’ and Autolib’, once the pride of Paris, are now a source of embarrassment for the city who has otherwise been a world leader in new mobility. What went wrong?
https://urbanmobilitydaily.com/mobilitys-missing-middle/

Registration Live: PastForward Preservation Conference

Register by July 31 and save for the premier educational and networking event for those who are passionate about saving places. This year PastForward will feature iconic San Francisco, but also show you a progressive city that is tackling climate change and urban density while maintaining its cultural landscape and intangible heritage—issues that will resonate with preservation practitioners across the country. Register early for savings and to ensure your spot on the exciting Field Studies exploring the preservation work in, and around, San Francisco.
http://PastForwardConference.org

CTBUH Leaders Meet at the First Annual Tall + Urban Innovation Conference

For the first time ever, the Council held the Tall + Urban Innovation Conference, which explores and celebrates the very best in innovative tall buildings, urban spaces, building technologies, and construction practices from around the world. Incorporating what was previously known as the CTBUH Annual Awards Event, this two-day conference saw the owner/developers and design teams for 48 Finalist projects compete in front of an international audience and live juries for winning distinctions across nine award categories. This means that CTBUH is now holding two major conferences per year, with the first occurring in the spring, and the other in the fall. The Council has therefore increased the number of Leaders Meetings to two per year, occurring in tandem with both major conferences. The first 2018 Leaders Meeting was held the day after the inaugural event, bringing together the Council’s working group leaders, regional representatives, trustees, committee chairs, and staff from around the world to provide mid-year updates on recent initiatives and plans for the remainder of 2018.
http://www.ctbuh.org/Events/CTBUHRelatedEvents/CTBUH2018LeadersMeeting/tabid/7883/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Why Little Vehicles Will Conquer the City

Nearly all of them look silly, but if taken seriously, they could be a really big deal for urban transportation.
The public reaction to the arrival of dockless bikes and electric scooters in U.S. cities can be tracked in stages. The first stage, for many, was annoyance. Who were these grown men and women on candy-colored bikes and teeny kick-scooters speeding down the streets and sidewalks, menacing walkers and leaving their rented toys all over the place? Especially in San Francisco, where this whimsical new mobility mode has taken off, scooters have come to represent yet another example of tech industry entitlement, another way for a startup to move fast and break stuff.
https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/06/welcome-to-the-tiny-vehicle-age/563342/

Rotterdam ends access restrictions to passenger cars

The municipality of Rotterdam ends access restrictions to passenger cars in the city environmental zone. The decision was announced in the local the Coalition Agreement presented on 26 June by the newly elected local government.
Access restrictions for petrol cars built before 1 January will be lifted as of 1 July, 2018, whereas restrictions applying to diesel cars built before 1 January, 2001, will be lifted 1 January, 2020.
The policy decision is remarkable as it was announced less than a month after the municipality won an appeal case at the highest general administrative court in which the municipality had asked to impose vehicle access restrictions to these ‘older’ passenger cars.
http://www.eltis.org/discover/news/municipality-rotterdam-ends-access-restrictions-passenger-cars

Hazard Mitigation and Historic Preservation: How to Both Preserve and Protect

How do we protect historic properties that cannot be moved or modified, from the next disaster that strikes? This is a critical question faced by many owners of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and state registers or those located in local historic districts. Changing their original materials, locations or character-defining features can put these properties at risk of losing their historic designation. How, then, do we protect these resources?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b3irHwQe20&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=SGN+2018-0702&utm_campaign=sgn-news-2018-0702&utm_medium=email

World Class Sustainable Cities 2018

10TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WORLD CLASS SUSTAINABLE CITES 2018’ (WCSC 2018) to be held on Thursday, 27 September 2018 at the InterContinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
With the official support and endorsement of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), this year’s 10th WCSC conference series is aptly themed ‘KUALA LUMPUR; TODAY & BEYOND’. Cities today are at a crossroad, faced with challenges and pressures for further economic growth and stronger competitive advantage. At the same time, cities are expected to provide for better quality of life in an improved urban environment. This includes a conducive and affordable living environment, excellent connectivity and ample outdoor public spaces set within a greener, and therefore, cooler urban setting. And all these while no one gets left behind.
WCSC 2018 will explore how Kuala Lumpur and other cities in Malaysia can prepare for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges, to be more livable, resilient, inclusive and sustainable, through better planning, technology and social innovations towards implementing the New Agenda for all.
Since its inception in 2009, WCSC series has provided a constructive platform to educate and engage all stakeholders, as well as showcase international best practices from other World Class Cities in addressing the benefits and challenges faced towards becoming a World Class City.
http://www.wcsckl.com/

The cost of being Amazon's home

However they see Amazon, for good or ill, residents of the fastest-growing city in the US largely agree on the price Seattle has paid to be the home of the megacorporation: surging rents, homelessness, traffic-clogged streets, overburdened public transport, an influx of young men in polo shirts and a creeping uniformity rubbing against the city’s counterculture.
But the issue of Jeff Bezos’s balls is far from settled. “Have you seen the Bezos balls?” asked Dave Christie, a jewellery maker at a waterfront market who makes no secret of his personal dislike for the man who founded and still runs Amazon. “No one wanted them. They’ve disfigured downtown. Giant balls say everything about the man. Bezos is holding Seattle hostage.”
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jul/04/is-bezos-holding-seattle-hostage-the-cost-of-being-amazons-home

Heatwave Threats Rarely an Urban Priority, Even as Risks Rise

Heatwaves are already a bigger risk in many cities than people realise, experts say
On days when temperatures hit worrying peaks – an increasing problem in Cape Town as climate change takes hold – figuring out how to keep people cool can be a challenge.
The South African city, long known for its moderate climate, has few air conditioners. It is fringed by the sea – but most people don't know how to swim, making encouraging a dip risky, said Amy Davison, who works on environmental strategy for Cape Town's city government.
http://www.thisisplace.org/i/?id=d81ccd2a-57f7-4915-8bc5-2e5451054fe2

2018 Polis Conference: Programme online and registrations open!

This year's Annual Polis Conference on "Transport innovation for sustainable cities and regions" will take place on 22 and 23 November 2018. It will be hosted by Polis president Manchester, and will take place in the Manchester United Old Trafford Stadium.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/2018Conference

INTA42 Focus: Programme Finalised

The programme for INTA42 World Urban Congress in Rostock is finalised and can now be viewed on the congress website. It will be a fascinating 2 days of policy debates, local field visits, interactive workshops and round table discussions, all about unlocking the "Hidden Value of Medium-Sized Cities". Invited speakers will represent 19 different cities from 14 countries around the world.
https://inta-aivn.org/en/activities/exchange/congress/inta42/programme-inta42

These are the Cities Where Your Salary Goes the Furthest

Los Angeles is famous for many things: sunshine, stunning beaches and, of course, being the home of the silver screen.
World-beating value for money isn’t something that usually springs to mind when one thinks of LA. But according to the Prices & Earnings report by Swiss Bank UBS, an average worker’s salary will buy you more in Los Angeles than anywhere else. So much so that LA residents are able to afford almost 25% more goods and services than New Yorkers.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/chart-of-the-day-these-are-the-cities-where-your-salary-goes-the-furthest

Can Gentrification Be Illegal?

A lawsuit alleges that Washington, D.C., illegally wooed "creative-class" millennials at the expense of longtime residents. Others argue, "this is not a conspiracy. This is capitalism.”
Can gentrification be illegal?
That's the question at the heart of a recent lawsuit in Washington, D.C., which alleges that the city courted "creative-class" millennials in recent years at the expense of longtime Washingtonians, particularly the city's lower-income African-American residents.
http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-washington-gentrification-lawsuit-lc.html

Save the date: Joint Polis-ITF workshop on road safety and data

The Polis Working Group on road safety and the International Transport Forum's Safer City Street initiative organise another joint workshop on 20-21 November 2018. The event will take place in London (20 Nov.) and Manchester (21 Nov)
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1744/45/save-the-date-Joint-Polis-ITF-workshop-on-road-safety-and-data-on-20-21-November

Cities and regions call for a high political dialogue on migration and integration

Following the European Summit of 28 – 29 June 2018, the Secretary General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Frédéric Vallier, states:
"Any new EU asylum agreement has to be in full compliance of international legislation. Moreover, any new asylum and migration policy should be discussed by all levels of government and not solely by EU member states. This is a challenge far too important not to involve those who are on the migration frontline, such as European cities, towns and regions.”
Mayors and local leaders pursue their mission to host migrants and asylum seekers with full determination, by providing shelters, health services and social assistance to migrants and asylum seekers.
http://www.ccre.org/en/actualites/view/3746

6G Will Drive a Revolution on Smart Cities and IoT

We’ll have to wait at least 10 years before seeing the first specifications of 6G approved. When that time comes, things such as autonomous cars and drone delivery will likely be an everyday reality in our cities. Also, while in 2030, the world’s population is projected to reach 8.5 billion people, the number of IoT connections could be about 125 billion.
https://iot.eetimes.com/5g-is-already-here-6g-will-arrive-soon/

How the Next Generation of Mobility will Affect Cities

In 1913 the first mass produced automobiles went down the Ford assembly line in Highland Park, Michigan. The large-scale introduction of motor vehicles triggered changes in a large and complex system that ultimately transformed not just transportation, but our sense of geography, the urban, and ultimately suburban, landscapes, manufacturing, agriculture, medicine, politics, education, and most other elements of society.
We stand now at the cusp of another revolution in mobility, and with the introduction of new forms of vehicles, power, control systems, and business architectures, the changes are likely to be as large and dynamic as those of a century ago. Identifying, studying and putting these complex forces into a perspective that can help inform the actions of the numerous elements of this system will be critical to maximizing the societal benefits of this revolution.
http://meetingoftheminds.org/how-the-next-generation-of-mobility-will-affect-cities-27278

The 2nd International Conference on Green Urbanism

The Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit

The 12th Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit convenes in Sacramento, California with the purpose of spotlighting tools and best practices working for smart city leaders across the globe.
400+ leaders gather each year to build partnerships across sectors and from city-to-city. The event focuses on emerging and tested urban sustainability solutions which are scalable, replicable, and transferable for cities and regions. Discussions are rooted in a deep understanding of technology and equity as key drivers for smart cities.
http://meetingoftheminds.org/events/motm2018

ELENA: supporting the deployment of sustainable and innovative urban mobility

Four of EUROCITIES member’s cities are currently benefitting from ELENA (European Local Energy Assistance) facility.
The projects are expected to generate a total investment of 511 million euros. ELENA provides grants for project development assistance to public and private project promoters. The facility was created by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the preparation of bankable, ambitious and large-scale investment programmes in energy efficiency and distributed renewable energy. Support from the ELENA facility can cover up to 90% of eligible project development costs, which may include expenses related to feasibility and market studies; programme structuring; energy audits; financial structuring and/or preparation of tendering procedures and contractual arrangements.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/ELENA-supporting-the-deployment-of-sustainable-and-innovative-urban-mobility-WSPO-B2CJGV

High streets must stop relying on retail, says expert review

The crisis on UK high streets could leave 100,000 shops empty within a decade, according to an independent review that argues struggling retailers should no longer be relied upon to prop up ailing town centres.
The Grimsey Review 2 makes a series of recommendations including an overhaul of the business rates system and a ban on out-of-town developments. It predicts nearly 70,000 high street jobs will disappear this year.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jul/04/high-streets-must-stop-relying-on-retail-says-expert-review

“Cool Planning: Changing Climate and Our Urban Future”

During the 2018 ISOCARP World Planning Congress, we will discuss the burning issues of climate change, resilience, disaster mitigation, planning, adaptation and others with regards to urban planning, design, technology, infrastructure and many more. We expect a large turnout of experts on the theme, with workshops, keynote speeches and also the usual ISOCARP programme, including the YPP workshop. There will be many opportunities for networking as well. Please mark your calendars and join us this autumn in Bodø!
https://isocarp.org/2018congress/

eBus:conference, 21/22 November 2018, Solingen, Germany

Welcome to the 6th International E-Bus Conference on 21 and 22 November 2018 in Solingen? There is much to discuss:
Electric bus systems are constantly being further developed, now more than ever. New developments, such as in-motion or opportunity charging of the batteries of electric buses, meet existing practice like stationary charging of the batteries. So far, no standard solution has developed for electric buses as for conventional buses with internal combustion engines. One main reason is that the operation of electric buses, which can be supplied with energy via overhead contact lines, batteries or fuel cells, always requires much infrastructure, which has to be erected and operated economically.
https://www.trolleymotion.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Konferenzprogramm-2018-_V6_2018.06.18.pdf

Call for experts for the study "Blockchain 4 Cities"

United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) initiative is launching a call for expert volunteer contributors from urban practitioners, city planners, engineers, designers, policy-makers, government officials, regulators, standards experts, scientists, academia, researchers, geographers, sociologists, civil society and other relevant actors interested in the topic of Sustainable Smart Cities, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 11: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable", the New Urban Agenda, Paris Agreement and other related international agreements.
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/ssc/united/Pages/default.aspx

Neighborhoods are key to sustainable future

Safeguarding the environment—largely by designing and operating buildings and communities more wisely than we’ve done for the past 200 years—is the most crucial endeavor the Earth’s inhabitants are now engaged in. If we fail, not only will the weather turn more deadly. Many species will die out, food production will be disrupted, and humans will face conditions far harsher than those we experience today.
Chicago architect and urban designer Douglas Farr has a keen understanding of what’s at risk. His ambitious new book aims to help everyone—but particularly urban designers, architects, planners, and engaged citizens—grasp the complex challenge and steer civilization away from danger.
https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2018/06/12/how-neighborhoods-can-help-humanity-thrive

Velo-City 2018 Ends in Rio after Four Days of Talks on Cycling

The 2018 edition of Velo-city, the annual global conference on cycling organised by the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF), ended last Friday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Learn more about the topics discussed on the final day of the conference.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1736/45/Velo-City-2018-Ends-in-Rio-after-Four-Days-of-Talks-on-Cycling

Inclusive Metropolitan Cities and City-Regions

Under the theme “Inclusive Metropolitan Cities and City-Regions”, the 2018 Metropolis Annual Meeting is hosted by Gauteng Province and will take place in Johannesburg.
The meeting will provide a platform for networking and exchanging of ideas. It will also bring together government leaders, city managers, urban managers, experts, international NGOs, academics and other important stakeholders from around the world.
http://www.urbangateway.org/event/inclusive-metropolitan-cities-and-city-regions

Will electric scooters be the new urban means of transport?

A new trend could invade European cities starting this summer. After having conquered several cities in the United States, electric scooters are about to discover France. The American start-up Lime will be rolling out hundreds of them in the streets of Paris from Friday, 22 June. Its goal? To occupy the niche of short-distance travels by proposing an alternative to walking.
http://www.ccre.org/en/actualites/view/3743

5 pathways to systemic urban change

From climate change to urbanization, the rate and scale of global change is unprecedented. These impacts are changing the face of everyday life and posing substantial risk to communities and natural systems.
Sustainable urban development will play a decisive role in global development. As cities grow and change, so do the demands on social infrastructure, economic systems and natural resources. It is critical that we fundamentally reorient the patterns of daily life, our built environment and the natural systems in and around cities worldwide. The success and scale of urban transformation will determine whether we deliver on the goals set in the global sustainable development agenda.
http://talkofthecities.iclei.org/5-pathways-to-systemic-urban-change/

Integrated Underground Solutions for Compact Metropolitan Cities

This international event is jointly organised by ACUUS (Associated Research Centers for the Urban Underground Space), the Geotechnical Division of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) and Hong Kong Geotechnical Society (HKGES). It is a 3-day event comprising plenary keynote lectures, scientific presentations and technical tours.
The theme of the 2018 Conference is "Integrated Underground Solutions for Compact Metropolitan Cities" covering multi-disciplinary subjects that are involved in exploiting underground space solutions for sustainable city development.
www.acuus2018.hk.

3rd Annual Smart Cities International Symposium & Exhibition

Organized by the Smart Grid Observer, the 3rd Annual Smart Cities International Symposium & Exhibition, January 22-23, 2019 in Chicago brings together thought leaders and practitioners from around the world to explore the most recent technology advances, business models, and lessons learned to date in making the Smart City a reality. Expert speakers will examine the experiences of municipal governments who are pushing the envelope and moving toward actual implementation of the Smart City vision. The emphasis is on implementation strategy, case studies, best practices, and the development of compelling business models for transitioning to the 21st Century Smart City.
http://www.smartcities-symposium.com/

Lisbon awarded European Green Capital 2020

Yesterday, the Covenant city of Lisbon has been awarded Eurpean Green Capital 2020 during the Awards Ceremony in Nijmegen (Netherlands). The cities of Cornellà de Llobregat (Spain) and Horst aan de Maas (Netherlands) won the European Green Leaf Award 2019, established in 2015 to recognise the environmental efforts and achievements of smaller cities (20 000 – 100 000 inhabitants).
The title of European Green Capital is awarded every year to a European city with over 10 000 inhabitants for its commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability. Now in its 10th edition, the European Green Capital title has been awarded to the following cities in the previous years: Stockholm, Sweden (2010); Hamburg, Germany (2011); Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain (2012); Nantes, France (2013); Copenhagen, Denmark (2014); Bristol, UK (2015); Ljubljana, Slovenia (2016); Essen, Germany (2017); Nijmegen, Netherlands (2018); Oslo, Norway (2019).
https://www.eumayors.eu/news-and-events/news-and-events/news/1572-european-green-capital-and-european-green-leaf-award-winners-announced.html

Denmark’s Carbon Footprint Is Set to Rise Sharply

Denmark’s reputation as one of the most proactive countries in the world in the fight against climate change took a heavy knock this week. Despite its reputation as a green energy pioneer, a Danish government memorandum obtained by newspaper Politiken suggests that the country’s carbon emissions are due to rise sharply, by as much as 10 percent between now and 2030. The potential culprits: Apple, Facebook, and Google, among others.
https://www.citylab.com/environment/2018/06/denmarks-carbon-footprint-is-set-to-rise-sharply/563486/

MOVE 2019

“Our vision is to create the world’s most important mobility event, where disruptive technology and innovation drive much needed change.”
MOVE will bring together disruptors, their technology and their attitude with stakeholders across all modes and disciplines: to dialogue, to create insight and to promote collaboration. We guarantee to be more expansive and multi-disciplined than any other event on the planet.
New thinking and new action is required now because existing transportation paradigms are broken beyond repair and are often the cause of the problem, not the solution.
https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/move/index.stm

Winter Cities Shake-Up 2019

The Winter Cities Shake-Up is a gathering of Urban planners and designers, entrepreneurs and business people, artists, cultural and community organizers, and people who live in winter cities and want to take advantage of all winter has to offer.
http://www.wintercitiesconference.com/

For Thriving Cities, People vs. Nature Is a False Choice

Municipal leaders face hundreds of difficult choices every day. With so many needs and worthy programs, how does one choose where to invest limited funding? In the face of pressing human needs, cities too often decide that funding for environmental programs will have to wait.
But pitting people against nature in this way offers a false choice.
We need not decide between supporting people in cities and protecting the natural systems that we all need to survive. Rather, by bringing more nature to cities and managing our collective resources well, we can help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and meet The Nature Conservancy’s ambition to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.
http://thecityfix.com/blog/thriving-cities-people-vs-nature-false-choice-joel-paque/

How can we help cities provide the building blocks for future growth?

Basic infrastructure makes all the difference in the lives of people. Sometimes a road is all it takes…
Access to clean drinking water and sanitation can improve children’s health, reduce waterborne disease, and lower the risk of stunting.
Street lighting can improve the safety of a community, reduce gender-based violence, and add productive hours for shops and economic activities, which can help people escape poverty.
http://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/how-can-we-help-cities-provide-building-blocks-future-growth

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Further archived news available on request from: Kate More