NewsJune2018

ISOCARP organises a strategic learning session and a workshop on “Urban Mobility and Transit-Oriented Development in African Cities” at the Annual Meeting of the SSATP (African Transport Policy Program, World Bank) in Abuja, Nigeria. Moreover, on July 1, ISOCARP Vice President Technical Assistance Sebastien Goethals, will organise the first ISOCARP Africa Urban Pitch event, as an opportunity for the ISOCARP members from Nigeria to meet and share their work with the global community of planners.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/isocarpafrica/about/

Eurisy Cities Initiative: Save the date! Space4Culture

During the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage, the City of Matera hosts a two-day event to discuss how satellite-based services can be used to safeguard our cultural heritage, create new and cultural artistic experiences, foster social inclusion, and promote access to culture and arts within and around cities.
The event is organised in Matera, European Capital of Culture for 2019, by the Basilicata Region, Eurisy, the Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies (NEREUS), the TeRN Consortium “Earth Observation and Natural Hazard Technologies", and the Italian Space Agency.
https://www.eurisy.org/event-Space4Culture/registration

To Build a Better Bus System, Ask a Driver

The people who know buses best have ideas about how to reform the system, according to a survey of 373 Brooklyn bus operators.
The facts are stark: Bus ridership in New York City is in a state of free fall. Ridership losses in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan are even more alarming.
This isn’t a secret. Advocacy groups have agitated for reforms for years. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently released a bus action plan intended to increase service quality, and with it, ridership. So far, the plan has few details, but it primarily focuses on technological and technical improvements, including all-door boarding, transit signal priority, and the distance between stops. While these improvements are needed, we believe any plan could benefit from input from a very critical element in the system: the drivers who sit behind the wheel.
https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/06/how-do-you-fix-the-bus-we-asked-the-drivers/562898/

Five Reasons to be Sceptical of Autonomous Vehicles

What does the autonomous vehicle future look like to Sam Schwartz, the legendary “Gridlock Sam” transportation planner?
Messages from car companies like this:
If you don’t buy an AV, you don’t love your family.
While there are some major potential benefits of AVs (less traffic, less parking, and increased safety), there are some big concerns we need to address before jumping on the AV bandwagon – and before falling for messages like the one above.
Schwartz talked about this and more in a preview for his upcoming book, No One at the Wheel, at Mobility Lab last week. Here are Gridlock Sam’s top reasons why we need to be wary of AVs.
https://urbanmobilitydaily.com/five-reasons-why-we-need-to-be-skeptical-of-autonomous-vehicles/

Polis members share MaaS experiences and approaches

Polis members BKK/Budapest Centre for Transport, Transport for Greater Manchester, city of Aarhus and Transport for London took part in the MaaS conference organised by Fluidtime on 7-8 June in Vienna
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1737/45/Polis-members-share-MaaS-experiences-and-approaches

2018 URBACT City Festival: register now

Europe's cities are invited to register before 30 June for this year's URBACT City Festival in Lisbon on 13-14 September, where they will have opportunities to network, be inspired by those at the forefront of new ideas and practices and take part in over 50 interactive sessions.
URBACT, official partner of the EUROCITIES campaign 'Cities4Europe - Europe for citizens', helps cities develop pragmatic local solutions to the global challenges of sustainability, integration and resilience. Its flagship annual festival celebrates cities as forces for change and is open to all EU cities, whether or not they have taken part in an URBACT network.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/2018-URBACT-City-Festival-register-now-WSPO-B23DRL

Greener, greater cities

What should a “green” city look like? Should it resemble Copenhagen, with its high rates of bicycle commuting and recycling? What about Curitiba, the capital of Brazil’s Paraná state, with its pedestrian-centred planning? Or perhaps Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, which is powered entirely by renewable energy?
With more than 50% of the world’s population now living in urban areas – a share that is rising fast – the answer to this question will shape our collective future.
But it may be more straightforward than we realise: to make cities “greener” – that is, less polluted, more resource-efficient, and more environmentally resilient – we should make them literally greener.
http://www.gulf-times.com/story/596692/Greener-greater-cities

How to build a smart city – the blueprint

SMART CITIES have the power to transform the world around us, making these urban areas a melting pot of culture, community, and business, all powered by technology.
Truth be told, many people think a smart city is a data challenge. But it’s not. It’s also an innovation challenge.
http://techwireasia.com/2018/06/how-to-build-a-smart-city-the-blueprint/

Security, Democracy and Cities – Co-producing urban security policies manifesto

The Security, Democracy and Cities – Co-producing urban security policies manifesto was adopted at the end of the eponymous conference organised by the European Forum for Urban Security (Efus), the City of Barcelona and the Government of Catalonia on 15-17 November 2017, in Barcelona.
https://issuu.com/efus/docs/manifeste-vang-web

500 local and regional leaders commit to embrace equality, diversity and inclusion

The curtains are just closing on the CEMR conference, where over 500 local and regional leaders gathered in Bilbao from 11 to 13 June. They committed to direct their efforts towards one common goal: to act for a more open and respectful society in terms of equality, diversity and inclusion.
http://www.ccre.org/en/actualites/view/3742

Apply now for the CIVITAS Awards 2018 - Europe's top sustainable urban mobility prizes

The call has been launched for applications for this year's CIVITAS Awards. Towns and cities have until 13 July 2018 to submit their entries and be in with a chance to win Europe's most prestigious prizes for clean urban transport.
The Awards provide a unique platform for towns and cities to demonstrate their pioneering sustainable urban mobility activities. Winning can lead to a town or city achieving Europe-wide exposure for its work and become a role model that inspires others.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1730/45/Apply-now-for-the-CIVITAS-Awards-2018---Europe-39-s-top-sustainable-urban-mobility-prizes

Europe’s ‘City Finance Lab’ launches first call for ideas

The call – which runs until 20th July 2018 – seeks finance innovations that can scale up climate-relevant investment in Europe’s cities
Calling all financial institutions, project developers, cities and city initiatives working on financial innovation in cities!
Do you have an idea for a financial solution that could unlock greater climate-relevant investment in cities?
The City Finance Lab (CFL), a joint venture between EIT Climate-KIC and South Pole, opens its first call for ideas for cutting edge climate finance solutions for cities today, 4th June. Selected ideas will be announced in early September and will receive guidance to develop and improve their proposals from city finance experts at leading public, private and philanthropic organisations.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/Europe-s-City-Finance-Lab-launches-first-call-for-ideas-WSPO-AZPE8L

Workshop on automated vehicles and traffic management

The MAVEN project will run a workshop in Greenwich (London) on 24 October about how increasing vehicle automation may affect urban traffic management. It follows two similar workshops held in Brussels in October 2017 and Barcelona in November 2016.
The workshop's aims are to:
explore in more detail how increasingly instrumented vehicles are likely to behave on city roads and how this may affect the traffic management task and wider transport goals
provide insight to the role that communication technology can play in the shorter-term of connected transport and the longer-term of automated transport
promote reflection among local authorities on their role and responsibility as CCAV evolves.
Local authorities are the main target group of this workshop; however, it is also open to other urban transport stakeholders with an interest in CCAV.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/maven-workshop-and-polis-tem-wg-meeting-greenwich-24-25-october-2018

Incorporating gender safety policies into the metropolitan agenda

In the effort to incorporate gender safety policies into the metropolitan agenda, and seeking to build new partnerships in the promotion of safe, inclusive and resilient cities for all, a Metropolis delegation attended past May 23 to 25 the 4th Smart Cities India 2018 Expo, in New Delhi, and organized the side-event “Metropolitan strategies to achieve Safe Cities for Women and Girls: the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals as a real opportunity”.
The session was introduced by Mrs. Silvia Llorente, Project Officer for Metropolis Women, who remarked our strong commitment to the incorporation of a gender vision in urban agglomerations worldwide. She pointed out the direct connection between safety and citizenship, remarking that “it is essential for the safety policies of our metropolises to incorporate elements that encourage the equal use and appropriation of public space by women and girls, allowing them to enjoy their right to full citizenship”.
https://www.metropolis.org/news/2018/smart_city_india_safe_cities_for_women

Dead Golf Courses Are the New NIMBY Battlefield

Golf is dying, many experts say. According to one study by the golf industry group Pellucid Corp., the number of regular golfers fell from 30 to 20.9 million between 2002 and 2016. Ratings are down, equipment sales are lagging, and the number of rounds played annually has fallen.
Part of the bust can be blamed on the fallen fortunes of a single person: Tiger Woods. Golf boomed in the 1990s and early 2000s as the charismatic superstar raked in titles. Then, beginning in 2009, it faced a one-two punch of recession and bad press when its star golfer’s chronic infidelity came to light.
https://www.citylab.com/environment/2018/06/the-next-housing-battleground-dead-golf-courses/561896/

Munich launches on-demand public transport

The transport company of the City of Munich, MVG, is due to start a pilot with on-demand ride sharing in its city centre this summer. Twenty vehicles will operate on-demand. Algorithms will calculate the fastest and efficient journeys, based on the orders of smartphone app users.
The service called IsarTiger won’t have fixed timetables, but will offer tailor-made rides.
http://www.eltis.org/discover/news/city-munich-launches-demand-public-transport

INTA42 Focus: The Regiopolis Concept, revealing hidden value of medium-sized cities

INTA is partnering with the Hanseatic city of Rostock along with the German Regiopolis Network to organise the INTA42 World Urban Congress. But what exactly is a Regiopolis? Read the article to find out how german medium-sized cities are using this new level of governance to reveal their hidden values.
https://inta-aivn.org/en/activities/exchange/congress/inta42/registration

Save the Date - REAL CORP 2019: Emotional Cities

we are pleased to announce REAL CORP 2019 under the working title Emotional Cities Physical, Informational, Mobile, Smart 2-4 APRIL 2019 KARLSRUHE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, GERMANY
More details on conference topics will be published soon. The call for papers is going to be opened in September 2018.
www.corp.at

What Europe’s public transit can learn from the USA

We get it: Europe has great public transportation, everybody rides bikes, there’s high-quality cheese everywhere, blah blah blah.
There’s a lot American transit providers can learn from studying their counterparts in Europe. But on recent trips to the continent, Mobility Lab’s Jenna Fortunati and Andy Furillo found some things that (shocker) public transportation in the United States does a little bit better.
Here are the best transit practices from the U.S. that Europe can use to make their transit even better.
https://mobilitylab.org/2018/06/11/three-things-europes-public-transit-can-learn-from-the-united-states/

Stress-Testing 17 Thirsty Cities: How urban areas become more water-wise

By 2030, six billion people will live in hot, dry, and crowded cities. To raise the bar, we chose 17 urban areas, each facing acute water insecurity in distinct regions, caused by unique forces, and exemplary of urban water crises shared by all. We then mixed and matched each to 17 IWA Water-Wise Principles, to test theory against practice.
https://www.thesourcemagazine.org/make-city-water-wise/

2018 International Metropolis Conference

The only gathering of its kind that brings together leaders and experts to discuss migration, diversity and integration.
Coming to Sydney, from October 29th to November 2nd the Conference will provide a unique platform to debate, discuss and critique policy approaches, practice and research in relation to migration. At a time when migration and its place in the body politic is at a critical inflection point, Metropolis 2018 is set to generate global interest and influence.
https://metropolis2018.org.au/

Leaders gather in Tallinn to plan free public transport

Leaders from municipalities, researchers and civic activists from all over the World came to Tallinn in May to discuss free public transport at the conference "Free Public Transport for all. Dream or reality".
Estonian Minister for Economic Affairs and Infrastructure, Kadri Simson, and French MEP, Karima Delli, Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism at the European Parliament, gave the keynote address to the 135 attendees.
Paris was the biggest city to be represented at the conference. Emmanuel Gregoire, Paris Deputy Mayor, said he believed free public transport was technically feasible in the French capital and was encouraged by what he had learnt at the conference.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1726/45/Leaders-gather-in-Tallinn-to-plan-free-public-transport

White Flight Returns, This Time From the Suburbs

White residents are either moving back downtown -- or to farther-out exurbs.
Remember white flight? A few generations ago, millions of white Americans left major cities for the suburbs. Their departures were aided, in part, by the growth of the highway system. But they were also motivated by race, as schools and neighborhoods started to desegregate. Now that more minorities are moving into the suburbs themselves -- a majority of minority residents of major metropolitan areas now live in suburbs, according to the Brookings Institution -- white flight is happening all over again.
http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-white-flight-suburbs.html

Ford introduces smart jacket for cyclists

Finding the way through busy streets on two wheels can be daunting and for cyclists who take their eyes off the road to glance at navigation apps, this can also increase risk – both for them and for other road-users and pedestrians.
Now, a group of cycle-enthusiast employees at Ford have come up with a unique wearable that enables riders to find their way around more easily, and to more clearly display their presence and intentions to others, while connected to an app.
“At Ford, we want to help people – and goods – move more safely, confidently and freely around our cities,” said Tom Thompson, project lead for the Ford Smart Mobility team. “The smart jacket concept helps us to better understand how the different players that are a part of the urban mobility ecosystem – cyclists, cars, and pedestrians – can better co-exist through the application of smart technologies and how we can apply those learnings to future ideas.”
http://erticonetwork.com/ford-introduces-smart-jacket-with-sensors-and-signals-for-cyclists/

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.metropolis.org/gauteng2018

1st UCLG World Forum of Intermediary Cities

The 1st UCLG World Forum of Intermediary Cities will take place from 5 to 7 July, in Chefchaouen (Morocco) under the invitation of the Mayor of Chefchaouen and President of the Forum, Mohamed Sefiani, and with the support of the Province of Chefchaouen and the Moroccan Ministry of Home Affairs. The aim is to engage all levels of governance on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global agendas in the intermediary cities. Chefchaouen will host an interesting two-day debate on the role of local and regional governments in these issues.
Intermediary cities represent one-third of the world's urban population, around 1.4 million inhabitants, and these cities are territories with a high level of multidimensional interaction with the rural world, therefore any public policy carried out in an intermediary city will have an impact on the rural environment of a city.
https://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/imagining-together-more-sustainable-urban-future-1st-uclg-world-forum-intermediary-cities

Brussels region launches ComOn, the new "Tinder for carpooling"

The Brussels capital region has launched a new app that helps people to find the right ‘transportation match’ in order to share the journeys to and from work.
“Our city is not a garage but a city where people live”, says Pascal Smet, Brussels minister for mobility and public works. Everyday about 350.000 commuters come to Brussels to work and cause severe road congestion problems. The app has the purpose to foster more people to share their rides.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1728/45/Brussels-region-launches-ComOn-the-new-quot-Tinder-for-carpooling-quot

These are the world’s most future-proof cities

As technology changes the way people live and work, cities are undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Those that have the infrastructure and strategy to manage this rapid technological shift are set to become the most competitive.
Globally, city economies in India, Vietnam and China have the strongest short-term momentum. The pace and scale of change in these markets is extraordinary, as they build out their skylines and infrastructure platforms to meet booming demand. While these changes present opportunities, many of these cities are facing challenges to their longer-term development prospects, with strains on infrastructure, high levels of inequality, issues around affordability, and environmental degradation.
https://europeansting.com/2018/06/12/these-are-the-worlds-most-future-proof-cities/

CitiesAlive 2018: Brooklyn

What is the future of our city regions? Will they be unbearably hot and regularly flooded by intense rains and high tides? Will they be increasingly unhealthy and more divided between 'us and them'? Will there be a lack of green space and job opportunities? Will there even be bird song?
CitiesAlive® provides green infrastructure solutions to urban challenges by bringing together design professionals and policy makers. Discover cutting edge design projects, policy developments, new research, and innovative products that are shaping a better, more resilient future.
https://citiesalive.org/

Webinar: Planning a sustainable city through smart & inclusive mobility

We are delighted to invite you to participate in the webinar ‘Planning a sustainable city through smart and inclusive mobility’, part of the webinar series of the International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme. The webinar will take place on Tuesday 26 June 2018 from 16:00 – 17:30 CEST.
One of the greatest challenges we face today lies in urban mobility. Achieving sustainable mobility is not only a question of technology and infrastructural change, it also requires a shift in mindset. By facilitating different modes of moving around our public spaces, such as public transport, car sharing and freight rail, as well as encouraging cycling and walking, we can make our cities cleaner, healthier and more pleasant places to live and work in.
https://iclei-events.webex.com/mw3300/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=iclei-events&service=6&rnd=0.9284037559201935&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Ficlei-events.webex.com%2Fec3300%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Ddetail%26%26%26EMK%3D4832534b000000041cfffa571f88784fdb23ae
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Electric bus fleets to tackle air pollution in cities

Recent studies on air pollution in cities have fuelled the debate on increasing the number of electric vehicles in cities. Deploying electric vehicles (EV) has become a key pillar for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the transport sector, as they are considered to improve air quality, decrease noise levels and contribute to a healthier environment for citizens. Despite those well-known advantages, urban decision-makers are facing several challenges in converting their bus fleets.
https://www.eumayors.eu/news-and-events/news/1566-electric-bus-fleets-to-protect-citizens-from-air-pollution.html

How Smart Cities can become more inclusive

The innovations that are being tested and implemented in smart city initiatives across the world, based on means such as data and digital technology in order to make cities more efficient and liveable, come with the danger of deepening inequality by excluding digitally marginalized groups.
http://www.urenio.org/2018/06/14/how-smart-cities-can-become-more-inclusive/

2018 Autonomy & Urban Mobility Summit Passes On Sale Now!

Autonomy is excited to announce that passes are now on sale for the 2018 edition of Autonomy & The Urban Mobility Summit!
To celebrate the opening of ticket sales, we are currently offering 100 tickets with a 50% off discount for our Summit & Exhibition Pass and our Exhibition Pass. The prices of the passes will increase each week by about 5% and are alloted on a first-come basis so the earlier you buy, the better the deal.
https://www.autonomy.paris/en/get-your-pass/

Book now - European Transport Conference

Early Booking Discount Closes Deadline Friday 29 June 2018
Delegates are invited to book their places at the European Transport Conference to benefit from an Early Booking Discount. The Early Booking Discount applies to delegates booking 3-day attendance only, with payment received by 29 June 2018
www.aetransport.org

New Taipei's Climate Action Plan

New Taipei City is combating climate change through innovative and state-of-the-art interventions.
New Taipei City’s Climate Action Plan aims to bring about urban transformation by implementing more green buildings, cleaner energy, smart transportation, efficient resource allocation and sustainable life-style strategies.
The plan takes into consideration all emission sectors; residential commercial and institutional buildings and facilities, manufacturing industries, construction, agriculture, forestry and fishing activities, transportation, waste management, industrial processes and product uses. The mitigation methods used contain energy saving, energy efficiency and resource conservation that will create a more sustainable future for all citizens.
http://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/City-of-New-Taipei-Climate-Action-Plan.pdf

New Case Study: Irregular Migrants, a Role for Cities

Cities are at the forefront of a growing movement to reinvigourate democratic societies through local policies and action that prioritize community voice, participation and representation, whatever the background or status. In our new case study, “The Inclusion of Migrants with Irregular Status”, Sarah Spencer, Director of the Global Exchange on Migration and Diversity at the University of Oxford, draws on the rich work of the C-MISE Project to show us principled, pragmatic local responses to the public service challenges posed by people sans papier.
http://citiesofmigration.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Building-Inclusive-Cities_APRIL30_Final.pdf

ITS World Congress

ERTICO ITS Europe organises either an ITS World Congress or an ITS European Congress every year.
The ITS World Congress rotates between Europe, the Asia Pacific region and the Americas, returning to Europe every three years.
The ITS World Congress is held in Europe in the years where there is no ITS European Congress.
The Congresses provides the ideal opportunity for all stakeholders to come together, discuss and make the necessary contacts to move initiatives forward and to develop their business by exhibiting and demonstrating state of the art ITS solutions. The Congresses also showcase the latest ITS achievements from the city and region hosting the Congress, and can help increase awareness of ITS in the Host region itself.
http://www.eltis.org/participate/events/its-world-congress

2018 Polis Conference

The 2018 Annual Polis Conference 'Innovation in transport for sustainable cities and regions' will take place on 22 and 23 November in Manchester United Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom.
It is the network's annual flagship event. It provides a unique platform to engage with representatives of cities and regions. It invites organisations and projects to showcase innovative solutions and approaches that can help to solve urban mobility challenges.
http://www.eltis.org/participate/events/2018-polis-conference

The Need for Openness in Transport Systems

The mobility industry is at the centre of unprecedented change and disruption. This is occurring in markets around the world: in developed and emerging economies; from micro-sized entrepreneurs; growing innovative businesses; to major multi-nationals. We are also witnessing the intervention of businesses not normally associated with mobility, and certainly passenger services, into the marketplace such as online content providers.
https://urbanmobilitydaily.com/the-need-for-openness-in-transport-systems/

Liverpool, a frontrunner city in re-naturing public spaces

If you happen to swing by Liverpool in the future, you will probably see a tree urban drainage system in Bold Street, where people frequently shop.
Surface water flooding is a problem in many cities. Rainwater cannot penetrate cemented soil, and storms often overwhelm available sewage systems affecting properties and livelihoods.
"We will introduce large street trees as part of a sustainable urban drainage system, designed to soak up excess local surface water and reduce the risk of localised flooding,” explains Juliet Staples, from the Liverpool City Council.
http://www.urbangreenup.eu/news--events/liverpool--a-frontrunner-city-in-re-naturing-public-spaces.kl

Engendering metropolitan spaces in the context of global agendas

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the launch session of the IV Issue Paper of the Metropolis Observatory, that will bring together local elected representatives, practitioners and experts to discuss how to:
Place gender equality within the metropolitan agenda as an overall strategy to build models of governance which are plural and inclusive
Make the right connections with gender issues arising from global agendas having an impact at the local level
Identify the challenges and opportunities in relation to engendering metropolitan visions and strategies
https://www.metropolis.org/agenda/engendering-metropolitan-spaces

Global District Energy Days - ‘Unite | Innovate | Experience‘

From 25 to 27 September, Helsinki, Finland
Euroheat & Power and Finnish Energy have teamed up for the 2018 Global District Energy Days. During this two and half days event you will get the opportunity to discuss major issues of importance for European and Global District Energy sectors across a range of technical and commercial issues ; from resource assessment and innovative technological design, to market and policy developments.
http://www.2018dedays.org/

Bio-based houses are seducing Latin America

The use of natural materials is growing rapidly in Argentina and other South American countries. Technical progress and policy implementation seem to go hand in hand
The green building phenomenon in Latin America has taken off. Bio-based aggregates have started penetrating the construction sector’s market, and the development of eco-friendly renewable products has increased the use of bio-based polymers in the construction industry, as a recent study shows.
http://isobioproject.com/news/bio-based-houses-are-seducing-latin-america/

Smart Roads Could Soon Call An Ambulance

Smart phones, smart fridges, smart cities — everything is increasingly connected to everything else. The internet-of-things revolution has brought new (and often frivolous) features to the most mundane of everyday objects. But you know one thing it might actually help us to have synced up? our road system.
You may have noticed, roads are really dumb right now. They’re expensive to maintain, and generally can’t do much besides allowing above-ground transportation (credit where credit is due, though). But Kansas City tech startup Integrated Roadways is trying to change that.
https://futurism.com/smart-roads-call-ambulance-connect-internet/

2017 Local Foods, Local Places Summit

Lessons from Community Leaders on Using Local Foods to Revitalize Downtowns summarizes the 2017 Local Foods, Local Places Summit, in which EPA and its federal partners brought together representatives from 33 communities to discuss their successes and challenges with different local food and community development approaches. This summary is useful for communities looking for advice on starting and maintaining local food and revitalization projects.
https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/2017-local-foods-local-places-summit

CIVITAS Annual Conference

From 19 to 21 September, Umeå, Sweden
The 16th edition of Europe’s premier sustainable mobility event will bring together the CIVITAS community from across the continent and beyond.
Over three days, hundreds of policymakers, city representatives, academics, and practitioners will gather to debate pressing topics surrounding sustainable urban mobility and witness the pioneering solutions bringing cleaner, better transport to Europe.
http://civitas.eu/forum2018

The Future of Urban Mobility: America’s AV Winners

When will robo-taxis start operating commercially in US cities? There is no better person to ask than Timothy Papandreou, formerly Waymo Strategic Partnerships: “We’re seeing them now with Waymo in a part of Metro Phoenix, AZ, and they announced a fully self-driving paid service will be available later this year. It was exciting working with all the teams on that project. In the near future there will be more cities with these services.”
If it’s a case of ‘when and not if’ for AVs in America, then who is set to gain most?
https://urbanmobilitydaily.com/the-future-of-urban-mobility-americas-av-winners/

The Ancient Forests That Have Defied Urbanization

In cities around the United States, old-growth forests have survived against the odds. But preserving them is not as simple as roping them off from the public.
After the Interstate Highway System was authorized in 1956, planners decided that I-40 would link Tennessee’s big cities, from Knoxville to Nashville to Memphis. But in Memphis, locals looked at the proposed route of the highway and were appalled. It would barrel through Overton Park, a beloved local green space dotted with ponds, paths, and a stand of old-growth forest.
https://www.citylab.com/environment/2018/05/the-ancient-forests-that-have-defied-urbanization/558692/

Safer and Smarter – the Road to 2030

The PIN covers all relevant areas of road safety including road user behaviour, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as road safety policymaking. At the 2018 PIN conference, ETSC will launch its Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) annual report. They will present the latest road safety figures and identify actions needed to accelerate road safety progress. Child road safety and data collection topics will be highlighted. The event will feature a high-level panel debate “the European Road Safety Strategy 2020-30”.
https://etsc.eu/19-june-2018-safer-and-smarter-the-road-to-2030-the-2018-road-safety-performance-index-pin-conference-brussels/

Webinar: Can Mobility as a Service contribute to sustainable mobility?

Join this webinar to hear about the chances, risks and opportunities that arise from MaaS, from a researcher’s perspective and a city network. Learn from Turku about smart integration into transport policies and understand how Vienna managed to establish its own MaaS. The webinar will take place on 26 June 2018, 11 AM CEST.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1713/45/CIVITAS-Webinar-Can-Mobility-as-a-Service-contribute-to-sustainable-mobility-and-how-to-establish-it-successfully

The value of 5G for cities and communities

A new report, published by O2, identifies how improved mobile connectivity, enabled by 5G, will update the way cities operate, making them smarter and creating tangible benefits for citizens and city councils.
5G networks are expected to provide more widespread coverage, cope better with heavier data loads and reserve the highest speeds for those devices needing it, enabling the creation of an integrated infrastructure that connects things: buildings, transport and utilities.
The report suggests that 5G will have numerous benefits, including improvements in telecare and telehealth imaging, 5G-enabled road systems and lower energy bills.
http://www.urenio.org/2018/05/08/the-value-of-5g-for-cities-and-communities/

Novel, innovative and resource-efficient water systems for urban areas are underway

A new study in the Science for Environment policy journal of the EU Commission shows ways forward for more resource-efficient water systems in urban areas in Europe.
As climate change poses great challenges to water supply and sewage disposal systems, urban water management has long been seen as bearing large potential for becoming more resource- and energy efficient. Thus, industrial, as well as municipal experts agree on the need for action in the waste water sector. Within the framework of a recent study, the two German Covenant Cities Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main have provided for model areas demonstrating that they are challenging conventional water infrastructures. In integrating intelligent water management systems, these Covenant cities serve as precursors for novel water technologies.
https://www.eumayors.eu/news-and-events/news/1557-science-for-environment-policy-novel,-innovative-and-resource-efficient-water-systems-are-underway.html

Aerotropolis World Summit 2018

Hosted in Singapore between 9 – 12 Oct. 2018, the Aerotropolis World Summit 2018 aims at gathering the World’s leaders and decision-makers across key stakeholders of Aerotropolis projects, including urban development authorities/ministries, airport operators, project developers and investors. With its global panel of speakers, the event offers over 18 international case studies, 4 separately organized workshops, various roundtables and unlimited networking opportunities which enables participants to maximize effectiveness in planning and developing their airport city projects!
http://www.equip-global.com/aerotropolis-world-summit-2018

European Mobility Week 2018: Registration now open

Any town or city, from both Europe and further beyond, is invited to participate in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2018, which will take place on 16-22 September 2018.
Mix & Move!
This year’s EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK encourages us to explore the many different options available for getting from A to B, and to think about the mode that best suits our particular journey. By embracing the concept of multimodality and introducing some sustainable transport methods into our journeys, not only can we have a positive impact on the environment, we may just find that we’re fitter and happier, with some extra spending money too!
http://www.mobilityweek.eu/

As Trump retreats on climate change, US cities are moving to tackle it

Despite almost universal scientific consensus that climate change poses a growing threat, President Donald Trump’s recent infrastructure plan makes no mention of the need to build resilience to rising global temperatures. Instead, it actually seeks to weaken environmental reviews as a way of speeding up the infrastructure permitting process.
This proposal flies in the face of scientific evidence on climate change. It also contradicts the priorities of many local leaders who view climate change as a growing concern.
https://www.citymetric.com/horizons/trump-retreats-climate-change-us-cities-are-moving-tackle-it-3708

Informal Workers Make Cities Work for All

Think of the delicious food stands in Southeast Asia, the street performers in Africa, the rickshaw driver in Bangladesh, and the invisible home-based workers who embroider garments and stitch shoes in India. What do they all have in common? They are all part of the global informal workforce.
Most of us do not realize how many people are employed in the informal economy and how much they contribute collectively to the urban and national economy.
http://thecityfix.com/blog/informal-workers-make-cities-work-3-stories-thailand-india-colombia-valeria-gelman-jillian-du/

CREATE final conference - 'Get going! Tackling congestion in Europe and beyond'

The closing conference of CREATE, a CIVITAS project, which started three years ago, took place in Brussels on the 22-23 May. The event shared the results generated from the project with over 80 participants from Europe and beyond.
The conference kicked off with a presentation by the project coordinator, Prof. Peter Jones (University College London), on policy findings from the project. Piotr Rapacz, from the European Commission's DG MOVE, then looked at future urban mobility challenges and how Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) can help solve them. The first day also included a political roundtable featuring Michael Cramer MEP and city representatives from Bucharest, Skopje and Adana.
http://www.create-mobility.eu/

Webinar: Food Waste - Cities to the rescue!

How can cities reduce food waste effectively and efficiently? For this webinar, EUROCITIES and Milan Urban Food Policy Pact invite FoodWIN to share their experience on how cities can conduct a food waste analysis and diagnosis to ultimately co-create a food waste strategy. Frontrunning cities will share their experiences putting theory into practice.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/Webinar-Food-Waste-Cities-to-the-rescue-From-a-diagnosis-to-the-design-of-a-holistic-urban-strategy-WSPO-AZ7JFY

Women’s Growing Need for Safe Mobility

Until today, women around the world experience harassment and even assault when moving in public spaces, including on public transport services. In Nairobi, Kenya, the Flone Initiative is combatting gender-based violence by supporting victims, and by training service providers to effectively prevent behaviour that compromises women’s safety and right to mobility.
http://www.urbanet.info/women-safe-mobility-nairobi/

Sweden encourages urban ‘mobilists’ to switch to sustainable modes of transport

If Sweden wants to reach its climate targets for 2030, every third car must be removed from its major cities, according to the Swedish Transport Administration, Trafikverket. A move to other modes of transport is also needed because of the large amounts of urban space that cars occupy when driving or when parked.
To encourage citizens to choose other options, Gröna Bilister (link is external) (Green Motorists) has issued a guide (link is external) ‘Mobilist – Good Ideas for Motorists’. The guide gives recommendations and background information on topics such as cycling, electric bikes, carpooling, the costs of car ownership, 'Mobility as a Service' and the amount of space that different modes of transport use.
http://www.eltis.org/discover/news/sweden-encourages-urban-mobilists-switch-sustainable-modes-transport

Successful ELIPTIC Final Conference

ELIPTIC held a conference with leading public transport and industry figures to disuss its succeses and bring the project to a close (Bremen, 26-27 April 2018). Over 100 participants attended the conference.
The technological concepts analysed within the eleven project cities were showcased alongside key speeches, presentations and a panel roundtable. Those in attendance were given the opportunity to discuss the project findings and related subjects with partners such as business cases, SWOT analysis, transferability, energy law and regulation for multi-purpose charging systems, electric bus charging standardisation, national electric bus plans and future projects.
http://www.eliptic-project.eu/news/eliptic-final-conference-brings-project-close

SUMP conference launches revision process of EC SUMP Guidelines

The 5th European Conference on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) took place on 14 and 15 May in Nicosia. Polis, as a partner in the Eltis consortium, organises three editions of the event.
The conference launched the revision process of the SUMP Guidelines, the European Commission’s guidance document on urban mobility planning. Since 2013, around 1000 cities have adopted a SUMP.
A number of sessions discussed how the new guidelines should incorporate current and future developments in urban mobility, such as automation and ITS, MaaS and shared mobility and alternative fuel infrastructure. Some sessions discussed extensions of the SUMP Guidelines to areas like islands and touristic regions and to other levels of planning, such as neighbourhoods and regions.
http://www.eltis.org/sump2018

Cities Now Use Taxes to Fight Blight. Is It Working?

Land use experts question whether vacant property taxes are the right way to spur development.
It’s a scenario that plays out over and over in cities across the country: A small business in a hip neighborhood closes, the storefront is left empty for months -- maybe years -- and then eventually gets replaced by a national chain.
Whether it’s gentrifying Brooklyn, Greenwich Village in Manhattan or Miami Beach, the coffee shops, boutiques and eateries that drew many residents to those areas are struggling to stay.
http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-cities-blight-taxes-lc.html

Britain’s high streets can thrive again

It seems there’s barely a brand that’s immune from the malaise hanging over the British high street. Marks & Spencer and House of Fraser now look to be in serious trouble. Take a walk through the heart of many towns and cities up and down the country, and you’ll encounter a bleak vista: the all-too-familiar array of pound shops, bookies and boarded-up vacant lots. And things aren’t likely to pick up anytime soon, with the high street recently seeing the biggest year-on-year drop in footfall for nearly a decade.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/30/britain-high-streets-shops-marks-spencer

Gender sensitive public space?

Placemaking and spatial justice through the perspective of gender
What do we mean by the ‘gendered nature’ of urban space? How can a better awareness of gender create safer and more inclusive cities? These questions were explored during the first URBACT Gender Equal Cities workshop in Stockholm last month.
The session took place within the framework of the inaugural European Placemaking Conference. Over 2 days 170 participants from 20 countries came together to consider how cities, civil society and professionals can meet the challenges of displacement and loss of affordability in urban centres across Europe. How can we as placemakers strengthen spatial justice, to build the cities for all, aspired to in Sustainable Development Goal 11. (link is external)? The call to action, in line with URBACT’s mission, was to be aware of the bigger picture: to understand the political, cultural and economic dynamics of the city and to boost cohesion by involving all communities, stakeholders and voices in a meaningful way.
http://urbact.eu/gender-sensitive-public-space-placemaking-and-spatial-justice-through-perspective-gender

Workshop: Smart Cities, Smart Citizens?

Smart Cities, Smart Citizens? Power and participation in the digital city
Smart Cities is one of heated topics across the world. However, discussions on this initiative are more gravitated to the engineering/technology questions, whereas voices on the social and political aspects are still fragmented. This focused workshop aims to bring together scholars from different disciplinary and cases from different cities in this world of smart cities actions, so as to offer a distinctive, engaged and critical social science platform for research in this area.
https://smartcitiespol.wordpress.com/

Sustainable cities need more than parks, cafes and a riverwalk

There are many indexes that aim to rank how green cities are. But what does it actually mean for a city to be green or sustainable?
We’ve written about what we call the “parks, cafes and a riverwalk” model of sustainability, which focuses on providing new green spaces, mainly for high-income people. This vision of shiny residential towers and waterfront parks has become a widely-shared conception of what green cities should look like. But it can drive up real estate prices and displace low- and middle-income residents.
https://www.citymetric.com/fabric/sustainable-cities-need-more-parks-cafes-and-riverwalk-they-need-equity-too-3771

Crowdshaping Cities

“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961)Since this quote was written, our cities have expanded – upwards and outwards – beyond what many alive in the mid-twentieth century may have thought possible. How our cities are shaped, who owns them and how cities can support and sustain their ever-growing populations have become some of the defining questions in 21st century urban planning.
https://newcities.org/the-big-picture-crowd-shaping-cities/

Putting the Basque Declaration into practice

In 2016, hundreds of local government practitioners and leaders from 40 countries gathered in Bilbao to endorse the Basque Declaration, outlining new pathways for European cities and towns to create productive, sustainable and resilient cities for a liveable and inclusive Europe, and supporting a range of commitments, including adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction.
Two years on, Bilbao returns to this central agenda, bringing city practitioners together with researchers to discuss and learn about practical approaches to building climate resilience. The cities of Paris (France) and Bilbao will open a dialogue with their peers from Zadar (Croatia), Padova and Alba (Italy), Almada (Portugal), Athens (Greece), London (UK), Strasbourg (France) and Warsaw (Poland).
http://www.resin-cities.eu/events/

Smart City Seminars, 20 June, 2018, Gothenburg, Sweden

On 20 June 2018, the City of Gothenburg invites to share inventive thoughts of world-leading innovators and renowned specialists on the topics of digitalisation, mobility, autonomous vehicles and circular economy, and how these affect the urban development of smart cities. One of the Smart City Seminars will be moderated by Jack Ewing, Journalist at The New York Times.
The morning seminar will cover collaboration on testbeds and innovation within e-mobility and autonomous driving and how the latter two will affect the cities of the future. The afternoon seminar will cover circular and sharing economies, their role in future urban development and how they can be used as tools for smart city development.
The seminars are free of charge.
https://www.cometogothenburg.se/

Amsterdam takes measures to improve mobility

The City of Amsterdam has introduced a list of measures (link is external) that could be put in place to deal with the effects of mass tourism. Many of these concern mobility in the city’s historic centre.
According to the Dutch statistics agency CBS, Amsterdam hotels attracted 7.3 million tourists (link is external) in 2016, adding up to 14 million hotel nights. To deal with this volume of tourists, the upcoming council executive will propose a list of measures that should relieve Amsterdam’s city centre and should make traffic safer.
http://www.eltis.org/discover/news/faced-tourist-crowds-amsterdam-takes-measures-improve-mobility

What Mayors Are Talking About

In their annual state of the city addresses, mayors are calling out the elephant in the room.
Two mayors deliver their annual state of the city addresses. They both acknowledge imperfect crime records and tout their hiring of police officers. They both prioritize revitalizing their streets. And they both talk about increasing the density of core neighborhoods. Put them in a room together, and they agree about most things.
But there’s one topic they frame very differently: Their relationship with their colleagues in state and federal government.
“We are living in interesting times,” said Lawrence, Massachusetts, Mayor Dan Rivera in his city address. He contextualized the challenges for the city by pointing to the Trump administration’s “struggles to keep its doors open” and “men and women taking to the streets to protest” in cities across the country.
https://www.citylab.com/life/2018/06/what-mayors-are-talking-about/561623/

Summer school on smart cities

23 – 27 July 2018, Urban Sciences Building at Science Central
Newcastle, United Kingdom
The summer school provides training and learning opportunities to equip you with new skills for urban sustainability research and innovation, both in the field of social innovation, and in the field of sustainable and energy-efficiency technologies. The summer school will take place at Newcastle, 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://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage.cpd/cpd/smartsustainablecities.php#aboutthecourse

REAL CORP 2019 in preparation

We are currently working on details regarding REAL CORP 2019. As soon as time and venue are fixed (most probably April 2019), we will of course inform you. It would be a great honour to welcome you to REAL CORP 2019.
More information on REAL CORP 2019 will soon be available on our website http://www.corp.at.

Join the New Mobility Services Urban Freight Work Group

The European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP SCC) is currently building a workgroup on Urban Freight in close cooperation with the European Commission.
The consortium and its project workgroups are now under development and are still very open for new input. In particular, stakeholders working on urban freight might find the Urban Freight Work Group particularly interesting.
Public and private partners who are willing to join the consortium are now welcome to We are now actively searching for both public and private partners that are willing to join the consortium.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1705/45/Join-the-New-Mobility-Services-Urban-Freight-Work-Group

Innovative Financing for Cities: Pay for Results, Not Process

As cities face funding shortages for critical resilience and infrastructure projects, they are looking to new sources of capital—including impact investors. From large multinational banks to traditional institutional asset owners, to foundations and family offices, investors are looking to put their capital to work in ways that generate financial as well as social and environmental returns. The bottom line is: there is no shortage of the impact capital needed to finance innovative, nature-based solutions.
http://meetingoftheminds.org/innovative-financing-for-cities-pay-for-results-not-process-27106

Webinar: Planning for Urban Resilience and Inclusive Cities

Why do diversity, inclusion, and resilience matter to cities? Diversity is often celebrated in city branding and promotion. Toronto’s city motto “Diversity Our Strength” conveys social, cultural, and political meanings, but what does successful (and unsuccessful) spatial and physical manifestations of diversity in our city landscapes actually look like? From affordable housing, to transit, to parks, to settlement services, our cities can make smart investments of the public realm to create equitable and inclusive infrastructure and culturally sensitive services.
http://citiesofmigration.ca/webinar/planning/

Save the date: International Parks and Leisure Congress 2018

Co-hosted by World Urban Parks and PLA, FUTURE of SPACES and PLACES in CITIES is shaping up to be an incredible international event. From 14 - 17 October, the best of parks, sport and leisure expertise from around the world will meet in Melbourne, Australia. IPLC2018 held at the magnificent MCG features 50 concurrent sessions and nine technical tours addressing the most pressing issues for parks, leisure and sport professionals. Topped off with an awesome social program, the highlight being the Australian industries night of nights, the PLA Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner.
The program will be released later this month along with the pre and post tours and masterclasses. For more information and media enquiries call Nicoll Parton m: 0427 968 981 or e: iplc2018@parksleisure.com.au.
https://www.iplc2018.com/

How can smart cities finance their transformation?

Smart solutions are innovations. Therefore, by nature, they’re often new and untested - which is a scary feature for potential investors, who want safe and predictable results. So what are some attractive financing schemes for “intelligent” cities?
Local governments in Europe are notoriously risk averse, city council officials and industry leaders won’t hesitate to tell you. “They have a set amount of money, and they’ve got to have a set impact on their residents,” Nathan Pierce, smart city expert with thirteen years’ experience in public sector, told youris.com. “These public authorities have got to improve congestion and housing, provide better energy, etc. If they get something wrong, they don’t have endless amounts of money to find a solution to get it right.”
http://www.remourban.eu/news--events/news/how-can-smart-cities-finance-their-transformation.kl

The Steep Price of Short-Changing Public Transit

In winter 2015, record snowfall in Boston shut down the MBTA. The city’s transit agency couldn’t run any subways, trolleys or commuter rail for days, and it took weeks for the subway to return to full service. Amid the chaos, MBTA general manager Beverly Scott resigned, citing aging equipment and disabled trains. The incident cost the MBTA $40 million in direct costs and caused tumult among businesses and commuters that depended on the rail system.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/the-steep-price-of-short-changing-public-transit

IWA World Water Exhibition - registration open

The visitor registration website for the IWA World Water Exhibition is now open! Plan your visit now, visitor registration is free of charge. It gives you access to 10,000 m2 exhibit space with over 250 exhibitors form all over the world, and it allows you to access innovative Business Forum sessions.
Click here to register: https://visitors.iwa-exhibitions.com

EcoMobility World Festival 2017 Report

In 2017, together with ICLEI, Kaohsiung hosted the third EcoMobility World Festival. The Festival is a living lab to show how cities can employ an ecomobile approach within a neighborhood and create a forward-thinking urban transportation culture.
http://kaohsiung.ecomobilityfestival.org/

The human factor in saving energy

From 21 to 25 May the EU Green Week is exploring ways to accelerate sustainable urban transformation. European homeowners remain resistant to welcome efficiency measures, mainly because of financial barriers such as capital availability and information barriers such as uncertainties about contractor reliability.
A case study comes from Spain, where more than 40% of housing was built in the 1960s. In the Cuatro de Marzo district, Valladolid, homeowners are testing smart control systems to curb energy use in their apartments - equipped with sensors and monitoring systems – after having undertaken renovation works.
http://r2cities.eu/news_and_events/news/the-human-factor-in-saving-energy.kl

Planning for Shared Mobility

Ridesharing. Carsharing. Bikesharing. In the “shared economy,” shared and for-hire vehicle services are on a roll. But what are the rules of the road for these new services? Planning for Shared Mobility offers answers for communities on the move.
This PAS Report, by a pair of UC Berkeley researchers, tracks the path short-term transportation access has taken so far. Authors Adam Cohen and Susan Shaheen look at how shared mobility is shaping — and being shaped by — local plans and policies. The report also shares the tools planners can use to manage mobility, such as zoning, permits, variances, and discretionary review. Profiles of eight cities, from New York to Seattle, show the plans they’ve put in motion and lessons they’ve picked up along the way.
https://www.planning.org/publications/report/9107556/

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Further archived news available on request from: Kate More