17/9/2020 - Spotlight on Daring Cities 2020
17/9/2020 - Mannheim2020: Discover solutions and tools
17/9/2020 - The hypocrisy of Europe's big corporate landlords
17/9/2020 - The pandemic tests the cities

16/9/2020 - The Virtual Urban Mobility Workshops are back!
16/9/2020 - MOBILIZE Virtual 2020
16/9/2020 - City-Wide Mapping for Disaster Management
16/9/2020 - Is there anything “smart” about smart cities?

15/9/2020 - Is it the End of the Auto Show?
15/9/2020 - SBE21 Sustainable Built Heritage
15/9/2020 - How cities in developing countries can address urban freight issues
15/9/2020 - No place like home

14/9/2020 - URBAN FUTURE Global Conference 2021
14/9/2020 - Smart Mobility Congress online only
14/9/2020 - Ransomware Could Be Biggest Threat to Upcoming Elections
14/9/2020 - Leeds, The UK’s most compassionate city

10/9/2020 - High Speed Rail Around the World Webinar
10/9/2020 - Takeaways from the First CTBUH Owner/Occupier Forum
10/9/2020 - Paris aims for the '15 minute' inner city
10/9/2020 - How are your cities and regions responding to COVID-19?

9/9/2020 - Humanising high density cities webinar
9/9/2020 - Webinar: How to Keep Parks Clean in a Pandemic
9/9/2020 - Reclaiming the streets
9/9/2020 - Cities are the hub of the global green recovery

8/9/2020 - City Champions of Open Source: How It Works Within and For Cities
8/9/2020 - Good news and bad news about Freight in the City
8/9/2020 - Governance innovations in cities
8/9/2020 - Gen Z and the Dawn of Mobility Culture

7/9/2020 - Update on the 56th ISOCARP World Planning Congress
7/9/2020 - Urban Transitions 2020 Cancelled
7/9/2020 - Let’s Not Go Back to ‘Normal’
7/9/2020 - Consultation: shape future policies on urban security

3/9/2020 - Online EUROCITIES Mobility Forum
3/9/2020 - Webinar Series: Urban sharing platform
3/9/2020 - The Price of Saving Paradise
3/9/2020 - Designing Streets for Kids Guidance

2/9/2020 - 2021 Getting to Zero Forum
2/9/2020 - ROADPOL Safety Days: everyone can help make Europe's roads safer
2/9/2020 - A vision for post-pandemic mobility in African cities
2/9/2020 - A Move for Driverless Mass Transit Hits Speed Bumps

1/9/2020 - Invitation: JPI Urban Europe Policy Conference 2020
1/9/2020 - Autonomy Digital 2020 - register free now
1/9/2020 - Serving Citizens During COVID-19 and Beyond
1/9/2020 - Delivery vehicles waste a lot of time searching for parking.

Spotlight on Daring Cities 2020

Daring Cities 2020 will run from 7-28 October 2020, offering an online array of high level and visionary speaking sessions and a series of informative workshops. Stay tuned for the program and take a look below at what's planned for the exciting mobility track.
https://daringcities.org/

Mannheim2020: Discover solutions and tools

Discover solutions and tools to #TakeTransformationForward in your city Mannheim2020 will explore big, societal challenges – as well as the concrete solutions and tools to help us all #TakeTransformationForward.
Pick the right Solution or Toolbox Session for you!
On Friday, 2 October from 9:30-11:00 CEST, start your weekend off with some inspiration. Choose from nine Solution Sessions and six Toolbox Sessions to learn about the concrete resources you can use to bring about the transformation of your community.
http://mannheim2020.eu/

The hypocrisy of Europe's big corporate landlords

Across Europe, as eviction bans lift, tidal waves of homelessness threaten to devastate cities. While leaders in the UK, Ireland and elsewhere have appealed to private landlord’s compassion to find common ground with tenants during the pandemic, many are already ensuring that the “new normal” doesn’t threaten their bottom line.
https://www.citymetric.com/fabric/hypocrisy-europes-big-corporate-landlords-5239

The pandemic tests the cities

In the next decade there will be about 500 cities of more than one million people and several "mega-cities" with populations of more than 20 million
COVID-19 has been a tough test for cities, as they have had to assess their ability to address the spread of the infection. In other words, checking whether the urban environment was resilient, whether the support instruments worked, whether risk management was effective and efficient, or whether a different and more sustainable approach would have helped us to better manage the situation.
https://www.thesmartcityjournal.com/en/homen/cities/2430-the-pandemic-tests-the-cities

The Virtual Urban Mobility Workshops are back!

The Urban Mobility Company is proud to kick off a new season of the Virtual Urban Mobility Workshops on September 23rd when we partner with SAP to bring you Mobility as a Public Service: Sustainable, Agile, & Resilient Platform Experiences for Cities. Join our panel of industry experts for this free, hour-long, interactive Virtual Workshop which features live chats, audience Q&As and instant polls as we explore together what MaaPS could look like in cities around the world!
https://www.bigmarker.com/urban-mobility-company/Mobility-as-a-Public-Service-Sustainable-Agile-Resilient-Platform-Experiences-for-Cities

MOBILIZE Virtual 2020

MOBILIZE Virtual provides a unique opportunity for more openness and inclusivity than ever before. Attendees include leading mobility practitioners in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, and North America.
https://itdp.swoogo.com/mobilizevirtual2020/630316

City-Wide Mapping for Disaster Management

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. But can maps help in coping with natural disasters? Harry Mahardhika Machmud from Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team Indonesia shows why spatial data is key for disaster management, and how it can be tailored to the needs of local communities.
https://www.urbanet.info/city-wide-mapping-for-disaster-management/

Is there anything “smart” about smart cities?

Big data and new technology make bold promises about solving urban problems, but not only fall well short of solutions, but actually can end up making things worse.  
Why we’re skeptical of the “smart city” movement.
https://cityobservatory.org/is-there-anything-smart-about-smart-cities/

Is it the End of the Auto Show?

Geneva Motor Show 2020 & 2021: cancelled. Paris Motor Show 2020 & beyond: cancelled. Frankfurt Motor Show 2021: cancelled, moved to Munich and completely rebranded as a "mobility" show. This year has not been kind to auto shows and while the COVID-19 crisis certainly shoulders some of the blame, it's ultimately one piece in a complex puzzle. Ross Douglas, Founder & CEO of Autonomy explores the recent disruptions auto shows have faced and failed to overcome and posits what the future has in store for these once illustrious events.
https://urbanmobilitycompany.com/content/daily/is-it-the-end-of-the-auto-show

SBE21 Sustainable Built Heritage

The SBE21 Heritage Conference brings together scholars and practitioners working in the fields of energy efficiency and historic building conservation to foster multidisciplinary dialogues and find new retrofit approaches to save our common heritage and guarantee a sustainable future.
https://sbe21heritage.eurac.edu/

How cities in developing countries can address urban freight issues

Cities worldwide have experimented with different initiatives to improve the efficiency of last-mile deliveries and make it sustainable, but there is no “one for all” solution available. Starting from good practices across Europe, this blog series aims to highlight approaches and interventions rolled out by cities from the Global South, whose cases are scarcely documented.
https://ecomobility.org/how-cities-in-developing-countries-can-address-urban-freight/

No place like home

Sinti and Roma should be banned from city centres. According to a recent study on authoritarianism, 49.2% of Germans agree with this statement. Moreover, more than 60 per cent of respondents said they believe these minority groups are predisposed to criminality.
No wonder that Katarina Niewiedzial, Commissioner of the Berlin Senate for Migration and Integration, says, “the widespread anti-gypsyism attitude represents the biggest hurdle for the societal participation of migrant Roma.”
This picture applies both to Roma with EU citizenship as well as third country nationals living in Germany. But it only portrays half a story. Berlin is taking action to ensure that newly arrived Roma, and every resident, has the right and possibility to actively participate in society through access to work and public services.
https://eurocities.eu/stories/no-place-like-home/

URBAN FUTURE Global Conference 2021

Whether it's online or in real life. The URBAN FUTURE Global Conference gathers CityChangers from all over the world - people who drive change towards more sustainable cities.
https://www.urban-future.org/

Smart Mobility Congress online only

This year’s event will take the form of dedicated sessions within Smart City Live (17-18 November, 2020), a virtual program of day-long broadcasting plus dedicated online workshops, sessions, and side events.
Our flagship event, Smart Mobility Congress, will be back on November 16-18, 2021.
http://www.smartmobilitycongress.com/en/

Ransomware Could Be Biggest Threat to Upcoming Elections

Of all the cyberattacks that affect state and local governments, ransomware is one of the most ubiquitous and costly. Now security researchers fear it could also become a political weapon in the upcoming election.
https://www.governing.com/security/Ransomware-Could-Be-Biggest-Threat-to-Upcoming-Elections.html

Leeds, The UK’s most compassionate city

In a world where the “smart” approaches to life stem mostly from the metropolitan areas, it’s worthwhile taking a look at the smaller cities’ visions. They could be further away from incorporating intricate technologies like 5G or the Internet of Things, but their priorities in achieving growth could provide some thought-provoking insights.
https://citiesofthefuture.eu/the-uk-most-compassionate-city/

High Speed Rail Around the World Webinar

Catch up on the world of modern transportation!
Hear from international high speed rail experts and learn about advanced global high speed rail systems operating in nations all around the world including France, Italy, Germany, Spain, England, Japan, Saudi Arabia and more. Learn about the rapid development of the world's largest high speed rail network in China. Get the latest on high speed rail developments around Europe including the private operator NTV in Italy.
https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eha80jvjd93543ea&oseq=&c=&ch=

Takeaways from the First CTBUH Owner/Occupier Forum

On Thursday 30 July, representatives of owner/occupiers around the world gathered for an open discussion on the state of global real estate markets, evolving tenant demands, and the effects of COVID-19 on portfolio management and building occupancy. The Council has collected these insights and distilled them into a brief report summarizing the informative discussion, which is the first of many to come in the near future. Download the report of the captivating discussion!
https://cloud.ctbuh.org/leaders/OwnerOccuperForum_keytakeaways.pdf

Paris aims for the '15 minute' inner city

Paris is in the course of instituting major changes to its urban mobility, alongside high profile lighthouse projects, such as the revamp of the Seine riverbank from a road to a leisure space accessible to only pedestrians and cyclists. However, there is still pressure in the French capital to reduce levels of air pollution.
https://www.eltis.org/in-brief/news/paris-aims-15-minute-inner-city

How are your cities and regions responding to COVID-19?

The coronavirus pandemic has a pronounced territorial dimension: not all areas have been impacted the same way and local and regional responses have been crucial to protecting our citizens and limiting contagion.
That’s why EU researchers at ESPON, in collaboration with CEMR, are collecting and studying best practices of cities and regions’ measures reacting or adapting to COVID. These will be analysed in a report to be shared with all European regions.
https://www.ccre.org/en/actualites/view/4069

Humanising high density cities webinar

As many architects and visionaries have shown over a period spanning more than a century, the re-creation of the urban realm in the sky through connections between buildings at height has a vast potential for the enrichment of our cities. As the world rapidly urbanizes, greater thought needs to be expended on how horizontal space can be developed at height. Today, new transportation technology, and structural engineering practices seem to put horizontal habitat in the sky within reach. But cultural, organizational, and jurisdictional obstacles remain. To overcome these, a solid case needs to be made for the extensive benefits of skybridges in a much wider application than has been seen historically.
https://www.ctbuh.org/events/shenzhen-17-sep-2020

Webinar: How to Keep Parks Clean in a Pandemic

On Wednesday, September 16 at 1 p.m. Eastern time, join Next City for a webinar with guest presenter Lindsey Walker, who will discuss how Philadelphia maintained clean parks in the face of pandemic related budget cuts.
Due to the pandemic, more and more folks have begun to flock to outdoor green spaces for recreation. Unfortunately, the pandemic has also impacted how these parks are being managed. Parks in Philadelphia saw the cancelation of hundreds of volunteer events. Additionally, park maintenance was slashed due to budget cuts. With an increase in park usage came an increase in litter and fewer people to clean it up.
https://nextcity.org/events/rsvp/how-to-keep-parks-clean-in-a-pandemic

Reclaiming the streets

Every morning, Norma Nebot used to rush her children into the car for the stressful school run on roads clogged with traffic and pollution. Although it was only a short journey, the cars speeding along the three-lane highway outside her apartment block made walking not only impossible but dangerous too.
Today a beaming Norma tells of a very different daily experience. “My nine-year old son can now walk to school safely on his own and my younger daughter and I can even stop for a few minutes at the playground on the way if we’re in good time,” she says.
https://eurocities.eu/stories/reclaiming-the-streets/

Cities are the hub of the global green recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed sobering impacts on the world’s cities.
Today we live in times of a pandemic with a silent and aggressive virus, which can even be lethal and has transformed our lives, where the best recipe is to rethink our cities, rethink our codes and adapt to this new coexistence that, for some time more, will continue to impose COVID-19 on us.
https://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/cities-are-hub-global-green-recovery

City Champions of Open Source: How It Works Within and For Cities

Now more than ever, governments need digital tools to effectively and equitably manage transportation in the rapidly evolving mobility space. To empower municipalities to dynamically manage the streets they are charged with governing, cities and their leadership are increasingly leveraging open data and turning to open source software solutions based on open standards built on a model of open governance. This methodology has been made possible through extensive collaboration and public-private partnership.
To learn more from three experts engaged in this work, join us for a webinar on September 9th
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8967821754360205837?mc_cid=73e49ff5c7&mc_eid=

Good news and bad news about Freight in the City

The bad news is that this year’s Freight in the City Expo is another casualty of Covid-19. We are disappointed as we had pulled together a great seminar programme and a wide range of exhibitors with innovative products and services. We will be back at Alexandra Palace next year with a new date, so put the 28 September 2021 in your diary.  
The good news is that we have some great alternative ways for you to keep in touch with what’s new in the urban distribution market. We are planning a Freight in the City Broadcast Week in November to take our seminar programme online. More details will be announced soon.
https://expo.freightinthecity.com/2020/en/page/home

Governance innovations in cities

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has made it crystal clear that there is a critical need to fill the knowledge gaps regarding how to govern “in emergency mode”. Responding to the crisis has entailed taking radical policy decisions at an unprecedent speed, in order to ensure the safety of populations worldwide.
https://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/within-framework-emergency-governance-initiative-uclg-metropolis-and-lse-cities-publish

Gen Z and the Dawn of Mobility Culture

Time and time again we have heard examples of the ways in which millenial culture has changed the game. But what about Gen Z? Making up 32% of the global population - more than the number of millenials and baby boomers - this generation has a huge stake in the future of mobility. With a higher propensity to switch from a 'me' to 'we' culture, Sandra Witzel, Head of Marketing at Skedgo, examines how Gen Z's social, environmental, and technological values can help public transit services thrive with the dawn of MaaS.
https://urbanmobilitycompany.com/content/daily/gen-z-and-the-dawn-of-mobility-culture

Update on the 56th ISOCARP World Planning Congress

In view of the substantial uncertainties brought about by the current pandemic, the restrictions to international mobility which are likely to remain in place in the near future, and the ongoing risks associated with the safety and feasibility of holding large events, the ISOCARP World Planning Congress Committee and the Local Organising Committee agreed to postpone the Congress in Doha, Qatar to 8-11 November 2021. A range of virtual events will replace this year's traditional Congress format and lead to an ongoing exchange over the year, starting with online events between 8-10 November this year.
https://doha2020.isocarp.org/introduction/143-covid-19

Urban Transitions 2020 Cancelled

As the global situation regarding Coronavirus remains uncertain we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Urban Transitions 2020 conference.
We are grateful to all submitting authors, chairs and speakers for this support of the 2020 conference.
https://www.elsevier.com/events/conferences/urban-transitions

Let’s Not Go Back to ‘Normal’

A rush to return to pre-pandemic life means giving up chances to make necessary improvements to how cities work.
As Covid-19 hits the South, West and Sun Belt of the U.S., many cities that were part of the “first wave” are starting to feel, well, normal. And that’s not a good thing.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-04/return-to-normal-will-sacrifice-innovation?srnd=citylab

Consultation: shape future policies on urban security

Is your local government working on urban security? Would you like to share good practices with your counterparts around Europe in the use of smart and safe technologies to secure cities?
The EU’s Urban Agenda Partnership on Security in Public Spaces is drafting its action plan and wants to collect concrete information coming from the ground.
Should you want to contribute, you have until 9 September to complete this public survey.
https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/security-public-spaces/introduction-draft-actions

Online EUROCITIES Mobility Forum

The next EUROCITIES Mobility Forum meeting will take place online on 19-20 October 2020.
To face the uncertainties concerning the possibility to have physical meetings in the autumn we decided to move online our 2020 Mobility Forum meeting.
The event will take place on a digital platform on 19-20 October. More information on the platform we will use and the agenda will follow soon.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/calendar/events_list/Online-EUROCITIES-Mobility-Forum-meeting-19-20-October-WSPO-BMZH9T

Webinar Series: Urban sharing platform

Join us for the last webinar from our series on smart city solutions on Tuesday 17 November from 11:00 to 12:15:
Sharing Cities’ Smart City Solutions – Webinar series: Urban sharing platform (USP)
The series will present the smart cities measures that have been implemented in lighthouse cities of Lisbon, London and Milan as part of the Sharing Cities project.
This webinar on USP will explore their implementation through two case studies from the lighthouse cities of London (Greenwich) and Milan. The presenters will delve into the details of USP schemes. Then, some tools for replication, scale-up and implementation in other cities will be presented.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/calendar/events_list/Sharing-Cities-Smart-City-Solutions-Webinar-Series-Urban-sharing-platform-WSPO-BRXRTU

The Price of Saving Paradise

In 2018, Paradise, California, was almost completely destroyed by the worst wildfire in state history. Now local leaders are proposing an ambitious scheme to protect the town from future blazes.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-25/a-california-town-s-bold-plan-to-defeat-wildfire?srnd=citylab

Designing Streets for Kids Guidance

In August 2020, the Global Designing Cities Initiative released its “Designing Streets for Kids” guidance as a supplement of NACTO’s Global Street Design Guide. The guidance aims to create welcoming and safe streets for children and their families and caretakers.
https://www.eltis.org/in-brief/news/designing-streets-kids-guidance-10-actions-improve-streets-children

2021 Getting to Zero Forum

Buildings consume 40% of the energy and contribute 39% of carbon emissions in the United States. Zero energy and carbon neutral buildings are a solution to reducing energy demand and curbing the emissions that are fueling climate change. The Getting to Zero Forum is the premier event on zero energy and zero carbon buildings, featuring the world’s leading experts who are creating the market-based solutions that are driving a growing movement to define the future of the built environment. While the conference takes place over three days, this movement is 365 days a year. Won't you join us?
https://gettingtozeroforum.org/

ROADPOL Safety Days: everyone can help make Europe's roads safer

This is the first year of the new ROADPOL Safety Days campaign (previously known as Project EDWARD). The campaign, which is supported by the European Commission and other road safety organisations encourages governments, local and city authorities and all road users to increase road safety and reduce fatalities. Participants are urged to organise specific road safety awareness-raising events and activities to take place from 16 - 22 September every year
https://www.eltis.org/in-brief/news/roadpol-safety-days-everyone-can-help-make-europes-roads-safer

A vision for post-pandemic mobility in African cities

Cycling lanes and walkways are popping up in cities across the globe, from Bogotá to Paris to Jakarta, and even in car-centric cities such as Los Angeles and Sydney, as pandemic-calming measures that ensure physically distanced movement. However, across African cities, where pedestrians and public transit users often occupy the vast majority of urban mobility, such infrastructure continues to be conspicuously absent.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/08/a-vision-for-post-pandemic-mobility-in-african-cities/

A Move for Driverless Mass Transit Hits Speed Bumps

Pilot projects for autonomous shuttles abound. But technical limitations and hostility from labor unions may thwart large deployments.
SHARAD AGARWAL HAS a prediction about driverless vehicles: “Autonomous public transportation is going to happen,” he says, “and it’s going to happen sooner than with taxis and cars.”
Agarwal leads the North American division of EasyMile, one of several startups offering autonomous vehicle shuttles to cities and transit agencies. He believes the relative simplicity of transit service makes it ideal for AV technology. With public transportation, “speeds are lower, distances are shorter, and the trips are repetitive,” compared with automobile journeys.
https://www.wired.com/story/driverless-mass-transit-hits-speed-bumps/

Invitation: JPI Urban Europe Policy Conference 2020

Meet change makers, researchers and urban actors and explore the next steps at the JPI Urban Europe Policy Conference on November 12, 2020. Together we will define the next steps on how to bring research into action, make urban change happen and boost the urgently needed urban transformations!
This conference was initially planned to take place in Brussels, but will due to the circumstances be organised as a virtual or hybrid event. We are closely following the COVID19 developments and recommendations on in-person events and will get back promptly with more information on the conference format. Stay updated by registering for the event.
https://www.delegia.com/app/netattm/attendee/page/98516

Autonomy Digital 2020 - register free now

Despite the current health crisis, Autonomy continues to promote the transition to sustainable mobility by bringing public and private decision-makers together from all over the world. Join us on November 4th & 5th to discover the best of what the industry has to offer ... RIGHT FROM YOUR COMPUTER!
https://www.autonomy.paris/en/ticketing-2020/

Serving Citizens During COVID-19 and Beyond

Digitizing the customer experience can help governments respond to the pandemic and prepare for the future
COVID-19 directly impacted the way government agencies serve citizens. Because many employees are now working remotely, agencies struggle to support constituents through traditional, in-person methods of customer service. Yet now more than ever, the public needs government services – including information about closures and travel restrictions, access to benefit programs and more. The result is often overloaded call centers, frustrated citizens and overwhelmed government staff.
https://www.governing.com/crisisresponse/sponsored/Serving-Citizens-During-COVID-19-and-Beyond.html

Delivery vehicles waste a lot of time searching for parking.

Cities can fix that
We know what happens when city drivers can't find a street-parking space near their destination: they circle the block until their luck changes. Plenty of research has documented the great toll this takes on traffic congestion and air pollution. The field’s leading scholar, UCLA parking guru Donald Shoup, has found that cruising for parking can account for some 15% of downtown traffic at the lower end of the spectrum, and up to 74% at the extremes.
https://www.citymetric.com/transport/delivery-vehicles-parking-traffic-loading-zone-study-5231

Further archived news available on request from: Kate More