With cities expected to host about 70 percent of the world's population, sustainable urban development is key to making communities worldwide more resilient against the growing threat of climate change. Find out about the latest urban practices from across the world aiming to make our cities more sustainable and inclusive in these good-news stories from The Optimist Daily.
Back in 2014, Singapore authorities passed a law stating that any greenery lost because of new development must be replaced with publicly accessible greenery of an equal area. This has resulted in many lush projects sprouting in the city-state. Now informed by the rule, Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), Read More...
When Madrid’s new administration came to power this past May, it seemed European city car bans were in peril. It’s become somewhat of a trend to ban cars from major city centers in Europe, but the city’s new government promised to scrap the law that had seen almost all private cars disappear Read More...
For decades, natural gas was considered among the preferred energy sources for buildings and embraced as a bridge from dirtier fossil fuels to a green energy future. Now it seems that the transition period is coming to a close after the city of Berkeley passed a landmark ordinance that will ban Read More...
When the demand for electricity surges in Oakland, California, a power plant burning jet fuel switches on, pumping pollution into the western part of the city. But the plant will soon close—and will be replaced in part by a network of solar panels and batteries installed in affordable apartment Read More...
On August 14, 2018, a section of the Morandi Bridge that linked the Sampierdarena and Cornigliano districts in Genoa, Italy, collapsed during a torrential rainstorm, sending about 35 cars and three trucks down into the Polcevera river. The cause of the collapse isn't entirely clear, but it appears Read More...
You’ve probably heard the advice to change up your commute now and then as a way to take your brain off of autopilot and give your synapses a little exercise. Here’s another activity that might feed your grey matter: try contemplating the symbolism embedded in the modes of transportation you Read More...
The Dutch city of Utrecht is not only a Mecca for cyclists, as we wrote about on Monday. As it turns out, it’s also a haven for bees. What the city has done is transform their bus stops into bee stops, with 316 bus stops around the city now having a green roof full of flowers. The tops of the Read More...
At traditional gas stations, the “smells of gas fumes and car exhaust are the norm.” They are places where you get in and out, with no appreciation for the immediate surroundings. But this doesn’t have to be the case at electric charging stations. In Denmark, a new ultra-fast charging Read More...
People tend to picture cities, particularly in the developing world, as urban wastelands belching out pollution, breeding sickness, promoting endless consumption and driving population increases. But cities also have a huge potential for getting us out of the very environmental mess they’ve Read More...
Loneliness and social isolation are growing public-health concerns for people of all ages, but the elderly are usually the ones who suffer the most from these conditions. As a means of tackling loneliness and isolation in an English town, local police forces have begun designating specific Read More...