Sustainable Urban Development
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.
The area around the Eiffel Tower in Paris is getting a green, car-free makeover
One of the world’s most recognizable urban spaces is slated to get a dramatic makeover. According to the plan, the currently car-filled bridge connecting the Eiffel Tower with the Métro subway system will be turned into a pedestrianized garden, stringing together a set of two new public squares Read More...
Why living near public amenities such as parks can change your life
As our political discourse generates derision and dissension, our time in the virtual world crowds out our time in the actual one, and trust in our institutions and each other has plummeted, local places such as markets, libraries, and coffee shops can help. A new study shows that living near Read More...
This program will make these five American cities bike-friendly by 2020
When it comes to quick, efficient, inexpensive, and relatively enjoyable ways for cities to lower their carbon emissions, it’s hard to beat bike lanes and good public transit. Well-designed, safe cycling infrastructure encourages more people to ride bikes that emit no carbon and take up a lot Read More...
Meet the 96-year-old who saved his village in Taiwan with a paintbrush
If you heard that the town where you have lived your entire life was going to be demolished, what would you do? For Huang Yung-fu, a former soldier from Taiwan, the answer was pick up a brush and paint. For the past 10 years, Yung-fu has been waking up at 4:00 in the morning and decorating the Read More...
To save the monarch butterfly, US cities are creating specially-made gardens
With their distinctive black-and-orange wings patterned as precisely as stained glass, the monarch butterfly is a beloved insect in America. The sad thing is nature societies are observing huge drops in the populations of these beautiful butterflies. In 2018, the National Wildlife Federation Read More...
This nonprofit is 3D-printing beautiful homes for poor families in Latin America
It seems there’s no limit to what the 3D printer can do. In the past couple weeks we’ve written about a 3D-printed artificial human heart and a 3D-printed organ that mimics the lungs in terms of function. Now the 3D printer is being utilized for another monumental task: creating a complete Read More...
Pedestrians are taking over the streets of traffic-filled Brussels
Right now, there can be an almost eerie calm to some sections of central Brussels. Take an evening stroll down Boulevard Anspach, the broad avenue that forms the Belgian capital’s spine, and you may find the roadway empty, its limestone and wrought-iron facades echoing the footsteps of a rare Read More...
Every city and town should have a tool library
The tool library: it’s a brilliant concept that embodies the true meaning of the shared economy. At its core, a tool library is a place where civilians can rent or borrow community-owned tools such as hammers and drills instead of having to buy separate tools themselves. Having a tool library in Read More...
China’s huge electric bus fleet is paying off, both socially and environmentally
Making transportation greener has been a central theme to today's Optimist Daily. We've had a story on cargo ships, another on planes, and now another about electric busses. According to research, electric buses alone will save an astounding 270,000 barrels of diesel demand in 2019 – every single Read More...
A new mandate in Boston could lead to more protected bike lanes across America
In many European cities, bicycles are king. Bicyclists have their own lanes, they have the right of way, and the city tries to do everything they can do to support bicycle-riding. In America, it’s a much different story, with cars dominating the roads and respect for bike lanes being Read More...