The case for relocating small businesses back to residential areas
If you walk around some 1920s-era neighborhoods, it’s not unusual to see a tiny grocery store inhabiting the street corner. This used to be normal in residential areas, but as cars became more widespread, businesses relocated to more centrally-located commercial centers such as malls. The Read More...
Bicycle garage in the Hague offers cyclists a museum-like experience
Alongside its renowned cycling culture, another thing that makes the Netherlands stand out in the international arena is its groundbreaking approach to architectural design. A recently completed development project in the Hague has brilliantly combined the two Dutch attributes in the form of a Read More...
Mexico’s 3D-printed neighborhood for impoverished families is coming to life
On May 13th of this year, the top story of the Optimist Daily was about a nonprofit called New Story that had plans to build the world’s first 3D-printed neighborhood for poor people in Latin America. Well, we’re excited to tell you that the first homes of this neighborhood have been Read More...
To solve deep-seated inequality, we must grow poor regions from the bottom up
Concentrated poverty has long been a problem in urban centers and parts of the rural South, but these days it has spread across many parts of the country. Sadly enough, regional inequality has deepened and the middle class has declined—the result of a long history of class and racial division, Read More...
Public buses are finally on schedule in New York, thanks to traffic restrictions
These are good days for public buses in New York City. After years and years of crawling behind the traffic and yellow cabs, busses are actually running ahead of schedule. Why? Because the city’s Department of Transportation has been restricting the number of vehicles that can travel on Read More...
Scientists have discovered a way to spot faulty bridges using satellites
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...
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...
Solar street lights present cities with a path to strong, sustainable growth
On the surface, the rapid urbanization of cities can be seen as a good thing for the economy. For the cities themselves, however, it can cause money for basic public services to be stretched thin. Such is the case for the cities of Kampala and Jinja in Uganda where everything from road maintenance Read More...
These US cities are overcoming barriers to clean energy with creative solutions
In the face of inadequate federal action on climate change, cities across the United States are taking matters into their own hands to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonize local energy systems. But city staff face many hurdles when attempting to transition to renewable energy quickly, so Read More...