Bigger Isn’t Always Better: Narrow Traffic Lanes Make Cities Safer
Traffic in Tokyo Reveals Narrow, Safe Traffic Lanes. Photo by Raphael Desrosiers / Flickr
In Beijing, Chennai and Fortaleza, the rate of fatalities from road crashes is more than 15 deaths per 100,000 residents. What do these cities have in common? They have traffic lanes wider than 3.6 meters (11.8 feet). A long-standing belief ...
India Can Save Up to $1.8 Trillion Per Year with Smart Urban Growth
A Mother and Her Child Wait to Board Ahmedabad's Bus Rapid Transit System, Janmarg. Photo by Meena Kadri / Flickr
India is at a crossroads, and how its cities develop in the coming several years will shape its future for generations. While only about one-third of Indians currently live in cities, that number will nearly double from 420 million to ...
Planting Healthy Air: A Natural Solution to Address Pollution and Heat in Cities
© The Nature Conservancy (Devan King)
Can nature help cities address the twin problems of air that is too dirty or too hot? Based on a new report released by The Nature Conservancy – in collaboration with C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group – the answer appears ...
Do Global Initiatives put the Transport Sector on Track to Fight Climate Change?
São Paulo, Brazil Offers a Variety of Mobility Options. Photo by Mariana Gil / EMBARQ Brasil / Flickr
Today is Transport Day at COP22, which will highlight the important contribution transport can make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over the last two years, the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA), as part of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ...
Friday Fun: Beyond the Map—Google Explores Rio’s Slums
Friday Fun: Beyond the Map—Google Explores Rio’s Slums
What do you think of when you hear the word “slum”? For many, the word brings to mind poverty, violence and squalor; slums, or informal settlements, are overwhelmingly associated with the negative. This is particularly true in Rio de Janeiro, ...
Video: “What Are You Waiting For, Brazil?” Jan Gehl Calls Cities to Action
Jan Gehl. Photo by Bruno Felin / WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities
At 80 years old, Danish architect and urbanist Jan Gehl shares his ideas on how to build a better future for global cities. Gehl has spent more than 50 years in academia and the professional world becoming a different, and ...
From Quito to Marrakech: Towards an Inclusive 1.5 Degree Pathway for Sustainable Mobility
Global Leaders  Discuss the Future of Sustainable Transport at COP22. Photo by UNclimatechange / Flickr
More than 35,000 people from around the world gathered in Quito in October to celebrate the adoption of a New Urban Agenda, and an estimated 20,000 people convened in Marrakech two weeks ago for COP22. The events and dialogue that ...
Urban Sanity: Understanding Urban Mental Health Impacts and How to Create Saner, Happier Cities
Woman waiting for her train at Mumbai Suburban Railway Western Line Church Gate Terminal, Mumbai, India. Photo by  Benoit Colin / EMBARQ / Flickr
Does urban living threaten our sanity and happiness? Popular culture is rife with stories which suggest that living in a city increases loneliness and unhappiness, and some scientific studies indicate that urbanization increases mental illness and depression. Are these claims credible? How can communities ...
After the U.S. Election, Cities Look for Ways to be Great on their Own
Residents of New York Gathered in Rockefeller Plaza on Election Night to Watch the Live Results. Photo by Marco Verch / Flickr
What comes next for U.S. cities, now that the 2016 Presidential Election has come to a close? As polls closed on Tuesday, this question quickly came to the forefront for urban planners and city-dwellers, alike. In recent history, cities have been ...
Improving Building Efficiency: A Tale of 4 Cities
Da Nang, Vietnam partners with the Building Efficiency Accelerator to become a champion for building energy efficiency. Photo by Kenton / Flickr
One-third of the world’s energy-related emissions come from buildings. So perhaps it’s no surprise that more than 80 national climate plans submitted ahead of COP21 in Paris included commitments to improve building efficiency. A year later, the discussion continues with Human Settlements Day today at COP22 in ...