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How Cycling Became an Integral Part of Life in New York City
I was in New York last week when it was announced that two-thirds of New Yorkers support bike lanes in their city. Cycling is now, undeniably, an integral part of life in the Big Apple. Famous images of New York nearly always emphasize the city’s...
Planning for Housing Options That Reflect Economic Reality
The prolonged economic downturn has had many impacts, including widespread layoffs, high unemployment, and mass foreclosures. The most jarring impact for many Americans is the realization that they are not as affluent as they had previously thought...
Philadelphia Takes a Revolutionary Approach to Stormwater
By Catherine de Lange at Green Futures ‘Green City, Clean Waters’ will not only reduce water pollution but transform much of the city’s infrastructure, making it something of a sustainable idyll. The $2 billion, 25-year project was agreed by...
Pedicabs Offer a 3-Wheel Alternative to Cabs
Pedicabs in San Diego, California cruise the streets in the historic Gaslamp area every day of the week. They are a variable force in the downtown nightlife experience and at times can more easily maneuver the congested streets filled with local...
Chinatowns Not Welcome in Italian Cities
The history of Chinese migration isn’t nearly as old as the culture itself. Free exploration of the world has only been available since the 1860 Treaty of Peking opened China’s borders. In the 148 years since, Chinese migrants have seen the world...
5 Innovations That Will Revolutionize Cycling
The bicycle has been through numerous design changes since it first emerged in the late 19th century. But if recent efforts at London’s New Designers show are anything to go by, more changes are coming. Here are five of the most interesting...
The Groupon Approach to Public Transport in Cities
Getting around in cities all over the world has remained relatively the same over the last half a century: we get picked up by buses or subway cars and, after a few stops and the inevitable delay, we disembark and step onto well-stamped concrete or...
Using Web Apps to Create a Culture of Civic Engagement
Last November, the second annual Open Cities conference was held in Washington D.C. at the headquarters for the American Institute for Architects. Hosted by Next American City with support from the Rockefeller foundation, the conference...
How Retrofitting Buildings Boosts the Economy
By Anna Simpson at Green Futures Eighty per cent of the UK’s current building stock will still be standing in 2050. So if we are to meet our climate targets, we can’t just focus on designing shiny new zero-carbon developments. We need to do much...
4 Ways to Make London a Cycling City
London is gearing up for its next Mayoral election in May 2012, and the city’s cycling facilities will be an inevitable topic of debate. Hoping to take advantage of this potential change in London’s politics, the London Cycling Campaign will be...
New Approaches to the Old Problem of Sustainable Cities
First in a fortnightly series of posts exploring the archive of Next American City – a nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting socially and environmentally sustainable economic growth in America’s cities. Since the 1970s and 1980s, ideas...
Can Customer Loyalty Programs Save The Planet?
By Nick Chan at Green Futures Move over, cuddly polar bear. Traditional ‘save the planet’ approaches to incentivising low-impact living may have met their match in the rise of loyalty schemes that reward green consumer and lifestyle choices. In...
