How to keep cities moving

Heavy traffic, long commutes, and environmental concerns – especially air pollution – are giving US city dwellers good reasons to consider alternative modes of transportation. In this article, we look at the forces that are reshaping urban mobility, and we consider how these forces are playing out in different types of cities. We conclude with a …

The urban distribution center – Charleroi, Belgium

Over the past few years, Charleroi has embarked resolutely on a policy of economic redeployment and urban restructuring. The city center is currently the site of an impressive phase of renovation and expansion. In this context, an Urban Distribution Centre (UDC) of 2000m² was created outside of the city. Heavy vehicles can drop the goods there, before being redistributed …

Copenhagenize – an index of bike-friendly cities

  What are the best cities for urban cycling? Copenhagenize Design Co., specializing in urban design consultancy and advocates of prioritizing biking solutions in cities, started this discussion in 2011 and managed to give cities around the world a score in order to determine the best methods to re-establish the bicycle on the urban landscape. …

Bicycle highways and long-distance commuting

  Would you leave your car in the garage and commute to work on your bicycle? The people in-charge of the Radschnellweg project in Germany, a 62-miles long bicycle highway in the Ruhr area, think that we should and that most of us will. Spatial planner Martin Tönnes took the opportunity to cycle from Essen to Dortmund. “There …

7 cities compete to design the city of the future

Seven American cities spent 6 months competing for a $40 million prize from the US Department of Transportation. The challenge was designing the city of the future by juggling three big ideas: automation, climate change and urban inequality.  Here are the cities and their proposals: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Problem: High density of vehicles which leads …

Helsinki wants to eliminate the need for private car ownership

In an effort to capitalize on current urban transportation trends and mobile technology, Helsinki takes on the challenge of eliminating the need for private car ownership by 2025. Here’s how they plan to do it. The main idea is to combine public and private transport providers in such a way that ensures maximum flexibility and …