If cities across the globe today were to universally adopt and deploy smart city strategies, technology and services, what would that mean for citizens? An Intel-sponsored Juniper research has the answer to this query: dividend in terms of time and quality of life to each citizen. Examining a number of cities across the globe in …
If cities are the engines of economic growth, an efficient transport system is the oil that prevents these engines from seizing up. With that said, one of the features that should define the future of our cities is a sustainable transport. Urban transport is undeniably an indispensable component of city life that should be taken …
The world is experiencing a two-fold transformation process: a fast-paced urban development revolution and an accelerating smart city evolution. The race to making cities smart is a global trend. The concept of smart city evokes the image of ICT-infused infrastructures that enable the extensive monitoring and steering of city maintenance, urban mobility, air quality, waste …
There are two governance reforms that are becoming rapidly important in the area of governance across different countries as they serve as valuable channels to enhance transparency, openness, integrity, accountability and civic participation in cities, to wit: open data movement and the civic tech movement. The open data movement is a recent form of social …
Food waste is considered a global concern. On a global scale, the overwhelming amount of food that went squandered is just unacceptable. It is estimated that around 1.3 billion metric tons or a third of the global food production ends up in garbage bins and landfills. The vast amount of food that is being wasted …
The “Urban Investment Support” was recently launched by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank with the aim of helping cities plan investments. Consequently, their urban development strategies would be supported and there would be easier access to financing. Precisely this access to financing remains one of the biggest issues that cities have to …
We are all familiar with the catch-phrase “Think global, act local”. This remarkable TED Talk (found below) is the perfect representation of that, placed in a larger frame that Majora Carter calls “local eco-entrepreneurship”. She argues for smart infrastructure, for healthy local economic systems and for “hometown security”, using the example of three practical visionaries across …
As almost half of the country’s population will be living in urban areas by the middle of the century, the volume of waste specifically around cities will grow by 5% every year. This might not sound that bad, but the reality is actually bleak – India in drowning in waste and its cities are surrounded …
Airbnb has opened up opportunities for tourists to break away from the norm and enjoy the city as locals do. With millions of people worldwide renting their homes for short stays and shaking up the tourism industry, how did cities adjust to the so-called ‘Airbnb effect’? Melbourne, Berlin and Amsterdam showcase different reactions to the …
Governments are not set up for rapid change. By implementing collaborative planning strategies or collaborative rationality, there is an opportunity for sustainable governance. Utilizing collaborative planning strategies, decisions are made through the interaction of various stakeholders to reach a decision regarding the problems that exist within a system. In order to reach a consensus, cohesive …