Short & sweet, but worth watching this short video. Leave it to the Dutch to find fancy new ways to make cycling safer, more convenient – and high-tech. BBC discusses with innovative designers of cycling infrastructure on possible future strategies to increase cycling in the Netherlands (more than current rates!!) One of the key messages… Read More Futuristic cycling
I was in Geneva, Switzerland for the 25th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. I attended the 24th Meeting of the Parties (MOP24) as a writer with IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin. The Montreal Protocol is hailed as the most successful environmental treaty of its kind, signed by 197 countries.… Read More Geneva: free public transport for tourists, but locals prefer the bike
My first impression of Berlin was boxy, geometric and structured. This, however, deserves some context. I stayed next to its central train station (Hauptbahnhof) which opened in 2006 on the border of what used to be East and West during the Berlin Wall (1961- 1989). Today in and around this area stand many of Berlin’s most impressive… Read More Berlin: a big city with history (and bicycles)
In September 2012, I attended the Amsterdam Harvest Event, hosted by ‘Farming the City’ and Cities Magazine. Local farmers and urban agriculture enthusiasts were invited to sell their produce (produced in or around Amsterdam) or share ideas. At the Harvest Event, I learned about Cityplot. “City Plot is an urban farming collective that supports people… Read More Urban Compost: it’s all about the worms
If you asked me my favourite thing about the Netherlands… The Netherlands is the most densely populated, and the flattest, country in Europe. This can be difficult for someone like myself, accustomed to mountains. In the beginning I felt claustrophobic, unable to escape or see a high point on the horizon. With time though, I’ve… Read More Dutch bicycles
A simple infragraphic presented on Treehugger about the benefits of cycling: saving money, loosing weight, reducing stress and anxiety, as well as numerous other health benefits. Enough said, it speaks for itself… Created by: HealthcareManagementDegree.com
As a child, my favorite memories were of the woods behind my grandparents’ summer house. My cousins and I would spend hours out there, eaten alive by mosquitos, not caring if it was rainy or sunny. At the time, I was uninterested in urban landscapes; I associated ‘urban’ to the vast and monotonous enclaves of American… Read More A nature lover in the city
The Urban Observer 