Following on other cycling posts in my adopted city, here is one of my favorite video clips, entitled, The Cyclists, depicting the “Amsterdam cool…” By bike. In all seasons. And all forms of cyclists. Just can’t get enough…
Lund University’s International Institute of Industrial and Environmental Economics (or IIIEE, my alma mater in Sweden) was involved in the design and delivery of a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) entitled, “Greening the Economy: Lessons from Scandinavia.” (See also the United Nations Environment Programme’s work on the Green Economy concept.) This (free) online 5-week… Read More Green Lifestyles and Cities: Lessons from Scandinavia
How cool is it to be a passenger on the bus? Cool enough to date Ms. Uruguay apparently and have loads of fans anticipating your every move. Leave it to the Danish bus company, Midtraffik, to prove not just how cool taking the bus is – but also how cool the passengers that ride the… Read More Get cool. Ride the bus.
I usually reserve my blog for writing about cities and urban sustainability, however I’m in the midst of the final PhD thesis crunch, writing about the connection between climate change and cities. (I’ve already warned my parents I may be a little on edge this Christmas, but what better New Year’s Resolution than: finish that… Read More Climate change communication 101
Admittedly I’m North American – proudly from Seattle. However, after 10 years living in Budapest, Malmö, Nairobi & Amsterdam and with a Swedish mother, I’ve become a modge-podge of sorts: European as much as anything, especially in my transportation habits. I haven’t driven in 10 years and anymore I’m scared to get behind the wheel.… Read More Copenhagen cycle culture through North American eyes…
Food logistics & food trade are complicated issues these days and they don’t always make sense. In the Netherlands for example, almost as many potatoes are imported as exported: there are strict guidelines which often prohibit Dutch farmers from selling potatoes inside the country. As a result, it may be easier to buy potatoes from… Read More Amsterdam: urban food revolutions | power to the pieper (potato)
Former mayor of Curitiba, Jaime Lerner is a city evangelist. For Lerner, the city is not a problem; it’s a solution. An architect and urban planner by training, he brought many innovative strategies to his Brazilian hometown of Curitiba during his terms as mayor (1971–75, 1979–84 and 1989–92). The now famous bus rapid transport system… Read More Curitiba: visions of a better city & creative solutions to get there
Copenhagen competes for one of the world’s most bikable – and livable – cities; but it wasn’t always that way. Like many cities in post-war Europe, as cities were rebuilt, bike lanes were taken over by the car. It wasn’t until the oil crisis of the 1970s and the start of the environmental movement that people started… Read More Copenhagen: taking back the city | car-free streets & slow speed zones
In modern cities we often forget the intricate relationship between urban and rural areas for the numerous resources we take for granted, including food. Every day, enough food has to be brought in, sold, cleaned, cooked and disposed of for circa three meals a day/ inhabitant. In a city the size of Amsterdam (population 820,000)… Read More Amsterdam: historic connections between food & cities
Swedish design students Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin decided to take on the challenge to develop an invisible bike helmet (think deployable air bags in a car) as part of a school project at Lund University (my alma mater!) What started as an exam project soon turned into a venture capital quest with 10 million in… Read More An invisible bike helmet for the urban cyclist
