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
And another fabulous TED talk on urban agriculture, can you tell I am excited for the spring? 🙂 Guerilla gardener Ron Finley lives in South Central Los Angeles: the home of drive-thrus & drive-bys. According to Finley, drive-thrus kill more people though, due to obesity & food-related diseases. Some 26.5 million Americans live in food… Read More Los Angeles: urban agriculture and garden graffiti
Short & sweet, but after my rather wordy post the last time, I wanted to share a fun graphic designed by CICLE (Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange). CICLE is a nonprofit based in Los Angeles working to promote the bicycle as a viable, healthy & sustainable transportation choice. I have to agree with the t-shirt’s message:… Read More The benefits of a bicycle
There are certain cities I have avoided writing about; they are too intimate that it’s hard to conjure a simple observation – where to begin? Still, when I think of high-quality urban living, the cities I hold closest to my heart are among the first that come to mind. One of those is Seattle, my… Read More Seattle: hiking boots & high heels | bicycles & buses
In February 2010, I travelled to Sevilla, Spain to speak at a conference on urban obsolescence put on by La Civdad Viva while working for the City of Malmö, Sweden. The conference focused on retrofitting social housing projects – how to engage residents and promote participation, improve energy efficiency and highlight architectural qualities. It was an impressive… Read More Sevilla: sunshine, orange trees, bicycles and great public spaces
Leave it to the Danes to prove how much cooler public transport can be than the private car. Probably one of the best commercials out there to advertise public transport, depicting the adventure, the glamour, the impressive views… one can enjoy while riding the bus. Albeit, a Danish friend informed me that while bus transport is widely promoted… Read More Making public transport sexy…
Jason Roberts of Dallas, Texas shares his story on “how to build a better block.” Following a trip to various European cities about 10 years ago, Roberts was struck by the livability of European city streets and public spaces – by bike, by foot, as well as spaces and places for the young and old… Read More Taking over Texas, starting with Oak Cliff: one bike lane at a time
Every day circa 36% of Copenhagen’s population commute to work or school by bike – the city government aiming to get this to 50% by 2015 to (further) reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from daily transport. Already today, roughly 50% of Copenhageners use bicycles on a daily basis for errands or exercise – equating to over… Read More Rush hour in Copenhagen – by bike
For all TED Talk lovers out there, this is a great one. Pam Warhurst of Todmorden, England, discusses “Incredible Edible” – an initiative she cofounded to bring urban agriculture back to towns & cities; this has now spread to 30 cities and towns across England. She describes actions taken in Todmorden (population 15,000) to contribute to… Read More Food: a language linking all urban residents
As the days get longer and winter draws to a close, the time to prepare the fields for the coming spring season approaches – not just in the countryside, but also in the city. While it is still too early to plant outside, preparations of the garden beds are already underway. In Amsterdam, I am… Read More Preparing for the spring: urban agriculture style
The Urban Observer 