On 13 and 14 February 2015, representatives from 450 cities in 60 countries marched, sang, danced, cycled and otherwise celebrated Global Divestment Day, making a public statement to encourage or proclaim to divest from fossil fuels. Amsterdam was one of those cities, showing off a little planetary love at this Valentines Day event. What is divestment?… Read More Fossil free divestment: coming to a city near you
In London (population circa 8.5 million) its residents are always be on the go, taking off to the next destination on one of its double-decker buses, in its beeping taxis, in private cars or swerving through the city on its growing population of city bikes. While these bicycles are a happy site in this massive city,… Read More London Underground Repurposed: Hello Tube Cycle
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
UNFCCC COP20 in Lima, Peru This blog post (see original) was written and published on the Institute for Development’s Eldis website, as part of a series of blogs published during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP20) underway in Lima, Peru from 1- 12 December 2014. It discusses why cities serve an apt platform to tackle climate change, and the challenges and opportunities of urban climate… Read More Cities & the climate crisis – part of the problem, and the solution
I’m a child of late summer evenings, but equally a fan of the coming autumn chill. The air is crisper, justifying the second (or third) cup of lazy morning coffee waiting for the sun to show itself and warm the day. I love wool and eagerly await the chance to pull my favourite sweaters out… Read More Utrecht in high heels: kayaking through history and seasons
The Swedish capital is a vast and varied city – in addition to being exceptionally beautiful. Palaces, stately buildings and impressive museums, allude to Stockholm’s role in history and current affairs. Narrow cobbled streets, flanked by ancient brick buildings painted in warm pastels, wind through Gamlastan (Old Town) inviting locals or visitors for a quick… Read More Stockholm Urban Nature: city of water, city of parks, city of seasons
**This is a guest blog post, by Dr. Megan Bailey, postdoctoral researcher at Wageningen University, working in the Best Tuna Research Project. The oceans are in trouble; this is nothing new. Their health is plagued by plastics, pollution, acidification, and overfishing. While many fish species have been overfished, or are currently subject to overfishing, the… Read More Blurred lines in New York City governance: whose job is it to save our seas?
I’ve formerly boasted of my roof terrace garden in Amsterdam – growing and harvesting fresh herbs, salads and berries from spring, through summer, and into the autumn. My roof terrace offers the opportunity to connect to local food production while living in the city. I’m not the only one who enjoys rooftop gardening. Some of the… Read More Skyscraper farming: roof gardens in Beijing, New York, Hong Kong & Montreal
Bicycle transport is touted for its many benefits for cities: improving air quality, providing exercise, saving money or reducing traffic. Equally, cycling can help save something that all cities desperately require more of: space. To visibly display how much space vehicles require for driving – in particular during the morning commute – cyclists in the Latvian… Read More Riga: visualizing wasted space of the car versus the bicycle
The Urban Observer 