To be stuck in (car) traffic is stressful and annoying: running late to a meeting, to family, a concert or a conference. Argh! Yes, one could leave earlier; but why plan your life around a traffic report?! Driving does not offer independence or the joys of the open road in such circumstances. On the contrary, it… Read More Stockholm’s Monday morning cycle commute: the joys of being car-free & carefree
Paris, city of arts, culture, history, surprise… And one of the largest underground metro systems in mainland Europe. The Paris Metro contain 16 metro lines, with 300 stations, which cover 10×10 kilometres of central Paris. It is not only a public transport system though; it also features fantastic music and entertainment. However, in Paris (and many cities) these beautiful musical… Read More Music, Dance, Theatre: just another day taking the Paris Metro
I’ve been a bit spoiled over the last years, calling European cities like Budapest, Lund, Malmö and Amsterdam as home. All of these cities have amazing bike lanes, segregated from oncoming vehicular traffic, making cycling the preferred option. While I’m happy that my home city of Seattle is following suit in some parts of the city,… Read More Forging the path: cyclists light up their own lanes
As a follow up on my blog post, Colorful cities: a little paint, a lot of pride, I wanted to share the transformation of Las Palmitas, a low-income neighborhood in Pachuca, in central Mexico. Through a project called Pachuca Paints Itself, 209 homes (20,000 m2) were transformed into a colorful masterpiece. Homes were individually painted, but together they… Read More Pachuca, Mexico: Street Art City Champion
Homelessness is on the rise in many U.S. cities, in part due to a lack of affordable housing. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, some 600,000 people are homeless. Many cities lack the capacity to provide adequate shelter, and in some instances, local laws criminalize sleeping in public spaces. Homeless populations are… Read More Nashville: ‘Tiny Homes’ for the Homeless
It’s cold this time of year in much of the Northern hemisphere. As temperatures plummet, many of us turn up the heat, or reach for an extra layer – that is if we are lucky. For many of the world’s homeless, colder temperatures are not just inconvenient, they threaten survival. To respond to this, an anonymous… Read More Combating cold in Iranian cities: one ‘kindness wall’ at a time
The Urban Observer 