I started this blog to describe the cities and urban initiatives that inspire me or generate thought. Perhaps in some way I hoped it could also serve as an informal platform to share these interesting, creative, or even goofy, ideas with other interested cities or urban actors. So, I was quite happy when a friend… Read More Mechelen: Three Cheers for Cyclists
Stepping off the train in Amsterdam and meandering into the city centre, it quickly becomes apparent what a blue city Amsterdam is – you can’t miss the canals, but you can get lost in them. Walk (or bike) a bit further though, and Amsterdam’s green side also shows. Ivy and various flowers climb old brick buildings,… Read More Amsterdam: Public Art Expos and Sesquicentennial Celebrations
In April 2014, urban experts and enthusiasts from around the world travelled to Medellín, Colombia for UN-Habitat’s Seventh World Urban Forum (or WUF7). With nearly 25,000 participants (including mayors, civil servants, academics, students, NGOs and interested urban citizens) registered, it was the largest ‘WUF’ to date. And according to many veteran attendees, it was also the most enthusiastic… Read More Medellín: city of transition, city of hope
Photo taken from Grist. Detroit has had a rough recent period of history. Since the 1950s, more than a million people have left, fleeing as Detroit’s industrial base dwindled. Despite bankruptcy, unemployment and crime, Detroit has also attracted artists and urbanists. It has become famous for creative uses of abandoned buildings and infrastructure. Artists, such as the Heidelberg Project and the… Read More Detroit: Abandoned Buildings Offer New Urban Skiing Challenge
It’s that time of year again in the Northern Hemisphere: it’s cold, dark way too soon (if the sun even shows) and often rainy. To compensate, cities fill with colourful lights and decorated trees. I’ve done a bit of decorating, but just the bare minimum – what I can get on a bicycle and up… Read More Three years and counting: Amsterdam Cycle City
Paris has an amazing public space project underway along the River Seine that I’ve followed for the last several months. It intends to permanently deviate vehicular traffic along some of the city’s busiest roads, transforming a few kilometers of this arterial into a cycling and pedestrian zone: full of cafés, art and entertainment spaces, bike paths and floating… Read More Paris: reclaiming the city for cyclists & pedestrians – an update on Les Berges
I was recently in Copenhagen, Denmark for the Nordic Environmental Social Sciences Conference. Afterwards, I took a few days to return to one of my all-time favorite sustainability stars – Malmö, Sweden. Having studied and worked in Southern Sweden, I always enjoy returning ‘home’ and remain fascinated by how these two cities continue to drive… Read More Copenhagen & Malmö: Scandinavian sustainability superstars
In May 2013, I was in Reykjavik for a PhD course on Climate Adaptation Strategy and Economics at the University of Iceland. It was coordinated by the Nordstar Research Programme (my second time to the Icelandic capital with Nordstar). Reykjavik has a great small-city meets big-city feel, with many fun surprises worth blogging about. This is the second… Read More Reykjavik: the city as a canvas
With a variety of traffic calming measures and bicycle promotion, Paris is quickly becoming a cycle city – although this takes time, so one needs to exercise some caution concerning where you bike (trust me)! 🙂 Still, with its famous Velib bike-sharing (and car-sharing) systems, great parks, public spaces and expanded bicycle lanes; the bicycle is… Read More Paris: reclaiming the city for cyclists & pedestrians
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
The Urban Observer 