Sevilla: sunshine, orange trees, bicycles and great public spaces

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

23/02/201316/04/2013 jenniferlenhart7 Comments

Making public transport sexy…

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…

19/02/201312/03/2016 jenniferlenhart2 Comments

Berlin: a big city with history (and bicycles)

My first impression of Berlin was boxy, geometric and structured. This, however, deserves some context. I stayed next to its central train station (Hauptbahnhof) which opened in 2006 on the border of what used to be East and West during the Berlin Wall (1961- 1989). Today in and around this area stand many of Berlin’s most impressive… Read More Berlin: a big city with history (and bicycles)

28/11/201206/02/2013 jenniferlenhart3 Comments

Stumbling upon urban public art in the making…

One of my favourite reasons to walk or bike is the ability to have a random encounter with something extraordinary. The other day, while wandering the streets of Amsterdam with a friend, we came across the creation of a beautiful street-side mosaic. What was once a bland electric box slowly transformed into a new city… Read More Stumbling upon urban public art in the making…

23/09/201206/02/2013 jenniferlenhartLeave a comment

Artsy & Icelandic: creative approaches to curb inner-city driving

In Summer 2012 I attended a PhD course on ’Climate Adaptation Policy’ in Reykjavik; rather apropos considering climate change has (and will continue to have) noticeable consequences for Iceland. Simultaneous to these consequences, Iceland has made efforts to reduce emissions (notably investments in geothermal energy). Still, per capita emissions remain high, specifically emissions from heavy industry,… Read More Artsy & Icelandic: creative approaches to curb inner-city driving

30/08/201209/08/2016 jenniferlenhart2 Comments

It started with a road block…

I’m new at this: blogging, websites, the whole deal. I have wanted to start something for a while, but was waiting for the inspiration to hit me. Sure, good excuse. Suddenly and randomly, in the most peculiar way… it really did. Let me back up a bit. I live in Amsterdam – the city of… Read More It started with a road block…

05/04/201216/04/2013 jenniferlenhartLeave a comment

The Urban Observer

The everyday life & surprises of living an urban existence

Tag: quirky