“People don’t care about how much you know; until they know how much you care.” One of the best videos on climate change communication I’ve seen in a while! How to craft a message that resonates, beyond just presenting scientific fact? Featuring Pope Francis, Tea Party Republicans keen on energy independence to challenge the fossil… Read More Climate change communication needs to move beyond the science
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
In 2005 I moved to Budapest, to study in the Masters of Environmental Science, Policy and Management (MESPOM) programme at Central European University (CEU). More than 10 years on, MESPOM was one of the best decisions of my life. Studying with 50 students from 35+ countries meant that every lecture followed in international reflection. I… Read More Budapest cool: history and hipsters join forces, resulting in one fantastic, evolving city
Originally posted on archithoughts:
‘Birds are always travelling and don’ t have a specific nation’ Shamsia Hassani Walk down an alley in Kabul, Afghanistan and you might spot a painting of a sharp-featured woman in a blue burqa on the side of a building. That’s the work of Shamsia Hassani, Kabul’s master graffiti artist and…
In December 2015, I spent several days in Berlin, Germany. It’s a beautiful city; but December is not its finest month. It was dark and dreary. Still, in a particularly Berlin way, it was also cozy, creative and colorful: bicycles strewn about, Christmas markets in full swing, and plenty of hot wine and cold beer to warm… Read More Berlin’s East Side Gallery: Urban Art & Old Memories
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
I love this video produced by Project for Public Spaces, which asks: What are our streets for? It then responds: Streets are for… … walking to school … playing stickball (and other sports) … chilling out … starting a business … learning to tango (and for dancing dance) … expressing yourself … taking gold (in a competition) … a night out … growing… Read More Streets as places…
Amsterdam is running short on bike parking, despite efforts to continuously expand it, creating a ‘problem’ that few city planners could dream of. This cycling mecca has too many rush hour commuters clogging up its bike lanes, and not enough bike parking once they hop off. To tackle Amsterdam’s bike parking challenge, the city uses old shipping barges turned floating cycle-parking garages, builds underground two-tiered parking at… Read More Amsterdam & Utrecht: beautiful bicycle parking
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
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
The Urban Observer 