30/4/2011 - Defining "Resilient Design" .
29/4/2011 - Pushing for greener public transport and urban mobility.
28/4/2011 - Libraries as Disappearing Public Spaces.
28/4/2011 - 206 regions and cities selected for OPEN DAYS 2011.
27/4/2011 - Spin-off From Slum Upgrading.
27/4/2011 - Durban project wins World Water Day award.
26/4/2011 - When TODs Fail to Catch On.
26/4/2011 - Climate and energy Toolbox for Supporting Structures of the Covenant of Mayors is launched.
26/4/2011 - America's New Ghost Towns.
25/4/2011 - Tools for EU cities to implement adaptation strategies to Climate Change.
25/4/2011 - The Emptiest City.
25/4/2011 - The Urban Gateway - a new online community.
25/4/2011 - A New Way of Monitoring the Quality of Urban Life.
25/4/2011 - The Good and Bad of London's "Boris Bikes" .
24/4/2011 - UN-HABITAT's 23rd Governing Council calls for optimism about future of cities.
23/4/2011 - The Next Dubai.
23/4/2011 - Siemens presents study on ICT for City Management.
22/4/2011 - The Hottest Cities for Multifamily Development.
21/4/2011 - Citizens can benefit from open-source e-Petitions service via social networking.
21/4/2011 - Relieving Traffic By Unconventional Means.
21/4/2011 - City Diaries: Perspectives on Sustainable Mobility.
20/4/2011 - 31 "Silver Bullet Solutions" for Urban Redevelopment.
20/4/2011 - Cities shortlisted for European Enterprise Awards.
20/4/2011 - What Would a 50-Mile Evacuation Zone Mean for New York?
20/4/2011 - ICLEI asked: How are sustainability positions funded in US cities?
19/4/2011 - Americans Prefer Smart Growth Neighborhoods, Study Finds.
19/4/2011 - Naples to host next World Urban Forum.
19/4/2011 - How An Inner-City Freeway Disappeared.
19/4/2011 - The future of local and regional authorities and development cooperation.
19/4/2011 - Lagos to Expand Bus Rapid Transit System.
19/4/2011 - Urban Regeneration and Social Sustainability: Best. Practice from European Cities.
18/4/2011 - Roma inclusion - can cities be the driver of change?
18/4/2011 - LOCS for Africa conference and African mayors declaration.
17/4/2011 - Ahead of the UN Bangkok climate talks Melbourne and North Vancouver push Mexico City Pact to 179 signatories.
17/4/2011 - How Egyptian Planning Helped Breed Revolution.
16/4/2011 - Apply for Europan 11: Resonance between territories and ways of life.
15/4/2011 - UCLG Fund for Local Cultural Governance in 2010.
15/4/2011 - European Commission: Sustainable transport necessary by 2050.
14/4/2011 - L.A. Plans to Fix its Streets.
14/4/2011 - Zena Daysh – a giant in the cause of better cities and a better environment.
14/4/2011 - The World's Water-Smart Cities.
14/4/2011 - The Worst Cities for Traffic.
13/4/2011 - Portland, Oregon, is Best American City at Promoting Bicycling.
13/4/2011 - States Cut Funds to Cities.
13/4/2011 - Seville conference explores more use of bicycles in cities.
13/4/2011 - Aligning Historic Preservation and Sustainable Design.
12/4/2011 - A new set of guidelines for better cities.
12/4/2011 - Boston to Revive its City Hall Plaza to Create Community Gathering Space.
12/4/2011 - Climate Change and the Urban Water Crisis.
11/4/2011 - European local and regional governments wish to back democratic movement underway in Arab world.
11/4/2011 - Issue 2 of United Cities is online.
11/4/2011 - How Will Toronto Pay for a $4 Billion Subway?
10/4/2011 - UN-HABITAT’s Governing Council meets in Nairobi to discuss land access and urban planning.
10/4/2011 - Bright City Goes Dim.
9/4/2011 - European Local Democracy Week: 17 municipalities awarded with "12 Star Cities" award.
9/4/2011 - Tracking Recovery in American Metros.
8/4/2011 - China Urbanization Review: Balancing Urban Transformation and Spatial Inclusion.
7/4/2011 - London Approves Aerial Tram Over River.
7/4/2011 - Hungarian EU presidency: CEMR calls to replace multi-level governance with partnership.
7/4/2011 - Chandigarh Endangered.
6/4/2011 - New Study Identifies Top 15 Metro Regions Leading in Transportation Innovation.
6/4/2011 - Population Change in America's Biggest Metros.
5/4/2011 - Call for Papers - 49th International Making Cities Livable Conference.
5/4/2011 - Estonian municipalities improving inter-municipal cooperation and communication with citizens.
5/4/2011 - Future of UCLG: answer the UCLG survey online.
5/4/2011 - Russian Olympic City's Vast Transformation.
4/4/2011 - Iranian city seeks help to re-invent itself.
3/4/2011 - Australians Learning to Leave Cars Behind.
2/4/2011 - Shanghai New Towns - Searching for community and identity in a sprawling metropolis.
2/4/2011 - Best World Cities for Walkers.
2/4/2011 - Ask-Your-Urban-Neighbour: Barcelona asks all European cities for advice.
1/4/2011 - Are Cities in Need of a Generational Refresh?
1/4/2011 - Senior citizens enrolled to "patrol" new urban park in Setubal (Portugal).
1/4/2011 - Boom Slowdown Gives Sunbelt Cities Opportunity to Plan Growth.

Defining "Resilient Design"
The word "resilience" suffers from a vagueness of meaning shared with words like "green" and "sustainability", writes Michael Mehaffy, who sets out to clarify this meaningful term for architecture and planning.
Mehaffy writes:
"So what is meant by the term "resilience?" It's usually defined as the ability of a system to absorb disruptions without tipping over to a new kind of order — one that can be disastrous for the organisms involved."
Mehaffy discusses the difference between "engineered resilience" — the kind constructed by humans — and "ecological resistance," which is often much more able to withstand complex catastrophes.
"As an example, we can look at the Fukushima nuclear reactors. They were masterfully designed to produce reliable, clean, safe energy for many years. That system was, in its own self-specified terms, resilient. As long as the conditions for which the system was designed were maintained, all was well.
But the trouble was, the system did not exist in a vacuum — it was embedded in a much larger set of natural systems."
http://newurbannetwork.com/news-opinion/blogs/michael-mehaffy/14492/what-heck-do-we-mean-%E2%80%9Cresilient-design%E2%80%9D-anyway

Pushing for greener public transport and urban mobi
More than 50 representatives of local governments met in Nairobi to discuss urban mobility and sustainable urban transport options aimed at reducing pollution, reducing congestion, conserving energy and helping make cities greener. Local authorities agreed at the meeting to make urban mobility around the world their priority for the year 2011.
The meeting chaired UN-HABITAT Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos, heard accounts of innovative ideas from the mayors of 10 cities. They agreed in talks that urban mobility solutions had to work for social inclusion by providing equitable transport for all; that by reducing congestion productivity increases; and that good solutions can contribute to a greener economy.
The participating local authorities also gave their recommendations on how the United Nations, through UN-HABITAT, could best work with local authorities in improving mobility and transport, thus contributing to better quality of lives in cities.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=9787&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0&AllContent=1

Libraries as Disappearing Public Spaces
With funding in question, the future of public libraries is uncertain. This slideshow explores how libraries function as a commons and public space in American cities.
"What’s at stake here is more than access to a room full of books. The modern American public library is reading room, book lender, video rental outlet, internet café, town hall, concert venue, youth activity center, research archive, history museum, art gallery, homeless day shelter, office suite, coffeeshop, seniors’ clubhouse and romantic hideaway rolled into one. [1] In small towns of the American West, it is also the post office and the backdrop of the local gun range. These are functions that the digital public libraries of the future will never be able to recreate."
Photographer Robert Dawson has visited hundreds of American libraries, and presents images of these places as they face possible extinction.
http://places.designobserver.com/feature/public-library-an-american-commons/26228/

206 regions and cities selected for OPEN DAYS 2011
206 regions and cities from 27 Member States and eight third countries will take part in OPEN DAYS 2011, the European Week of Regions and Cities. Organised in 23 regional partnerships, they will contribute with 24 workshops to the complete programme of more than 100 seminars taking place between 10 and 13 October 2011. In addition, the EU Committee of the Regions will host some 35 workshops in the framework of the Meeting Place, most of which focusing on public-private partnerships.
http://www.opendays.europa.eu/

Spin-off From Slum Upgrading
A project jointly implemented by UN-HABITAT and the Government of Kenya to help inhabitants of Soweto East, a settlement within Nairobi’s Kibera’s slums, upgrade their living conditions is having an unexpected spin-off- that benefit children with disabilities to better integrate into society.
Under the Kenya Slum Upgrading Project (KENSUP), UN-HABITAT and the government of Kenya help residents move from their shacks to modern buildings, an exercise being carried out in phases.
http://www.urbangateway.org/content/news/spin-slum-upgrading

Durban project wins World Water Day award
During the World Water Day Event held in Zaragoza, Spain on 22 March the Water and Sanitation Department of ICLEI Member eThekwini Municipality, which includes the city of Durban, won the ‘Water for Life’, Best Practices Award in the Best Participatory, Communication, Awareness-raising and Education Practices category.
The South African municipality submitted their application alongside 35 other cities and municipalities from around the world, taking first prize for their project entitled ‘A Participatory and Learning Based Approach to Raising Awareness on Water and Sanitation’.
Initiated in Durban in 1995 the project won the award for its innovative approach to communication and awareness-raising in poor areas, and its outstanding contribution to addressing the key water and sanitation challenges within rapidly urbanizing areas.
Many of the key challenges faced by the eThekwini Municipality are similar to those faced by urban municipalities worldwide including; blockages of pipes, misuse and wastage of water, vandalism, difficulty in accessing remote areas and the presence of water borne diseases such as cholera.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4620&tx_ttnews[backPid]=983&cHash=5a257f767b

When TODs Fail to Catch On
Two transit-oriented developments in Salt Lake City have struggled to attract tenants. Critics say this is evidence that the whole idea of TOD is wrong, while supporters say they're just getting started.
The housing crisis had a lot to do with the failure of these two developments. One project was only partially completed because the developer's funding fell through in 2007. But can we extrapolate a larger story of failure of policy from these two examples?
From The Deseret News:
""It's kind of like judging a kid's college potential based on his performance in kindergarten," said Reid Ewing, a professor of city and metropolitan planning at the University of Utah. "It's got a lot of developing and growing to do before you can tell whether it's going to be successful.""
Other TODs are underway along the corridor.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700126176/Can-transit-oriented-development-work-along-Wasatch-Front.html

Climate and energy Toolbox for Supporting Structures of the Covenant of Mayors is launched
During European Union Sustainable Energy Week 2011 (EUSEW), the ICLEI European Secretariat, in the framework of the Energy for Mayors project, launched an online Toolbox of Methodologies to centralise guidance material for Supporting Structures (SSt) of the Covenant of Mayors (CoM).
This innovative Toolbox forms part of the support package developed for organisations that are assisting cities and towns across Europe in developing Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs). In the framework of the Energy for Mayors project, co-funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe programme, the Toolbox is a growing collection of different resources and methodologies. The project coordinator, Dario Miroglio of the Province of Genova stresses that "SSt work is complex and we need solutions. The opportunity to easily access a full range of existing tools, methodologies and materials developed by other SSt or organisations can make the difference.” It is available in several languages and is a valuable resource for SSt and CoM signatories making the move towards a sustainable energy future.
Accessible at www.toolbox.climate-protection.eu, the Toolbox has been designed with the user in mind and is a comprehensive resource database. It addresses the typical steps, as well as different actors and fields of action relevant to SEAP development – from setting targets to monitoring and from financing actions to engaging citizens. Many excellent methodologies and guidance tools already exist in Europe, these will be pooled in the Energy for Mayors Toolbox.

America's New Ghost Towns
Depopulation and empty houses are creating modern day ghost towns throughout America. This piece introduces the latest class of emptying areas.
Citing population decrease, the existing housing stock and the vacancy rate, this post identifies modern American ghost counties. The list is made up of places with populations of at least 10,000 and vacancy rates of 55% and higher.
"Data from states and large metropolitan areas do not tell the story of how much the real estate disaster has turned certain areas in the country into ghost towns. Some of the affected regions are tourist destinations, but much of that traffic has disappeared as the recession has caused people to sell or desert vacation homes and delay trips for leisure. This makes these areas particularly desolate when tourists are not around.
The future of these areas is grim. Our research showed that many have sharply declining tax bases which have caused budget cuts. Forecasts are calling for the fiscal noose to tighten on them even tighter."
http://247wallst.com/2011/03/27/american-ghost-towns-of-the-21st-century/

Tools for EU cities to implement adaptation strategies to Climate Change
Climate Change causes new threats to cities, urban decision-makers and city officials therefore need to adapt their policies and strategies. The Committee of the Regions published in the beginning of 2011 the report “Adaptation to Climate Change: Policy instruments for adaptation to climate change in big European cities and metropolitan areas”. To ensure adaptation local and regional authorities must be recognised as key actors. Many urban policy makers are already anticipating and to maximise effectiveness good practices must be shared. The study offers innovative tools and guidance by evaluating existing best practices from 20 European cities.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Urban_Environment/Urban_Environment/Tools_for_EU_cities_to_implement_adaptation_strategies_to_Climate_Change

The Emptiest City
Buffalo is the emptiest city in the state of New York, with 15.7 percent of its housing standing vacant. The problem is spreading to the nearby suburbs.
Phil Fairbanks reports on the growing problem of suburban vacancies:
"Vacancy rates are even higher in some of the county's southernmost communities, such as Evans. Officials suspect much of the problem there is due to the large number of summer cottages, as well as an aging population.
Nowhere in New York is the problem as severe as it is in Buffalo."
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article384614.ece

The Urban Gateway - a new online community
UN-HABITAT has launched its new URBAN GATEWAY , an online community to help cities and urban practitioners across the world unite to share knowledge and take action for sustainable cities in a rapidly urbanising world.
The website, www.urbangateway.org was officially launched by UN-HABITAT Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos during the twenty-third biennial meeting of governments in the Governing Council which oversees the agency.
The website is the first internet based platform of its kind that will enable everyone involved in cities, urban planning, and urban management, policy makers, academics and neighbourhoods to keep abreast of developments as the world urbanizes faster than ever before.
"With half the global population now living in towns and cities, and with projections showing that in little over a generation from now two-thirds of humanity will be living in towns and cities, this new Urban Gateway is designed to help us remain closely up to date with the latest, the smartest and most innovative ideas to ensure a sustainable urban future," said Dr Clos.
Users of the Gateway, which has been supported by the Swedish International Development Agency, and PublicZone, a British company that helps organizations use digital technology to improve people's lives, will be able to find and contact other members, form common interest groups, offer and apply for opportunities, share experiences and get the latest local and global news on urban issues in their language.
The website is expected to maintain the momentum, discussions and networks developed at the World Urban Forum meetings, strengthen partnerships and highlight the impact of UN-HABITAT's World Urban Campaign for better, greener and more equitable, more livable and safer cities with better opportunities for all.
"It enables us at UN-HABITAT and our outside partners to network, exchange knowledge, discuss issues and share opportunities related to sustainable urbanization worldwide," said Dr Clos.
Spatial features are expected to be added in the next phase of the Gateway to allow users to zoom into a particular city and find out about the urban conditions, such as access urban services, and innovations to tackle city problems, said Ms. Jane Nyakairu, Chief of UN-HABITAT's Information Services Section.

A New Way of Monitoring the Quality of Urban Life
The Good and Bad of London's "Boris Bikes"
According to Joe Peach of This Big City, London public transit finally got something right with its cycle hire scheme, now known as "Boris Bikes."
Boris Bikes are so named after Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London.
Joe Peach lists pricing, the large number of bikes and docking stations, flexible growth, and integration with the local public transport system as contributing factors to the success of the program.
Allowing a bank to use the bikes and stations for advertising, neglecting to incorporate South London, and not allowing the use of London's Oyster Card (a popular e-ticketing program) for access to the bike hire scheme are some of the shortfalls, according to Peach.
http://thisbigcity.net/what-londons-cycle-hire-scheme-got-right-and-what-it-got-wrong/

UN-HABITAT's 23rd Governing Council calls for optimism about future of cities
The Twenty -third Session of the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT opened in Nairobi with calls for new ways of addressing the rapid urbanization facing many countries in the world.
The colorful event under the banner "Sustainable Urban Development through Expanding Equitable Access to Land, Housing, Basic Services and Infrastructure" was officially opened by President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya who said high rates of urbanization pose various challenges including urban poverty, inadequate transportation, unemployment and proliferation of slums and informal settlements.
"We are now faced with the reality that, more than half of the world's population, lives in urban areas. It is estimated that the world urban population will reach 4.2 billion by 2020, and rise to 70 per cent by 2050", said the president.
Arguing that urbanization is here to stay, the President urged all stakeholders to effectively play their respective roles in addressing urbanization challenges.
"I, therefore, challenge you to engage in robust and candid discussions, and use this opportunity to share country-specific experiences. You should draw up innovative pro-poor policies and programmes which will address urban development issues facing our countries," President Kibaki told the meeting.

The Next Dubai
The tiny mideast country of Qatar is a new hotbed of infrastructure activity and foreign investment, leading some to suggest that it will be the next place to take off in the region.
With extra attention on the country as it prepares to host the 2022 World Cup, Qatar is luring investment from all over the world.
"Investing in Qatar is not only now popular on Wall Street, with Washington’s blessing.
According to Mr. Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, America’s partnership with Qatar is mutually beneficial.
'Qatar has emerged as a regional power, but also a remarkable partner. Between 2004-2010, trade between our nations more than doubled. Qatar is our largest single foreign investor. The bottom line is that President Obama and this administration are enormously optimistic about the American and the Qatari people continuing collaboration,' he said."
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42458101

Siemens presents study on ICT for City Management
Research sheds light on how ICT increases administrative efficiency and quality of life in the view citizens, business executives and public servant.
The study, which has been commissioned by the Siemens SIS Global Centre of Competence and conducted by the Economist Intelligence unit, consists in a survey featuring over 2700 participants (public officials, business executives and citizens) from 15 cities around the world. Its objective is to explore the possibility for city stakeholders to utilise ICT to increase effectiveness, efficiency and quality of life within their spheres of domain. The results point at the following key findings:
Businesses and public officials think a strong Internet network is crucial for a city’s competitiveness. Municipal authorities need to understand that ICT technologies are just as important to a city’s infrastructure as its buildings, transport or network utilities.
Businesses feel that government inefficiency and opacity are among the biggest constraints to a city’s competitiveness—but expect e-government to help. E-government can indeed play a fundamental role in addressing these problems. However, the effective adoption of electronic services cannot be achieved without a complementary attitudinal and organisational change by public sector agencies, which are often reluctant to engage in data sharing practices.
Emerging cities are integrating ICT into their new infrastructure, while mature cities can make use of ICT to prolong the life of existing systems. Emerging cities undertake major investments in physical infrastructure, and have thus the opportunity of integrating the most advanced ICT systems from the outset. Mature cities already have in place a developed physical infrastructure and can thus benefit the most from applications of ICT that enhance the efficiency of legacy infrastructure.
While solutions like congestion charging are known to be effective, citizens may not necessarily see their value. Although the financial penalties attached to congestion charges play a role here, municipal authorities need to consider education and information-sharing strategies to win the citizens’ support for such schemes.
http://www.eurocities.eu/include/lib/sql_news_card.php?id=1888

The Hottest Cities for Multifamily Development
Builder Magazine says the construction numbers have been all over the map from month to month, but a pattern is emerging that reveals several markets to be reliable hotbeds for the development of multifamily buildings.
New York and Los Angeles are in the Top 3, not surprisingly, but Houston is a firm 2nd with 5,169 permits filed in 2010. Los Angeles permits were up 63 percent from the previous year.
Builder reports:
"Based on sharp permit increases in many major markets, it looks as though the long-vaunted rise in demographically favored multifamily construction may be close at hand."
http://www.builderonline.com/multifamily/hottest-multifamily-markets-for-2011.aspx

Citizens can benefit from open-source e-Petitions service via social networking
Thanks to EuroPetition, citizens can benefit from an open-source e-Petitions service, which uses online social networking, to coordinate local, cross-border and pan-European petitions across the European Union.
EuroPetition, an e-Participation pilot project provided by local and regional authorities in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, is composed of a network of experts.
These experts help support citizens wishing to petition the European Parliament and, starting in 2012, the European Commission, thanks to the coming into force of the European citizens' initiative (ECI). According to the ECI, one million citizens from a significant number of member states can call on the European Commission to bring forward new policy proposals (Article 11, Treaty on European Union). Thus citizens and regions will have the opportunity to put issues on the European legislative agenda.
The service also helps petitioners gain signatories in other member states and, thanks to its panel of experts, ensures that petitions have a reasonable chance of being taken up.
To date, a total of 209 local petitions and 63 multilingual European petitions have been generated via EuroPetition, involving clusters of 18 local authorities and targeting over eight million citizens.
http://europetition.eu/

Relieving Traffic By Unconventional Means
USA Today reports on some of the more unusual methods being tried around the United States to relieve traffic congestion.
Non-commercial car sharing, corporate buses, and HOT lanes are a few of the methods discussed in the article. Reporter Larry Copeland suggests that with traffic on the rise, these methods are going to add to the more conventional means of reducing traffic:
"Many strategies focus not on increasing the capacity of streets and highways but on cutting the number of vehicles on the road," writes Copeland.
Copeland also notes that some drivers are using GPS maps with real-time traffic data to help them avoid traffic jams and take other routes.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-04-04-1Acongestion04_ST_N.htm

City Diaries: Perspectives on Sustainable Mobility
UN-HABITAT 23rd Governing Council Sessions, Nairobi, Kenya, 11-15 April 2011
Dr. Joan Clos, Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, and Mr. MuchadeyiMasunda, Mayor of the city of Harare, inaugurated recently the exhibition “City Diaries: Perspectives on Sustainable Mobility”, which will be displayed at the United Nations Headquarters, Nairobi.
Jointly organized by the World Urban Campaign, theUnited Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) and the Transport Section of UN-Habitat, the Exhibition seeks to raise awareness on how cities can meet the mobility needs of their residents in a socially inclusive, economically efficient and environmentally sustainable matter.
At the Exhibition, the cities of Guangzhou and Istanbul, together with United Cities and Local Governments, SAAB andARCADIS showcase and profile initiatives, solutions and best practices adopted to face challenges on urban mobility.
Establishing systems for sustainable urban mobility is fundamental for the functioning of cities and towns across the globe and a precondition for economic prosperity and the well-being of their residents. Important components to enhance inclusion while reducing congestion, pollution accidents and greenhouse gases are spatial patterns that reduce the need for travel, promote efficient public transport systems, create safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists and foster mobility management and new technologies.

Americans Prefer Smart Growth Neighborhoods, Study Finds
A recent study by the National Association of Realtors found that 56 per cent of respondents preferred walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods over neighborhoods that required more driving between home, work, and recreation.
From Market Wire:
The Community Preference Survey found that "88 percent of respondents placed more value on the quality of the neighborhood than the size of the home," when considering a home purchase.
Also, "eighty percent of those surveyed would prefer to live in a single-family, detached home as long as it didn't require a longer commute, but nearly three out of five of those surveyed -- 59 percent -- would choose a smaller home if it meant a commute time of 20 minutes or less."
The survey conducted in February 2011 was comprised of a sample of 2,071 adult Americans.
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/NAR-Study-Finds-Americans-Prefer-Smart-Growth-Communities-1422077.htm

Naples to host next World Urban Forum
The southern Italian city of Naples has offered to host the sixth session of the World Urban Forum. Scheduled for the first week of September 2012, the theme of the Forum will be The Prosperity of cities: Balancing ecology, economy and equity.
The city's councillor for culture, Mr. Nicola Oddati said the city has set aside a special venue for the event, which is expected to bring together UN-HABITAT and its thousands of partners in government, local authorities, business, the arts, academia and civil society organizations to chart the way forward for sustainable urbanization.
"We look forward to working with UN-HABITAT and other partners to make the next World Urban Forum even more successful than the previous ones," he said.
UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos thanked the Government of Italy and the Naples municipality for agreeing to host the event, adding that the ancient city globally renowned for its history of art and culture was a "fantastic" city that had many lessons to offer to the world in terms of urbanization.
"The Forum has become the preeminent conference on all things urban. People come together at these events to exchange notes and learn from each other about the problems and opportunities offered by urbanization," Dr. Clos said.

How An Inner-City Freeway Disappeared
A "crazy idea" to remove an inner city freeway in Seoul, South Korea turned to reality. This piece tells the story about how this unlikely event came to be.
Dr. Kee Yeon Hwang led the effort to remove the freeway simply by wondering -- and modeling -- whether traffic would be any worse if the freeway were not there.
"But the model was the easy part. Getting public and political buy-in was going to be harder -- not to mention that people kept telling him this was "suicide" as a transportation planner and that if the project were built it would create "gridlock!" and "traffic chaos!" (Yet another familiar refrain heard in Seattle when mention of the "Transit and Streets" proposal for replacing the Viaduct is made -- not to mention other successful freeway removals in Portland, San Francisco, New York, and Milwaukee).
With a mayoral election coming up, Dr. Hwang and his "crazy" colleagues decided to shop the idea around to the candidates and found one willing to make it part of his central campaign platform: Lee Myung-bak. He ran on tearing down the elevated freeway and restoring the river -- and won. There's an ironic twist to the story at this point that made me happy to sacrifice all those stats in order to hear this fascinating tale: Lee Myung-bak had been the president of the construction company that built the freeway. Who better than he to admit it was a mistake to have been done in the first place?"
http://www.grist.org/infrastructure/2011-04-04-seoul-korea-tears-down-an-urban-highway-life-goes-on

The future of local and regional authorities and development cooperation
“You can trust me that local and regional authorities will be well represented in the European Commission communication on development cooperation due out this autumn,” announced European commissioner.for development, Andris Piebalgs,.at the occasion of PLATFORMA's event “Two years of European action” held on 29 March 2011 in Brussels.
Indeed, the European Commission is to present a communication on the future orientations of the European development policy following the green paper published in January 2011, which currently does not refer to municipalities and regions.
“We wish to continue cooperating with the European Commission so as to ensure the full visibility and recognition of local and regional authorities in development cooperation. We are conscious that municipalities and regions, while increasingly important actors, are new to this field at the European level in comparison to NGOs. Thus, while NGOs and local and regional authorities have different roles, they are more than able to work together and create synergies in order to make a true impact on the ground.” – Wolfgang Schuster, President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Mayor of Stuttgart, President of CEMR's German section
http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=2047

Lagos to Expand Bus Rapid Transit System
Lagos, Nigeria's bus rapid transit (BRT) system, established in 2008, will expand its services more than 13 miles from Oshodi to Ikorodu, announced Dr. Dayo Mobereola, the managing director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).
From The City Fix:
"Since its inception three years ago, the BRT between Mile 12 and CMS stations has transported 170 million passengers and reduced travel times by 30 minutes, The Daily Independent reports. Furthermore, the BRT decreased fares by 40 percent and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 13 percent. The system also resulted in 2,000 direct and 3,000 indirect employment, contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction, according to LAMATA's External Relations Specialist Kola Ojelabi."
http://thecityfix.com/lagos-to-expand-bus-rapid-transit-system/

Urban Regeneration and Social Sustainability: Best Practice from European Cities
A new report titled Urban Regeneration and Social Sustainability: Best Practice from European Cities was recently published.The book, published by Research and Markets, offers a comprehensive European perspective to identify best practice in sustainable urban regeneration in five major cities in Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, and the UK. The authors not only examine the extent to which social sustainability is incorporated within urban regeneration projects in the EU, but also investigate how local authorities, developers, investors and other key stakeholders approach sustainability.
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c0f953/urban_regeneration_and_social_sustainability

Roma inclusion - can cities be the driver of change?
Roma is the largest minority group in Europe who keeps on being confined to the margins of society. Cities are best placed to make use of the people they have with strong community based-know how, and to re-deploy their skills to address Roma issues. Read the article published in the URBACT Tribune "Roma inclusion – can cities be the driver of change?". Written by Ann Morton Hyde, Lead Expert of the ROMA-NeT project, it shows that "what we need is not so much a clever solution but a new culture of working together with Roma communities".
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/urbact-news/?entryId=5049

LOCS for Africa conference and African mayors declaration
A declaration by African local governments calling on nations to deliver an equitable and comprehensive global deal at the United Nations climate talks to be held in Durban later this year came out of the Local Climate Solutions for Africa 2011 congress. Attended by mayors and African leaders from more than 50 cities in 25 African countries, it was coordinated by the ICLEI Africa Secretariat and held in Cape Town, South Africa from 27 February to 3 March.
The African Mayors Climate Change Declaration urges nations to recognize Africa's local governments as pivotal partners in implementing climate change action and to build and develop a just and pro-poor framing of the global response to climate change. The declaration will be delivered to the high level segment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 17 (UNFCCC COP17) to be held in Durban at the end of the year, by the host Mayor.

Ahead of the UN Bangkok climate talks Melbourne and North Vancouver push Mexico City Pact to 179 signatories
The signatories of the Mexico City Pact are now jointly representing 300 million people. While nations continue their negotiations about a climate deal in Bangkok, cities and local governments are showing that they are far ahead in taking action.
On the eve of the next round of UN climate talks in Bangkok, the number of mayors and local authority representatives who have signed the Global Covenant of Mayors on Climate - the Mexico City Pact – has now reached an impressive 179 with Melbourne, Australia and North Vancouver, Canada being amongst the most recent signatories.
The total number of citizens represented by the signatories is 300 million, which is almost equal to the total population of half of the countries currently negotiating at the UN.
Launched at the World Mayors Summit on Climate in Mexico City, just before COP16 in Cancun, the Pact is a voluntary initiative of mayors and local authority representatives that consists of 10 action points. By signing the Pact, signatories commit to advance local climate actions, including the reduction of emissions, adaptation to the impacts of climate change and fostering city-to-city cooperation.
www.worldmayorscouncil.org/the-mexico-city-pact

How Egyptian Planning Helped Breed Revolution
Egyptian architects and planners cite the number of large public spaces as a factor in the success of protests in that country leading to the ousting of Hosni Mubarak.
Writer Elham Khatami speaks with Tali Hatuka, head of Tel Aviv University's Laboratory of Contemporary Urban Design:
"Civic squares are formal places designed to project the regime's power and monumentality," she said. "Because of the vast scale of these places, protests in these spaces contribute to transforming the individual into an integral part of a unified imagined community who in its presence challenges the hierarchal relationship between the citizen and the authority."
http://www.congress.org/news/2011/03/23/can_urban_planning_affect_protests

Apply for Europan 11: Resonance between territories and ways of life
The Europan 11 competition is taking place in conditions marked by a strong commitment amongst European cities to very stringent environmental objectives. This year’s topic is ‘resonance between territories and ways of life’. Europan 11 is a European federation of national organisations, which manages architectural competitions followed by building or study projects, launched simultaneously by several countries on common theme, objectives and rules. The open competitions are anonymous and public calls for ideas on a European scale.
http://www.eukn.org/News/2011/April/Apply_for_Europan_11_Resonance_between_territories_and_ways_of_life

UCLG Fund for Local Cultural Governance in 2010.
The creation of the Fund had been promoted by the Committee on culture, the World Secretariat of UCLG and the City of Barcelona, and obtained the support of the Spanish Development Cooperation Agency – AECID.
The Call for Proposals in 2010 was set at 675.000 Euros and opened to projects led by cities and local governments, direct or indirect members of UCLG, in countries in Africa, Ibero-America and the Mediterranean; the projects had to be based on the Agenda 21 for culture, UCLG's reference document for
local cultural policies.
The Call enjoyed a wide impact, with 78 expressions of interest, 26 projects submitted and 11 winning projects.
The 11 winning projects are:
• ACCRA, Ghana, Accra cultural capital project (Creative African Cities)
• ATE, Peru, The governance of culture in Ate: local culture councils
• BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Cultural mapping of the city of Buenos Aires
• FLORES, Uruguay, Management of Heritage and Sustainable Cultural Tourism
• LOJA, Ecuador, Establishment of the Provincial System of Culture as a tool for governance and
development
• MAPUTO, Mozambique, Support for the management of municipal cultural institutions
• MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Laboratory for Cultural Networks
• MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, The Municipal School of Performing Arts: a bridge to the floating islands of
culture
• PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil, Cultural Observatory of Porto Alegre: Information and Capacity-Building for
Development
• QUILMES, Argentina, Cultural Map of the City
• ROSARIO, Argentina, Governance and citizen participation in the development of local cultural policies
More information is already available at:
http://www.agenda21culture.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83:our-fund-for-localcultural-governance&catid=56&Itemid=63&lang=en

European Commission: Sustainable transport necessary by 2050
The European Commission’s (EC) has released its 2011 white paper on transport, ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system’.
The white paper argues not only for developing transport infrastructure in Eastern Europe, but, acknowledging the European Unions (EU) obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions to aid the fight against climate change, and the increasing difficulty to secure oil as well as it increasing cost, it argues for sustainable transport solutions.
http://www.iclei.org/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Global/News_Items/Image_web-news_11/EC_Transport_white_paper_com_2011__en.pdf

L.A. Plans to Fix its Streets
Los Angeles County is in the process of writing a "Model Streets Manual", with funding coming from an unlikely source: The Department of Public Health.
The Dept. of Public Health is behind the initiative because it sees growing evidence that the built environment can have an effect on physical activity.
Project on Public Spaces looks at some of the chapters from the book, which includes traffic calming, bikeway designs, and pedestrian crossings:
"Simply put, pedestrians must have the ability to safely cross the street. Real and perceived safety is important and is not well reflected by crash data, i.e. 'maybe no body gets killed here, because no one feels safe enough to cross.' Planners should use treatments that are proven to reduce crashes. Transit stops should always have good crossings, because trips typically begin and end on opposite sides of the street. Above all, evaluate the success of new crossings using performance measures."
http://www.pps.org/blog/a-new-model-streets-manual-to-rewrite-los-angeles-dna/

Zena Daysh – a giant in the cause of better cities and a better environment
Zena Daysh, the founder of the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council and a tireless campaigner for a better human habitat who won the UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honour Award, has died after a short illness, her office announced. She was 96.
"Zena Daysh was a tireless campaigner for the cause of better human settlements around the world," said UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos.
"She was one of those great visionaries whose vigour and drive half a century ago helped galvanise international consensus which subsequently led to the establishment of the UN Centre for Human Settlements, as UN-HABITAT was first called," he said. "Personally known to many here at the agency, Ms. Daysh will be greatly missed at our global gatherings."
In 2003, Ms. Daysh won the UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honour award for a lifetime dedicated to improving human settlements around the world. It was personally presented to her by Britain's then Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, in one of his first formal engagements on taking office.
New Zealand-born Ms. Daysh, was a political in-fighter on the international stage for over five decades doing battle on human settlements issues. Her passionate interest in human ecology led to the establishment of the Malta Human Environment Council, and later the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC) which has worked closely with UN-HABITAT for many years.
She played a leading role at the UN General Assembly Session on Human Settlements (Istanbul + 5) in New York in June 2001 where she explained the work of the Commonwealth Consultative Group on Human Settlements to an international audience.

The World's Water-Smart Cities
This collection of city profiles looks at cities around the world that are making major improvements to the way they handle and provide water.
National Geographic finds some of the smartest water cities in the world, from Tianjin to the slums of Uganda to Singapore.
"Singapore has become the poster child for urban water efficiency and innovative water recycling technologies, drawing investment dollars and talent from major corporations such as Siemens and GE, which are hoping to expand their water-recycling businesses in the growing cities of Asia. Singapore itself is investing $240 million over five years in water technology research.
The city-state’s national water agency, PUB, employs a strategy it calls Singapore’s Four National Taps to ensure an adequate supply of water for its five million residents and the economy, with the end goal of total water self-sufficiency."
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/pictures/110322-world-water-day-top-cities/#/world-water-day-cities-tianjin-china_33550_600x450.jpg

The Worst Cities for Traffic
INRIX, a traffic analysis company, recently released its 100 Most Congested Metros list. Los Angeles and New York predictably come out on top, but the more interesting finding is that traffic has increased significantly.
On average, says INRIX, traffic is up 10% since 2009. Why?
Population growth and an increase in interstate traffic due to the economic recovery, says INRIX.
They conclude, "When employment returns to 2007 levels, 9 MILLION more daily commute trips than 2010 levels will need to be accomodated, further stressing America’s urban highway network."
And predictably, corridors that have the worst congestion will attract more congestion:
"We fully expect—should growth continue and particularly if job growth picks up—to see congested corridors get longer in length, have delays more hours of each day, and see slower traffic while congested. This triple whammy of longer (length), longer (time), and slower is likely to be the primary contributor to congestion growth in 2011, as it appears to have been in 2010."
http://www.inrix.com/scorecard/about.asp

Portland, Oregon, is Best American City at Promoting Bicycling
A new study by Rutgers University and Virginia Tech found Portland, Oregon, to be the best American city when it comes to promoting bicycling as a mainstream transportation choice. Out of nine large cities examined in the U.S. and Canada, Portland has increased its cycling levels the most and has the highest share of commuters.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/03/portland_leads_us_cities_in_bi.html

States Cut Funds to Cities
State budget problems are trickling down to cities, which are being cut off from funding by their governors.
Governments in states like Ohio and Nebraska are making big cuts to support for their cities.
"Some mayors said the proposed cuts could force them to raise local property taxes, even as many homeowners complain that they are already overtaxed. Many are combing through their budgets, looking to wring out more savings where they can. Libraries may close. Garbage collection could be curtailed. Potholes might linger a bit longer. Some warned that they could be forced to lay off more city workers, including police officers and firefighters.
For cities like Cleveland, the proposed cuts in state aid mean that the light at the end of the budgetary tunnel is that much farther off."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/us/24cities.html?_r=2&hpw

Seville conference explores more use of bicycles in cities
Promoting expanded use of the bicycle in cities of developing countries and emerging economies needs not only extensive construction of better urban infrastructure and facilities but also a range of corresponding measures in urban and transport planning, experts at an international workshop agreed last week.
The workshop was held by UN-HABITAT and Gehl Architects at the Velo-City 2011 conference in Seville/Spain, and brought together participants from Africa, Latin America, North America, Western and Eastern Europe.
The workshop on "Planning and investment for sustainable urban mobility in developing countries and emerging economies", focused on the role the bicycle can play for serving urban mobility needs and on the question how necessary investments can be mobilized.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=9609&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0&AllContent=1

Aligning Historic Preservation and Sustainable Design
Sustainable design and historic preservation design have sometimes been at odds. But a group of experts says these two goals can work together to improve building sustainability.
In a recent debate at the National Building Museum, architect Maria Casarella, Brendan Owens of LEED, and Eleni Reed at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) explored the "historic preservation vs. sustainable building" battle and emphasized that it sets up a false choice.
There is still tension between these two goals. LEED doesn't yet incorporate historic building criteria, and developers sometimes need to juggle competing priorities. But in some cases historic buildings are actually outperforming new ones (as in energy use), which many developers haven't realized, and a few key building elements (like new windows or geothermal heating) could make old buildings even greener.
http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/dirt/22809/aligning-historic-preservation-and-sustainable-design

A new set of guidelines for better cities
UN-HABITAT has published a new set of international guidelines on decentralisation and access to basic services for all, especially the poorest of the poor. The series is currently available in English, French and Spanish, with Arabic, Chinese and Russian language versions to follow.
http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/Quick_handbook.pdf

Boston to Revive its City Hall Plaza to Create Community Gathering Space
Boston is redesigning its City Hall Plaza as part of Mayor Thomas M. Menino's Green Grow District. Boston is one of the first five recipients of EPA's new Greening America's Capitals technical assistance under a joint EPA-HUD-DOT Partnership for Sustainable Communities project. Constructed along with City Hall in 1963-68, the barren, nine-acre red brick plaza lost its attraction as a public open space over the last few decades. Within the next 10 years, the plaza will be replaced with trees, a redesigned subway station, and an amphitheater for concerts, theater performances and special events.

Climate Change and the Urban Water Crisis
As population growth and climate change set in, cities in developing countries will face major shortages of freshwater. A new report looks at how those cities could be affected and what preventive steps they should start taking.
This Q&A features Robert McDonald, the lead author of the report, who discusses how water shortages will affect cities in developing countries, and what they should start doing now to prevent problems.
"Q: The study says we can't just build our way out of this crisis with more pipes and aqueducts. Why not? What are the alternatives?
A. Well, cities commonly transport water longer distances to get around water shortages, and that other strategies include desalinization or unsustainably pumping groundwater. But the problem with all of these strategies is that they cost money. One study estimated that the world will have to spend $180 billion a year to meet its urban water needs.
Whatever the real figure is, there's a serious issue here the world needs to pay attention to. In this paper, we are showing the scope of that problem, and trying to remind planners that there are more ways to solve the problem than just building more dams.
Urban water managers and city planners should look at solutions that involve nature as well as more infrastructure. One solution: more efficient water use by agriculture and industry -- two of the biggest users of water worldwide. Payments to farmers to reduce areas of irrigated agriculture might be another partial solution, as well as removal of non-native water-hungry vegetation such as eucalyptus."
http://www.grist.org/infrastructure/billions-in-cities-could-face-water-shortages-by-2050-if-we-dont-get-smart

European local and regional governments wish to back democratic movement underway in Arab world
European local and regional governments and their representative associations expressed their desire to back the democratic movement underway in the Arab world, during a meeting between the Council of European.Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and Pierre Vimont, secretary general of the European External Action Service (EEAS).
Frédéric Vallier, CEMR secretary general, also asked that a part of the EEAS's budget in support of new democracies in the Mediterranean and in EU neighbouring countries be used to help develop local democracy and decentralisation. Vallier assured Vimont that PLATFORMA, the European platform of local and regional authorities for development, and associations involved in development cooperation would provide support to this effect.
Moreover, Vimont asserted that the EEAS would take the actions led internationally by local and regional authorities into serious consideration, stating that their involvement would be studied in detail so as to guarantee good cooperation between the different levels of governance.

Issue 2 of United Cities is online
The new edition of United Cities, the magazine of UCLG, is now available. The coverstory of this issue is Mobility and Urban Planning. It features interview with the full UCLG Presidency and with the Chair of the Committee on Urban Mobility, Wolfgang Schuster, Mayor of Stuttgart
http://www.pfdpublications.com//uc2/index.html

How Will Toronto Pay for a $4 Billion Subway?
Toronto's recently elected Mayor Rob Ford has announced that Toronto will build a subway extension -- but nobody knows where the $4 billion needed to build it will come from.
Ford killed Toronto's previous Transit City plan and replaced it with a subway, but there is no budget for it. Ford insists that the private sector will finance it and the city will own and operate it, but many fear that Toronto's taxpayers will be on the hook instead. Marcus Gee of the Globe and Mail writes,
"Under the transit plan announced by Mr. Ford and Premier Dalton McGuinty, the provincial government will spend virtually all of the $8.4-billion dedicated to the now-defunct Transit City plan on a new midtown light-rail line. Much of it will travel underground, at Mr. Ford’s insistence, adding enormously to its expense.
That leaves no money for rapid transit on the busy Finch Avenue corridor, which was supposed to get a light-rail line under Transit City but will now have to make do with buses for at least a decade. More important, it leaves the city of Toronto on its own to pay for Mr. Ford’s favoured project: a $4-billion extension of the Sheppard Avenue subway."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/marcus-gee/mayor-should-put-his-money-where-his-plans-are/article1966387/

UN-HABITAT’s Governing Council meets in Nairobi to discuss land access and urban planning
Delegates from around the world will converge at the United Nations Headquarters in Nairobi for the 23rd Session of UN-HABITAT’s Governing Council from Monday 11 April – Friday 15 April 2011.
The Governing Council meets every two years to examine UN-HABITAT's work and relationships with its partners. It is a high-level forum of governments at the ministerial level during which policy guidelines and the organization’s budget are established for the next two-year period.
The new Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, Joan Clos, former mayor of Barcelona, will outline his vision and set out the agency’s agenda for the coming years.
This year the theme of the Governing Council is sustainable urban development through expanding equitable access to land, housing, basic services and infrastructure.
The week-long 23rd session of the Governing Council will be attended by government ministers, senior officials and other representatives of governments making up the Council as well as UN-HABITAT Agenda partners who will deliberate on these issues as well as climate change and its impact on cities.
A special session of the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD) will be organized on Saturday 9 April in the margins of the 23rd session of UN-HABITAT’s Governing Council. The African Ministers participating will discuss the progress of the Bamako Declaration and Plan of Action on the role of land in the process of sustainable urban development in Africa, and review institutional and financial arrangements, in particular the hosting of AMCHUD’s secretariat.

Bright City Goes Dim
Facing energy shortages, the city of Tokyo, Japan, has been forced to cut down its energy usage, which is changing the bustling and brightly lit city's character.
This story looks at how the energy shortage is affecting the nightlife in the hip neighborhood of Shibuya.
"Because of the power shortage, giant electronic billboards that normally make evenings in Shibuya as bright as day have all been turned off.
Hidetomo Takahashi, an office worker, scans the crowd, trying to find a friend.
'Usually Shibuya is so bright you can see everyone's face even if they're far away,' he says in Japanese. 'But today it's so dark, it's difficult to see people approaching you.'"
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/30/134957742/tokyo-sees-its-lights-go-dim-and-lifestyles-change

European Local Democracy Week: 17 municipalities awarded with "12 Star Cities" award
Seventeen European municipalities were awarded with the “12 Star Cities” award, which acknowledges the commitment made by their elected representatives in promoting local democracy during the 2010 edition of the European Local Democracy Week (ELDW).
The awards ceremony was organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on 23 March 2011 in Strasburg, France.
The award aims at celebrating actions led by municipalities all across Europe seeking to strengthen the value of local authority accountability to citizens, of transparency in decision-making processes, and of citizen participation in local life. The main theme of the 2010 ELDW was the role local authorities and citizens can play in addressing challenges posed by climate change.
The 2011 ELDW will take place from 10 to 16 October 2011 and will revolve primarily around human rights at the local level.
http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=2045

Tracking Recovery in American Metros
This latest report from The Brookings Institution tracks economic recovery in 100 American metropolitan areas
Housing prices were down for the most part, but job growth has picked up in many parts of the country, according to the report.
"Nearly all the metropolitan areas whose economies have suffered the most since the start of the Great Recession are ones that experienced a large house price boom and bust or that depend heavily on auto or auto parts manufacturing. Nearly all those whose economies have suffered the least rely substantially on government (e.g., Washington and several state capitals), health care (e.g., Baltimore and Pittsburgh), education (e.g., Pittsburgh and Austin), or oil and gas (Denver). The map above shows how the 100 largest metropolitan areas rank on a combination of four economic indicators: percent job change from the peak quarter to the fourth quarter of 2010, change in the unemployment rate from December 2007 to December 2010, percent change in economic output (gross metropolitan product) from the peak quarter to the fourth quarter of 2010, and percent change in an index of house prices from the peak quarter to the fourth quarter of 2010."
http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2010/0615_metro_monitor.aspx

China Urbanization Review: Balancing Urban Transformation and Spatial Inclusion
This note explores the urbanization process in China that accompanied its remarkable economic transformation. Seventy-six percent of urban exports of China are generated in cities with 2.5 million or more people. Employment share in manufacturing, urban clustering, and access to international market are found to be highly correlated with urban productivity. International experience suggests that with development, manufacturing initially concentrates in large cities, then disperses evenly across the urban system, and finally becomes specialized in small cities and rural areas of mature countries. In China, large "coastal" cities have a disproportionate concentration of manufacturing employment, but not financial services. It suggests that Chinese economic structure is still in the early stage of industrialization and will undergo significant structural changes in the near future. Strategies that balance spatial efficiency and equity will be the main challenge for next round of urbanization in China.
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEASTASIAPACIFIC/Resources/226262-1291126731435/EOEA_Somik_Lall_Hyoung_Gun_Wang_March2011.pdf

London Approves Aerial Tram Over River
An aerial gondola system will be built over the Thames River in London ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
"Expected to complete by July 2012, the cable cars would run 50m above the water and, according to Mayor Boris Johnson, would be ‘as good as a bus route with 30 buses on it’.
Johnson, said: 'With permissions signed and sealed we are now a significant step closer to being able to cruise the east London skyline via an elegant cable car spanning the mighty Thames.'"
Officials estimate that the gondola system will be capable of transporting 2,500 people per hour over the river.
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/mayor-rubberstamps-wilkinson-eyres-river-thames-cable-car/8602638.article

Hungarian EU presidency: CEMR calls to replace multi-level governance with partnership
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) called to replace multi-level governance with an established partnership between local, regional, national and European authorities, at the occasion of a.Hungarian EU presidency conference held from 21 to 23 March 2011 in Gödöllo, Hungary.
“The burden of economic and financial recovery, for instance, must be shared,” declared CEMR secretary general, Frédéric Vallier, “especially when decentralisation and local and regional autonomy are being hindered by certain decisions taken at the national level. National administrations must cooperate very closely with associations representing local and regional authorities so as to best meet the needs of citizens.”
The conference, which saw participants discuss territorial cooperation (EGTC) and multi-level governance, aimed at ensuring the effective representation of local government within the EU and at pushing for increased cooperation between the different levels of governance.

Chandigarh Endangered
Le Corbusier's modernist city, long a target of criticism from urban planners, is reportedly being sold off piece by piece. Preservationists are incensed and are leading an effort to preserve the city's signature style.
International Herald Tribune design critic Alice Rawsthorn recently drew up a petition to encourage the preservation of Chandigarh.
Alan Rapp reports that the preservation effort is in response to a massive campaign to sell off elements of the city's original design:
"With the knowledge of—and in some cases, it is asserted, the complicity of—local ministries, furniture, light fixtures, and architectural drawings have been auctioned off in the international antiquities market."
http://www.domusweb.it/en/news/the-struggle-to-save-chandigarh/

New Study Identifies Top 15 Metro Regions Leading in Transportation Innovation
The Smarter Cities project of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has released a transportation study identifying metropolitan regions with the nation's leading transportation policies and practices. The study compares and profiles U.S. regions based on public transit availability, use and cost; household automobile ownership and use; and innovative, sustainable transportation programs.
http://smartercities.nrdc.org/topic/transportation/americas-smartest-regions-transportation

Population Change in America's Biggest Metros
This post crunches the numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau to track population growth in America's largest metropolitan areas between 2000 and 2010.
The Las Vegas-Paradise, NV and Raleigh-Cary, NC metro areas saw the largest changes in population, at more than 40% each.
Only 3 of the top 36 metro areas lost population between 2000 and 2010.
http://www.urbanophile.com/2011/03/17/metrocounty-census-results-so-far-plus-a-brief-look-at-jobs/

CALL FOR PAPERS - 49th International Making Cities Livable Conference on Planning Healthy Communities for All
Portland, OR, May 20-24, 2012
Environmental factors significantly contribute to obesity, chronic physical ill health, social isolation, violence and crime. Evidence shows that the way we have built our cities has amplified these problems. This conference will examine the evidence, and focus on ways we can reshape the built environment to increase physical and social health and well-being. The conference will bring together 350-400 delegates - elected officials, practitioners and scholars in planning, public health, urban design, landscape architecture, transportation planning, pediatrics, human development, social sciences, land use development and architecture from around the world.
Those wishing to present papers on topics listed below should submit a 250 word abstract for blind peer review before June 15, 2011. Please submit abstract online at http://www.livablecities.org/conferences/49th-conference-portland/call-papers. Notification will be sent within 4 weeks of submission. Accepted papers must be presented in person at the conference and will be published in the digital conference proceedings. Selected papers will also be published in Documentation Sets on focused topics.
Notification will be sent within 4 weeks of submission. Accepted papers must be presented in person at the conference and will be published in the digital conference proceedings. Selected papers will also be published in Documentation Sets on focused topics.

Paper topics include:
• Planning for health & well-being
Aligning health, civic and planning policies. Planning neighborhoods to improve social & physical health. Short distances, mixed use, walkable streets. Ensuring independent mobility. Need for sociable plazas, community meeting places, eyes on the street. Urban fabric to facilitate community. Health Impact Assessment. Active living & the walkable, bikeable city. Bringing workplace and residence closer. Land use principles for the healthy city. How all benefit from increased needs of elders and youth.
• How the built environment negatively affects health
Health effects of sprawl. Obesity and land use patterns. Absence of community & social pathology. Dangers of social isolation for elders and the young. Psychological effects of the built environment. Health inequalities and underserved inner city communities. Social fragmentation, crime and the built environment.
• Places and events to build community
Plazas and squares that bring together young and old. How the built environment shapes civic engagement. Social life, dialogue & political awareness. Generating community & social well-being in the public realm. Influence of social life on health. Beautiful places & well-being. Community festivals & social well-being. Reviving plazas & town squares. Achieving neighborhood diversity.
• Nature in the urban environment
Accessibility of gardens, parks & incidental nature for young and old. Importance of nature for health & well-being, social interaction, exercise, relaxation & stimulation. Transforming schoolyards into nature classrooms and gardens. Natural beauty & well-being. Community gardens and healthy food. Restoring biodiversity.
• Mixed-use urban fabric
Urban regeneration through mixed-use infill & restoration. Multi-generational neighborhoods with mixed-use fabric. New designs for human scale multifamily mixed-use. Innovative lofts & flex units.
• Urban villages / suburban towns
Traditional town planning. Creating urban villages around public transit hubs. Transforming suburban shopping malls into mixed-use neighborhood centers. Integrating school and community. Making neighborhoods more compact. Overcoming resistance to density.
• Regional planning for healthy cities
Sustainable regional transportation & land-use planning. Promoting regional identity. Curbing sprawl. Focusing development in town centers. Achievements in limiting big box retail.
• Promoting healthy transportation modes
Extending pedestrian and bicycle networks. Planning for trips, not for cars. Planning for commuting by foot and bike. Complete streets. Linking public transit networks. Linking transportation planning and land-use. Equitable and sustainable transportation modes. Shortening trips through land use planning. Successful TOD case studies.
• Guidelines for healthy inclusive communities
Similarities and differences in the needs of young and old. Neighborhoods for independent mobility. Importance of social interaction. Avoiding shut-ins and Hikikomori. Importance of nature for health & well-being. Familiar adults and eyes on the street. Impact of the built environment on human development.
• Community participation
Designing a neighborhood vision. Planning with citizen participation. Community architecture & urban design. Innovative community gardens & nature areas. Limitations of community participation.
• Innovative teaching models
Health & planning: teaching the connections. Teaching mixed use urban fabric. Principles of urban and social sustainability. Teaching community participation in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and public health.
For questions, please contact Suzanne.Lennard@LivableCities.org

Estonian municipalities improving inter-municipal cooperation and communication with citizens
Local authorities in Estonia have the opportunity to improve inter-municipal cooperation and communication with their citizens thanks to a web-based application, called VOLIS, designed to prepare and carry out meetings electronically.
This information system allows local elected representatives to follow meetings over the internet, to make speeches, to vote electronically and to propose amendments to draft legislative texts.
Individual citizens and stakeholders can view sessions or consult documents, as the information and meeting materials are pooled together and made available at all times.
Residents also have the possibility to make inquiries and propose initiatives, thus enhancing participatory democracy at the local level, a principle supported by the Association of Estonian Cities and the Association of Municipalities of Estonia.
http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=2041

Future of UCLG: answer the UCLG survey online!
It is a pleasure to invite you to participate in our Strategic Redefinition Survey. The purpose of the survey is to examine ways in which you would like to see UCLG evolve into a next phase.
http://www.tigersurvey.com/Survey.aspx?id=175648

Russian Olympic City's Vast Transformation
As it prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, the Russian resort city of Sochi has transformed from a "blank slate" into the "world's biggest construction site".
This piece from Business Insider looks at how the city is getting ready for the event, and how those preparations are creating a long-term impact.
"On legacy and impact:
* The Games will go a long way to improve the environment. Green standards are being used for all new venue construction. They want to be as carbon-neutral as possible throughout the construction and the Games. There is also a lift for the Sochi national parks, which in turn will help save the snow leopard (being used as one of the mascots as well).
* The IOC measures a lot. There are 111 different social, economic and environment measurement points measured to show improvement. They are already showing positive results for the environment, disabled access and their volunteer program. This builds a legacy for the city and the country.
On planning and accessibility:
* They literally started from nothing, a “blank canvas” which was a big advantage allowing them to build an infrastructure. They are the biggest construction site in the world and have over 42,000 workers involved."
http://www.businessinsider.com/major-construction-underway-in-sochi-and-rio-for-next-olympic-games-2011-3

Iranian city seeks help to re-invent itself
Some 5000 years old and ready to re-invent itself would be the best way to describe of the Iranian city of Rafsanjan.
It is well known for pistachio production and an architectural history that can be traced back to 3000 B.C. However, living long comes with its own challenges and Rafsanjan is now faced with the reality that these industries and its rich culture cannot alone sustain the development needs of a growing city.
Last week, a delegation led by Mr. Aliakbar Pourmohammadi the Mayor of Rafsanjan visited UN-HABITAT. The Mayor faces a common challenge- how to improve his city to offer citizens more employment and a better quality of life?
With the support of the International Art & Architectural Research Association of Iran and the London Metropolitan University, a fascinating "Local Agenda 21" process is underway to develop a practical strategy to advance cultural, environmental and economic interests. The process has not been an easy one, involving a dozen or so committees and including citizens from all walks of life and neighbourhoods.
But these efforts are beginning to bear fruit and a common vision is emerging. According to Mayor Pourmohammadi, "Rasfanjan has incredible potential but we need to define a common vision and make sure that national and local government work towards it with the full support of citizens and the private sector."
In reviewing the strategy, UN-HABITAT commended its ambitious scope and encouraged the city to work towards an integrated implementation plan working across key urban sectors and levels of government. Ideally, the strategy should provide a clear framework for action. In an effort to develop tourism for instance, this must be carefully linked to investments in infrastructure, appropriate local planning decisions, better land use, support to local companies and engagement of citizens and especially young people in the promotion of skills and local identity.
"Given how fragmented urban policy is in most countries, a holistic approach to finance, planning and land is very difficult but nevertheless essential to the management of cities", observed a UN-HABITAT staff member.
Mr. Danial Biau, Director of UN-HABITAT's Regional and Technical Co-operation Division praised this innovative work and expressed his hope that the collaboration would serve as a pilot for further cities across Iran to follow.

Australians Learning to Leave Cars Behind
Randy Salzman says that Australian cities like Perth and Melbourne have found "the key to moving individual transportation behavior away from the convenience of the single-occupancy vehicle."
Education appears to have had a significant effect in Australia, through a program called TravelSmart:
"Each TravelSmart project is different, but in general, the individualized educational programs provide whatever information and emotional support — like personal bicycle doctors or bus drivers to explain the schedule — to help any member of any marketed household change driving behavior on any trip, not just the commute trip. Printed materials are delivered by bicycle as TravelSmart practitioners practice what they preach.
Other psychological concepts, like 'reciprocity,' 'creating community' and 'bypassing adversaries,' ensure that TravelSmart is only working with citizens willing to change while reassuring them of the societal value of their transportation behavioral change."
http://www.miller-mccune.com/environment/australians-have-learned-to-drive-less-29207/

Shanghai New Towns - Searching for community and identity in a sprawling metropolis
China is booming: literally. The Chinese are planning one new town after another. Urbanisation is seen as the driver of economic development. In Shanghai several dozen of new towns have been planned that will accommodate an average of 800.000 inhabitants by 2020. In these new towns, numerous buildings, roads and services therefore need to be developed. Dutch urban planner Harry den Hartog visits China on a regular basis to study the country’s enthusiasm for construction. His book ‘Shanghai New Towns’ has just been released, in which he investigates the new towns around Shanghai. These new towns are often based on Western models. Could we learn something about what is happening in Shanghai’s new towns in Europe as well?
http://www.eukn.org/News/2011/March/Shanghai_New_Towns_Searching_for_community_and_identity_in_a_sprawling_metropolis

Best World Cities for Walkers
This slideshow from Grist takes a tour of the top ten cities in the world for walking.
The cities included are from a new list from travel publisher Lonely Planet and include Venice, Boston and San Francisco.
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-16-the-worlds-top-10-walking-cities-slideshow

Ask-Your-Urban-Neighbour: Barcelona asks all European cities for advice
Urban areas face many different challenges on a daily basis. To help you get answers to these questions in a simple and fast manner, the European Metropolitan network Institute (EMI) has set up a new knowledge exchange tool for urban areas: Ask-Your-Urban-Neighbour. Learn from the experiences of other cities and share your specific experiences with other urban areas. Let EMI do the work for you: submit your questions and be assured of a reply within a few weeks.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Urban_Policy/Ask_Your_Urban_Neighbour_Barcelona_asks_all_European_cities_for_advice

Are Cities in Need of a Generational Refresh?
The article takes a look at the idea that stalled urban growth may be a generational issue.
Angie Schmitt at Streetsblog thinks that the reason is that much of the decision making ultimately remains with the previous generations who aren't as keen as their younger counterparts on city living.
The Streetsblog piece links to a longer form reflection by The Urbanophile. Aaron Renn writes:
"I don't see any signs of the older generations getting through the grieving process and moving on. This makes me think that for us to fully embrace a true urban policy, even in city government itself, it is going to take generational turnover."
http://streetsblog.net/2011/03/07/is-generational-turnover-necessary-for-the-return-of-cities/

Senior citizens enrolled to "patrol" new urban park in Setubal (Portugal)
The municipality of Setubal (Portugal) has launched an original initiative by enrolling senior citizens to "patrol" the city new Albarquel urban park, situated in a neighbourhood that was often subject to acts of vandalism. The retired people who participate in these "patrols" all live in the neighbourhood. This initiative not only has had effect on the quality of life in this area of Setubal, but also has helped senior citizens to keep active and involved in the community.

Boom Slowdown Gives Sunbelt Cities Opportunity to Plan Growth
The current pause in the Sunbelt’s boom could be a seminal moment for cities across California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida to plan for future growth, rather than unplanned sprawl. During this construction pause, cities have a chance to better plan for growth by designing for dense development and reducing parking requirements to encourage walking, public transportation and more green space, says Justin Hollander, urban planning professor at Tufts University and author of the recently published book titled Sunburnt Cities.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2011-03-08-sunburnt08_CV_N.htm

March 2011 News