31/10/2011 - More Hybrid Cars Available, But Fewer People are Buying Them.
30/10/2011 - Choice Neighborhoods: HUD’s new urban remedy takes shape.
29/10/2011 - Messy Street Patterns Boost Walkability in Cities.
28/10/2011 - UN-HABITAT holds International Meeting on Forced Evictions.
28/10/2011 - New Technologies Increase Citizen Investment In Cities.
27/10/2011 - Take part in the World Smart Cities Awards.
27/10/2011 - Call for submission for the European Award of Excellence "City for Children" 2012.
26/10/2011 - The Subway of the Future, Next Year.
26/10/2011 - Local Action Counter reaches over 1750 cities! Register your city! .
25/10/2011 - CEMR calls for budget of one euro per citizen for new "Europe for citizens" programme.
25/10/2011 - International Day for Disaster Reduction 2011: ABKD poster contest held in Quezon City, Philippines.
24/10/2011 - Habitat for Humanity Releases Disaster Planning Report.
23/10/2011 - Liveable Cities Forum report is now online! .
23/10/2011 - "Presence Sensors" Save Bicyclists By Controlling Traffic Lights.
22/10/2011 - CEMR welcomes local development and partnership in new EU cohesion regulation.
21/10/2011 - Dubai Creates A "Supreme Urban Planning Council" To Enact New Master Plan.
20/10/2011 - Increased bicycle use sees a decrease in accidents (Germany) .
20/10/2011 - Urban Violence: a round-up as of autumn 2011.
20/10/2011 - What Would Happen If All Public Transportation Stopped? .
20/10/2011 - Zero-Emissions Transportation Plan Proposed for Oberlin.
20/10/2011 - Satellites going local: 30 regions, cities and SMEs share good practice.
19/10/2011 - Taking the Subway in Shanghai Requires a Token and a Prayer.
19/10/2011 - African Mayors Climate Change Declaration - Congress report now launched!
18/10/2011 - The Most Dangerous Cities in the United States.
18/10/2011 - Neighborhoods Based on Cul-de-Sacs May Be More Congested, Less Safe.
18/10/2011 - Final results of carsharing experiment in Vercors (France).
18/10/2011 - City entrepreneurs can drive economic recovery.
17/10/2011 - China's Ghost Malls.
17/10/2011 - World Urban Campaign: “Better Cities, Better Life”.
17/10/2011 - 'Parklets' Convert On-Street Parking to Social Gathering Spaces.
16/10/2011 - Nine Ideas to Boost Cycling in London.
15/10/2011 - World Habitat Day ceremony draws thousands.
15/10/2011 - Dublin May Opt for BRT Over Rail Expansion.
14/10/2011 - Take part in the Smart-e Competition!
14/10/2011 - Turning Old Gas Stations into Good Urbanism.
14/10/2011 - Enviros Not Happy With San Francisco's World Cup Plans.
13/10/2011 - Metropolis World Congress: Cities in Transition.
13/10/2011 - India's Urban Population Forecasted To Double In The Next Twenty Years.
13/10/2011 - Revitalization Strategy #1: Giant Elephant Puppet.
12/10/2011 - European regions to discuss climate change ahead of international conference in Durban.
12/10/2011 - Kyoto City establishes emissions trading system.
11/10/2011 - Call for junior researchers in international migration.
11/10/2011 - Cities Make Broad Cuts As Revenue Declines.
10/10/2011 - ICLEI to pursue GNH in South Asia.
10/10/2011 - Call for papers – European Conference on Mobility Management.
9/10/2011 - Will your city be Europe’s Green Capital?
9/10/2011 - Join UNDP's roster of experts in local governance!
9/10/2011 - Chinese Government "Cancels" the City of Chaohu.
8/10/2011 - Regional exchange platform unveiled for ACP countries.
8/10/2011 - Invitation to explore local bioenergy partnerships - pushing the green economy agenda.
8/10/2011 - London's "Lego" Olympics.
7/10/2011 - United Nations launches guidelines for eco-efficient and socially inclusive cities.
7/10/2011 - Commission calls for more action on urban environment.
7/10/2011 - Over $200 Million for Detroit Sustainable Communities Strategy.
6/10/2011 - Could a Commuter Tax on Chicago's Suburbanites Work?
5/10/2011 - Mayors across West Africa meet in Lagos to mobilize action towards COP 17.
5/10/2011 - Apply to be a Future City Leader!
5/10/2011 - Plan for Haiti Unveiled.
4/10/2011 - ROMA-NeT Project - Inclusive housing policies and area based regeneration programs.
4/10/2011 - All aboard in Lyon: CLUSNET final conference.
3/10/2011 - Slow Growth in Cities May Have Lessened Foreclosures.
3/10/2011 - Engaging with the private sector at Intelligent Cities Expo.
3/10/2011 - ENGAGE days: 12 European cities ready to celebrate!.
2/10/2011 - London's Buses Hauls Twice as Many Riders Than The Tube.
2/10/2011 - Amsterdam: most cycle-friendly large city.
1/10/2011 - Cities Reclaiming Alleys for Smart Growth Developments.
1/10/2011 - Mexico leads Global World Habitat Day Celebrations.

More Hybrid Cars Available, But Fewer People are Buying Them
2009 may have been the peak year for hybrid vehicle sales as a percentage of total sales, despite the addition of 23 models available to consumers, reports CNNMoney. The current price of fuel does not justify the premium price paid for these models.
"The market share for hybrid cars peaked in 2009 at 2.8% of all new vehicles sold. The year after that, it fell to 2.4% and it's on track to be a little less than that this year, according to data from Edmunds.com.
The biggest reason people aren't buying them is cost, industry analysts say. While gasoline may be relatively expensive it's still not pricey enough to make the thousands of dollars more that a hybrid car costs worth the investment."
The falling hybrid numbers put an ominous forecast on the sales of newer plug-in electric vehicles, such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, and Tesla designed to save consumer even greater fuel costs.
At the same time, SUV and truck sales are escalating, reports the hybridCARS website in its Oct 6 article, September 2011 Dashboard: Consumers Favor Trucks Over Hybrids: "Overall vehicle sales this month were tilted towards trucks—including crossovers—with pickups doing very well. This suggests that small business owners and other commercial interests see better times ahead and are buying these trucks to prepare for new business, and to replace their aging vehicles."
http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/30/autos/hybrid_car_sales/index.htm

Choice Neighborhoods: HUD’s new urban remedy takes shape
Breathtakingly broad in scope, the Obama administration’s redevelopment plan tackles nearly every problem known to afflict city-dwellers.
One of the brightest pieces of urban planning news this year has been the roll-out of the Obama administration’s Choice Neighborhoods program.
Last March the US Department of Housing & Urban Development awarded Choice Neighborhoods planning grants of up to $250,000 each to 17 communities across the country. In August, bigger money began to flow: five “implementation grants” of $10.3 million to $30.5 million, aimed at helping to turn around blighted sections of Boston, New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle. Download a PDF file here for summaries of each of these projects from HUD.
Choice Neighborhoods takes the ambitions that were at the heart of the HOPE VI public housing redevelopment program and raises them to a new level. Though the total federal funding available through Choice Neighborhoods is only a fraction of what HOPE VI distributed at its peak, the new program tries to grapple with a greater array of entrenched social problems.

Messy Street Patterns Boost Walkability in Cities
Cities that have the most complex and messy street patterns provide the most walkable and enjoyable experiences for visitors and residents, argued Allan Jacobs, the former director of San Francisco’s city planning department, at a recent conference in Vancouver BC. Jacobs listed cities that have numerous intersections per square mile as a guide to their walkability. Some of the most walkable cities include San Francisco, which has 300 intersections in the Market Street area, along with Paris (281), Tokyo (988), Savannah, Ga., (538) and Portland (341).
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Messy+street+patterns+boost+city+walkability/5504490/story.html

UN-HABITAT holds International Meeting on Forced Evictions
More than 50 participants converged in Nairobi recently to exchange views, knowledge and ideas on the future role of UN-HABITAT with respect to preventing, monitoring and assessing the impact of forced evictions globally.
Drawn from across the globe, the participants included experts, observers, representatives of governments, and representatives of Permanent and Observer Missions to UN-HABITAT.
Organized in close collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the meeting sought to shape and adopt common strategies to address the problem of global evictions and ways to promote and realize the full and progressive realization of the right to adequate housing. The exponents of the global housing and human rights community who had gathered at the UN-HABITAT headquarters were asked to elaborate on the future role of UN-HABITAT in the area of housing rights, including the right not to be forcibly evicted.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=10539&catid=5&typeid=6&AllContent=1

New Technologies Increase Citizen Investment In Cities
A recent Pew Research study revealed that 58% of 25-34 year old Americans own smartphones, and communicate with each other, and their city governments in new ways.
It appears that new technologies are fueling a era of renewed citizen engagement. Companies such as CitySourced have taken the lead, providing multi platform applications that allow smartphone users to report problems like graffiti or uncollected trash as they come across them.
This increased investment in how the city operates is translating into a more evolved contribution to the decision making process. According to Michael Armstrong, CIO for Corpus Christi, Texas, "almost all politicians now have Facebook pages, and they're becoming very comfortable with connecting to people that way. We also have a group of young people coming up who communicate entirely differently than the past several generations. They are connected all the time, and they are social."
http://americancityandcounty.com/technology/mobile-citizen-engagement-20111012/

Take part in the World Smart Cities Awards
If you think your city, project or solution contributes to creating smart cities, then take part in the World Smart Cities Awards!
The SmartCity Expo World Congress is organizing the first edition of these awards which will distinguish the city, solution or project that best upholds the Smart concept. Take advantage of this opportunity to gain global visibility as well as the chance to win major prizes, including:
City: 15.000€ | Project: 8.000€ | Solution: 8.000€
Check out the competition rules, which include evaluation criteria, categories, the evaluation process and how to enter.
http://www.smartcityexpo.com/

Call for submission for the European Award of Excellence "City for Children" 2012
on the topic of "Child-Friendly Neighbourhood Planning"
The Award is directed at all European cities consisting of more than 100.000 inhabitants and searches for projects in the field of chil-friendly urban planning. The jury will consist of two international experts in the field and representatives of the Committee of the Regions, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Robert Bosch Stiftung as well as the cities of Stuttgart and Gothenburg.
The winning cities will be presented the award on the 14th of May 2012 during a festive ceremony in the Mercedes- Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
Full CallApplication Form

The Subway of the Future, Next Year
Communications Based Train Control (CBCT) will allow New York City's subways to run more efficiently than ever. But like with all service improvements, implementation will take some time and patience, write Josef Szende and Charles Komanoff.
"Whereas the century-old system now in use relies on block signals with colored lights alongside the track to tell operators if they’re too close to the train ahead, CBTC uses radio signals to locate all of the trains on the line. With this information, on-board computers can calculate the distance between trains precisely and in real time, letting operators run trains closer together without compromising safety.
With more trains per hour, wait times will diminish and trains should be less crowded — allowing for increased ridership as the experience of riding the subway becomes more convenient and pleasant. Adding just one train per hour adds space to move another 2,640 people. That translates to fewer times waiting while a packed train goes by, and fewer elbows in your ear when you board."
http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/10/13/new-tech-promises-less-subway-crowding-if-albany-doesnt-beggar-the-mta/

Local Action Counter reaches over 1750 cities! Register your city!
The Local Action Counter has reached to over 1750 cities, all working for sustainability!
World leaders will return to Rio de Janeiro for the Rio+20 conference, and we are showing them that cities are already taking action for sustainable development!
Is your city taking action?
http://local2012.iclei.org/add-your-city/add-your-city/.

CEMR calls for budget of one euro per citizen for new "Europe for citizens" programme
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) calls on the European Commission to strengthen the 2014-2020 “Europe for citizens” programme based on a symbolic budget of one euro per citizen, a total of €495 million.
This call was issued in the final declaration adopted during the closing session of the European Congress on Citizenship and Twinning held from 29 September to 1 October in Rybnik, Poland.
Indeed, this increase from the current €215 million* would allow to bring continued support to twinning links, of which there are currently 40 000 in Europe, and to extend partnership possibilities to countries to the east and south of Europe. Support for town twinning in EU neighbouring countries would notably help promote mutual awareness and understanding, and allow for the development of local democracy and decentralisation in these countries.
In order to facilitate the opening up of the “Europe for citizens” programme to neighbouring countries, CEMR thus also recommends that the new European External Action Service include if not a full unit, then a least a dedicated expert for local and regional authorities.
http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=2157

International Day for Disaster Reduction 2011: ABKD poster contest held in Quezon City, Philippines
'Apoy, Bagyo, Kalamidad: Dibuhong Pambata' (ABKD) – Fire, typhoon, calamity: Kids Drawing – 2011, is an annual and nation-wide poster-making contest for children ages 7-12 years old. Citizens' Distaster Response Center (CDRC) conceptualized ABKD in 1996 as an activity to promote disaster preparedness.
ABKD served not only as an opportunity for children to show their artistic talents and creativity, but more importantly, as a venue for children’s participation in creating and generating a culture of disaster preparedness, especially among vulnerable communities.
CDRC believes that although children are among the most vulnerable sectors during disaster events, they also have the capacity to take active part in disaster preparedness. The poster-making contest has become a venue to express their views and concerns on disaster-related issues and the importance of biodiversity in reducing the impact of disasters.
The winning artworks will be featured in CDRC’s 2012 disaster preparedness calendar and other advocacy materials.

Habitat for Humanity Releases Disaster Planning Report
Drawing examples from a vast supply of disasters in recent years, this 30-page report emphasizes planning and policy for not just housing, but also land tenure and community input, with long-term perspectives.
From the annual report's web page:
"Natural disasters are a fact of life. In recent years, earthquakes have shaken Japan, China, Indonesia and Haiti; flooding has swamped Pakistan and the Mississippi Delta; hurricanes have tested New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast; and tornadoes have ripped through Alabama and Arkansas. Over the past five years, more than 13 million people have lost their home to a natural disaster.
“Housing cities after a disaster” highlights the urgent need for urban disaster planning and outlines how planning for permanence during rebuilding creates a more solid path to recovery."
http://www.habitat.org/eurasia/stories_multimedia/shelter_report_2012.aspx

Liveable Cities Forum report is now online!
The Liveable Cities Forum, held 21-22 August in Montréal Canada, created a platform to share best practices on biodiversity management and application at the local level. The Forum also highlighted the importance of partnership building and presented instruments (such as the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity) that help to move the biodiversity agenda forward.
A findings report on the Forum has recently been released, offering panel and workshop summaries, key outcomes, and a scope of future opportunities for local governments. http://www.iclei.org/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Canada/Liveable_Cities_Forum/LCF_Key_Outcomes_and_Findings_Report.pdf
Some of the key outcomes are as follows:
•Biodiversity protection is at its core a local issue, and in order to mitigate biodiversity loss in cities, there is an undeniable need for local governments to come together and work through solutions collectively;
•Urban centers influence local, regional and global biodiversity. Therefore, it is important that cities con-serve their local biodiversity through the sustainable use of resources beyond their borders;
•It is important for municipalities to engage and partner with local residents, academic institutions, and organizations, not only to have a finger on the pulse, but also to have local allies and secure long-term support; and
•Integrated policies help drive action. To effectively mainstream biodiversity at the local level, it is important to incorporate biodiversity considerations into multiple departments, plans and programs.
To view conference presentations, photos, and videos, please visit: www.iclei.org/biodiversityincanada

"Presence Sensors" Save Bicyclists By Controlling Traffic Lights
A new system using "microwave motion" sensors can detect when a bicyclist enters an intersection and control traffic to accommodate them.
The system, called "The Interceptor", is currently being tested in Pleasanton, California.
Jessica Mulholland of Governing Magazine talked with Pleasanton Senior Transportation Engineer Joshua Pack:
"When the sensor detects a bicycle, it triggers the timing of traffic lights one way, and when it detects only cars, it triggers a different timing scheme. The better pacing of green lights provides a safer crossing," Pack explained.
Pack likes the system, but is concerned about increasing delays when his city's traffic is primarily automobiles.
http://www.governing.com/topics/technology/how-intersections-sense-what-zoom-by-pleasanton-california.html

CEMR welcomes local development and partnership in new EU cohesion regulation
European Commission integrating detailed provisions on local development strategies and partnership contracts in its regulation on the future of EU.cohesion policy for the increased involvement of local authorities in the development and implementation of operational programmes.
The Commission's regulation, published on 6 October 2011, allows for local development, which encompasses both urban and rural-urban issues, to become a key priority in operational programmes, as long as it proves to have an added value vis-à-vis other methods.
Following a call issued notably by CEMR, the European Commission is also to include a set of criteria to determine the validity of a local development strategy. CEMR has declared itself willing to support the Commission in determining these criteria.
Furthermore, CEMR strongly supports local development activities being carried out via a common strategic framework (CSF) in order to reach common objectives, as included by the Commission in its newly published regulation. Indeed, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), and the European Social Fund (ESF) will now see similar implementation and eligibility rules applied to all of them.

Dubai Creates A "Supreme Urban Planning Council" To Enact New Master Plan
The Dubai Executive Council has approved the Dubai Urban Development Master Plan 2020, and will establish a 'Supreme Urban Planning Council,' to streamline the process.
The news comes after the municipality announced it was operating with a $206m budgetary surplus for the first half of 2011, almost 30% higher than predicted. The new master plan clearly indicates a shift toward sustainable and economically viable land use that appears to be turning around the cities fortunes.
"We are building public gardens and launching so many other projects. It is not just real estate," claimed Director General of Dubai Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah.
http://www.constructionweekonline.com/article-14159-executive-council-approves-2020-dubai-master-plan/

Increased bicycle use sees a decrease in accidents (Germany)
While bicycle use in German cities is increasing, the number of accidents involving cyclists is decreasing. Germany’s traffic club analysed accident statistics involving cyclists in 43 cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants between 2005 and 2010.
http://www.eltis.org/index.php?uid=ZGZkZQLX&ID1=5&id=60&news_id=2755

Urban Violence: a round-up as of autumn 2011
Urban violence is a subject that is particularly difficult to grasp for those who are directly or indirectly involved in implementing a local security or prevention policy, primarily because the concept is difficult to define. Indeed, the term ‘urban violence’ does not cover the same ground in every country, especially in legal terms. There are few universally accepted definitions of the term.
One point that people do agree upon is that it is certainly not a new phenomenon, but one that is not only ingrained in history, but has probably also often influenced it. Most recorded occurrences of urban violence involve fairly explicit social or political demands and are a result of deep social or societal unrest.
http://www.efus.eu/en/topics/risks-forms-of-crime/collective-violence/efus/2326/

What Would Happen If All Public Transportation Stopped?
The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) released its 2011 Urban Mobility Report, which shows how many additional hours in traffic each commuter would be subject to if public transportation were discontinued.
The TTI focused on several aspects when doing their study. When looking into the value of transit, they found that "New York is far and away the winner with 63 hours of additional delay per peak period auto commuter if its transit system were discontinued," writes Aaron M. Renn.
The TTI report also calculates the additional congestion cost that would occur if public transit suddenly stopped, charted by Renn as the current savings that cities get by having transit:
"New York dominates the charts with nearly $8 billion in savings. But even down the charts there’s big money. In Chicago, which is gearing up for another round of fare hikes and service cuts, the cost of congestion avoided due to public transit is about the same as the combined operating budget of all regional transit agencies. Chicago transit is effectively self-funded in terms of benefits delivered to motorists alone," says Renn.
http://www.urbanophile.com/2011/10/06/the-cost-of-congestion-the-value-of-transit/

Zero-Emissions Transportation Plan Proposed for Oberlin
The Center for Neighborhood Technology recently released a new roadmap for the city of Oberlin, which envisions a net-zero carbon emissions community by 2050. The report recommends 10 policy strategies, including plans for a regional transit system that makes it possible to live in Oberlin without a car.
http://www.cnt.org/news/2011/09/16/cnt-lays-out-its-zero-emissions-transportation-plan-for-oberlin-stakeholders/

Satellites going local: 30 regions, cities and SMEs share good practice
This collection of selected end-user success stories is the first time Eurisy formalises its long-term research into operational experience of end-users with EO-, satnav- and satcom- applications, or even integrated applications in some cases.
End-user success stories have proven an excellent vehicle for communicating on satellite applications with potentialnd-user communities. They are effective because they showcase the benefits of the technology from the point of view of the end-user -- a point of view potential end-users can best relate to.
While it is encouraging to see space investments in the downstream sector bear fruit, the use of satellite services is still a pioneering endeavour in Europe. More should be done to make satellite services better known with end-user communities, and more accessible, so that space investments deliver according to expectations.
The document is now available in pdf on the Eurisy website.

Taking the Subway in Shanghai Requires a Token and a Prayer
Recent crashes involving the subway in Shanghai has caused speculation that the rails are unsafe and poorly built.
A collision between two subway trains on September 27 that injured more than 280 people prompted Adam Minter to give his personal experience using the Shanghai rail system.
"...Bungling conductors who often ignore signals and don't line up train cars with platform doors. One day, a train car's glass doors spontaneously shattered. Another day, a conductor led a train down the wrong track, only to then make the dangerous decision to back the train up."
He notes that, "As Shanghai’s housing prices rise, residents have little choice but to move further and further away from the city center. They rely on the subway lines to get to work, but the lines were built quickly and shoddily. A common feeling among Shanghai’s commuters is that the subway was not designed to serve them, but to enhance the status of Shanghai’s Communist Party leaders."
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-29/shanghai-rail-commuters-get-onboard-with-a-prayer-adam-minter.html

African Mayors Climate Change Declaration - Congress report now launched!
The congress report of the African Mayors Climate Change Declaration summarizes the key highlights and outcomes of the Climate Congress in Lagos, held on the 21-22 September.
The Congress, co-hosted by Lagos State Government and ICLEI Africa, welcomed mayors, local council chairmen and other local government representatives from across West Africa who met to endorse and sign the "African Mayors Climate Change Declaration 2011".
This declaration has been adopted originally at the Local Climate Solutions for Africa 2011 Congress (LOCS 2011), which was convened in Cape Town, South Africa earlier this year.
Under the overarching theme ‘Building Climate Change Resilient African Cities: Climate Proofing Africa on the Road to COP 17’, the event served as a preparatory platform for West Africa’s local authorities and their partners to prepare for the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) - UNFCCC/COP 17 - in South Africa later this year.
With over 500 participants from across West Africa the Congress provided an excellent platform for local authorities and stakeholders to focus on the challenges and solutions for local climate action within the African urban context.
During the course of the Congress deliberations, delegates and key stakeholders called for increased collaboration among African countries and urged for more action at the local level.
The call for a collective response to climate change was emphasized as best interest for Africa throughout the Congress. This was underlined by the problems the continent faces in having less capacity to respond to the challenges posed, contributing the least to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and yet being the most vulnerable to its impacts.
http://www.iclei.org/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Global/News_Items/Image_Documents_web_news_11/AMCCCD_West_Africa_Congress_Report_4Oct2011.pdf

The Most Dangerous Cities in the United States
While many stories have been written about Detroit's turnaround, it took the top spot on Forbes list of most dangerous cities. Detroit had 1,111 violent crimes reported per 100,000 residents, which included 345 murders, writes John Giuffo.
While many cities remain the "most dangerous," a nationwide drop in crime has actually improved the cities with the most violence. The second on the list Memphis, Tenn., with 1,006 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, was down from 1,146 last year.
"It’s commonly expected that crime will rise as economic conditions worsen, but that hasn’t been the case in the U.S. – violent crime has fallen for the past four years. In 2010, murder was down 4%, rape fell 5%, robbery dropped 10%, and aggravated assault fell 4%, according to the FBI."
Forbes list used FBI data from "four categories of violent crimes: murder and non-negligent manslaughter; forcible rape; robbery; and aggravated assault."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngiuffo/2011/10/03/americas-most-dangerous-cities/

Neighborhoods Based on Cul-de-Sacs May Be More Congested, Less Safe
While suburban neighborhoods built around cul-de-sacs are typically considered to be quiet, safe places to raise a family, some researchers say the isolation they engender leads to traffic congestion, more crime, and perhaps poor health. Researchers also found that people who live in more sparse, tree-pattern communities drive about 18 percent more than people who live in more traditional and denser grid-based communities.
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2011/09/street-grids/124/

Final results of carsharing experiment in Vercors (France)
At the end of 2010 the General Council of Isere launched a car sharing experiment with electric vehicles for the inhabitants of Vercors. Rather than a classical approach to involve people in car sharing schemes, the Vercors experiment used a smartphone application to organise its car sharing scheme.
http://www.eltis.org/index.php?uid=ZGZkZQLX&ID1=5&id=60&news_id=2774

City entrepreneurs can drive economic recovery
EUROCITIES has issued a series of recommendations on improving European support to city entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Helping cities create a good climate for entrepreneurs will help drive economic recovery. This was our key message at the European SME week summit that took place at the European Parliament on 7 October 2011.
Cities develop policies and programmes tailored to the specific needs of local entrepreneurs and small businesses. Yet local authorities still face barriers in realising the economic potential of entrepreneurship and small businesses.
In a series of recommendations to the European Commission on how to improve European support to entrepreneurship in cities, we have identified a number of ways in which European policies and programmes could further support us in our role.
These include:
improving coordination between European funds to help support entrepreneurship as part of local integrated development;
making public procurement rules more SME-friendly; and
supporting cluster development and SME internationalisation.
Speaking at a workshop on local and regional support for entrepreneurship and SMEs co-organised by EUROCITIES, Vice-Mayor of Poznan, Tomasz Kayser, said:
“Cities need European support to drive economic recovery. They have a wealth of expertise to share and future European funding programmes should also actively support the exchange and implementation between cities of innovative practices supporting entrepreneurship.”

China's Ghost Malls
Thanks to massive projects fuelled by developers rather than retailers, and official efforts to spur a consumer economy, China is becoming home to massive, deserted malls.
Dongguan's enormous South China Mall is the world's largest. However, with barely 2 percent of the outlets rented, it has become a cavernous white elephant. Yet this is merely the largest of China's dead malls -- and construction continues on even more. The Globe and Mail examines what went wrong.
"Even by China’s standards, the New South China Mall was particularly ill-conceived. A high-end shopping destination was always a stretch for Dongguan, a factory city of six million people in southern Guangdong province that relies on low-cost labour imported from other parts of China. Just past its fifth birthday, the mall’s exterior paint is already starting to peel off its faux European architecture. Rivers of rust streak down from the railings of the emergency exit staircases...Only 47 of an astonishing 2,350 retail spaces are filled, the most successful businesses being McDonalds and KFC restaurants near the mall’s front entrance.
The most curious thing about the New South China Mall is that it’s far from unique. Largely empty megamalls are an increasingly common sight in cities around China. More are being built, even as millions of square metres of retail space already sit empty."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/chinas-giant-deserted-malls-wait-for-reluctant-consumers/article2188199/

World Urban Campaign: “Better Cities, Better Life”
The World Urban Campaign focuses on “Better Cities Better Life – a vision for Sustainable Urban Development”. You can become a partner of the Campaign if you would like to take part in a global network and coalition dedicated to policy debate and policy development, if you feel that one of your project deserves international attention or if you would like to know how other communities are dealing with issues that you have in your community
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=9&catid=634&cid=9326

'Parklets' Convert On-Street Parking to Social Gathering Spaces
A number of cities are piloting projects to transform on-street parking spaces into small retreats where pedestrians can relax and interact. One example is San Francisco's "Pavement to Parks" program, which quickly and inexpensively converts parking spaces into new public plazas and parks. These small spaces for lounging and socializing can be attractively designed without being costly.
http://newurbannetwork.com/article/parklets-proliferate-along-pacific-15261

Nine Ideas to Boost Cycling in London
his Big City readers offer their ideas, from infrastructure-related to marketing, to encourage cycling among more casual riders in London.
"Richard Mann presented a solution to this challenge:
The outer boroughs are really quite similar to medium-sized cities, except for the out-commuting to central London. If some of those outer boroughs chose to follow the model of places like Oxford, and slow the main roads down, and remove the gyratory junctions, they could make cycling a fairly attractive option quite quickly."
http://thisbigcity.net/how-would-you-radically-rethink-cycling-in-london/

World Habitat Day ceremony draws thousands
President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa on Monday opened the global commemoration of World Habitat Day in the Mexican city of Aguascalientes with a speech giving his full backing for the Cities and climate change theme of the occasion.
"We live in a world where island states below sea level are threatened, and many countries around the world, including Mexico, are suffering the effects of climate change such as floods, wild fires and severe weather disruptions," the President told an audience of some 4,000 gathered to learn about climate change and see a special exhibition.
His remarks were followed by statements from UN-HABITAT Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos, the Minister for Social Development, Mr. Heriberto Félix Guerra, and Aguascalientes Governor Mr. Carlos Lozano de la Torre.
Mexico's Minister for Social Development, Mr. Heriberto Félix Guerra said that with cities contributing to around 70 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, it was imperative for everyone to change their behaviour to reduce global warming.
Dr. Clos thanked the Government of Mexico, the Social Development Ministry and the city of Aguascalientes for hosting the event. He cited projections that some 12 million people would be displaced by the effects of climate change in the next 20 years.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=10434&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0

Dublin May Opt for BRT Over Rail Expansion
An expansion of Dublin's light rail system (DART) has been put on hold by Ireland's Transport Minister, who is ditching the idea in favor of a bus rapid transit system.
The light rail expansion was expected to connect the suburbs of Tallaght, Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and Dardistown to the city center, stretching 25km. Four new BRT corridors are being considered instead, which Transport Minister Leo Varadkar says is due to lack of funding:
"Yesterday Mr Varadkar said he was keen to explore the use of BRT, if money was available.
'BRT is effectively a Luas [Dublin's light-rail tram system] on wheels which can be delivered at a much lower cost,' he told the Irish Independent.
"It has already been provided successfully in a number of cities, including Cambridge in the UK and Eindhoven in the Netherlands.'"
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rapid-bus-network-for-capital-2887236.html

Take part in the Smart-e Competition!
The competition is part of the European Smart-e Buildings Campaign: www.takeyourenergyback.eu/smart-e-competition!
YOUR STORY
Share your story and tell us how smart-e is your building!
You represent a company or an association? You represent a local authority?
What energy efficiency action have you carried out in your building?
What was your financial investment?
What results have you reached: financial savings (€/year), energy savings (kWh.year), CO2 emissions avoided (kg of CO2 equivalent/year)?
If existing, please include a link to a webpage giving more details on your Smart-e story.
The competition is also open to individuals who want to tell how it feels to live in a Smart-e home!
SUBMIT YOUR STORY
To take part in the competition, please send your testimonial to competition@takeyourenergyback.eu
Your testimonial can be a text (70 words max) with a picture (.jpeg) or a video (YouTube link or .mp4).
WIN!
Each month a testimonial is selected and highlighted on the homepage of the European Smart-e Buildings Campaign and receives two water savers designed by Aquaclic! The Smart-e Competition also rewards a yearly winner!
All testimonials are displayed at www.takeyourenergyback.eu/smart-e-competition and will be promoted in the Smart-e buildings social networks.

Turning Old Gas Stations into Good Urbanism
Aurash Khawarzad looks at three projects that turned crude into gold, as old gas stations are quickly updated into a movie theater, a cafe and a restaurant.
"Gas stations are many things," writes Khawarzad. "One thing they are not is good for cities."
"Forget about the larger ramifications of gas stations contributing to oil dependency. Just focus on their impact on the street level."
Khawarzad looks at the Cineroleum in London, which used just a few materials to transform that gas station's old overhang into the theater space.
http://patterncities.com/archives/693

Enviros Not Happy With San Francisco's World Cup Plans
The America's Cup, the worlds fastest yacht race, is destined for San Francisco in 2013. But local environmental groups are not pleased with the current plan to manage the environmental impacts of the event.
Last month, environmental groups met with city leaders to come forth with a new plan that would reduce the environmental impacts. The event is expected to attract millions of visitors to the City by the Bay.
Many of these groups had comments regarding the draft environmental impact report that discusses how it will protect water, air, and land from pollution, over the course of the 50 days of racing:
"I love the Bay and I love the America's Cup, but I'm getting cold feet because the environmental prenuptial that the city has developed does not go far enough to protect the Bay Area's air, water and marine life from the many impacts that we expect, " said Teri Shore with the ocean conservation group Turtle Life Restoration Network.
The work that needs to be done addressed in the draft plan is no easy task. At the end of the year, The America's Cup and city officials hope to have final approval so they can begin preparations for the race.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sailing/2011-08-11-735855529_x.htm

Metropolis World Congress: Cities in Transition
The 10th Metropolis World Congress “Cities in Transition” will be a unique opportunity to exchange and establish contacts between delegates and experts from around the world. The Congress will discuss new city models that have been established in the face of the financial downturn, the scarcity of petroleum and the depletion of the present growth model. Important aspects of cities will be covered: the environment, the city’s growth model, the quality of life of the people and the urban innovations
http://portoalegrecongress2011.metropolis.org/registration

India's Urban Population Forecasted To Double In The Next Twenty Years
The UN released new demographic projections Thursday that forecast India's urban population will more than double in the next thirty years. UN Under Secretary General Joan Clos said there is an urgent need to discuss urban issues in response.
Clos, who is also executive director of UN Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT), was talking to reporters at a press conference ahead of Word Habitat Day Oct 3 and expressed concern over the land crisis in urban India.
"For any population, land is the first asset and there is a need for sustainable growth of cities. We require better urban planning and designing as it is crucial for the future growth of the city," he argued. India's rapid population growth, or demographic dividend, will be sustained much longer than China's because of the lack of legal demographic constraints like a one child policy. This presents a unique opportunity for India to create cities of an unprecedented scale in the next decades.
http://indiacurrentaffairs.org/indian-urban-population-to-double-in-30-years-un/

Revitalization Strategy #1: Giant Elephant Puppet
The French city of Nantes was for generations an industrial shipbuilding center, but that business gasped its last breath in 1987. City leaders began working then to reimagine the city, and part of that visions is, yes, a mechanical elephant.
The giant cyberpunk elephant is the product of Les Machines de 'Ile, a fantastical workshop and gallery space built into the old shipyards.
Christopher F. Schuetze writes that the workshop is currently "...building mechanical sea monsters for an oversize carousel that will evoke Jules Verne, one of the city’s most famous sons.":
"Though the 285,000 visitors who came to see and ride the creature last year did not significantly increase the city’s bottom line, they do indicate that the city’s investments in art and public spaces are attracting interest."
Schuetze goes into detail about how Nantes has repositioned itself for the 20th century while creatively exploiting its past.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/business/global/a-focus-on-attracting-residents.html?_r=1&ref=global

European regions to discuss climate change ahead of international conference in Durban
A few months ahead of the international conference on climate change in Durban, South Africa, European regions are getting together in Lyon, France, on 20 and 21 October 2011 to discuss sustainable mobility,.energy efficiency as well as interregional solidarity and cooperation.
The aim will be to optimise the implementation of regional climate protection action plans and to identify best practices and public-private partnerships in the fight against climate change.
The conference will culminate in the "Lyon Climate Declaration", which will serve to confirm the commitments undertaken by Europe's regions and to present their message on climate to negotiators attending the international conference in Durban.
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) will be represented by Henning Jensen, CEMR rapporteur on climate and councillor for the City of Naestved, Denmark. Jensen is to speak during a session on the launch of a green revolution.
The European Conference of Regions on Climate Change is organised by the Rhône-Alpes region, in partnership with CEMR, the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (Nrg4SD) and The Climate Group.

Kyoto City establishes emissions trading system
Kyoto City has established an independent emissions trading system named “Do You Kyoto?”
This system enables Kyoto City to certify and purchase the CO2 emission reductions by small and medium businesses, ordinary citizens and shopping districts as tradable credits. The credits can be used to offset carbon emissions from community functions and events as well as tourism activities in Kyoto, and can also help large-scale emitters achieve their reduction targets.
Emissions trading systems at the local government levels have already been established in other areas of Japan such as Tokyo and Saitama, but those schemes only cover corporations and other large-scale emitters.
The Kyoto system is the first of its kind in Japan as it is implemented at the community-level and encompasses shopping districts and special functions and events held in the region. It intends to differentiate itself from the national scheme by including small-scale activities and by being user-friendly and low-cost. The system follows the “local production for local consumption” model by utilizing locally the credits generated in Kyoto.
Since August 1, 2011, Kyoto City has begun accepting applications from small and medium businesses (accepted on an on-going basis) and communities (accepted until September 30) who are looking to sell their credits. Reductions in consumption of energy, such as electricity and gas, from the previous year are converted into CO2-equivalent emissions and can be sold to the City as emission credits.
The City will purchase the credits at 10,000 Japanese yen per metric ton, which is as much as six to eight times the internationally-traded prices.

Call for junior researchers in international migration
SSIIM Unesco Chair encourages junior researchers in the field of international migration to apply for participating to the workshop ‘DiverCity: towards the intercultural city’, to be held in Venice (Italy), 26-27 March 2012.
The overall objective of DiverCity workshop is to promote high quality scientific exchanges among Junior researchers with different scientific/disciplinary backgrounds and from diverse geographical contexts, working on issues relating to international migration and cities. The workshop will provide the opportunity to share experiences and initiate new academic and scientific collaborations and partnerships.
The specific objective of the workshop is to establish a SSIIM Unesco Chair long-term international network of young researchers collaborating on relevant topics of common interest
Candidates must be in the early stages of their career, including PhD students and PhD with no more than 5 years of experience. Researchers must be affiliated to a scientific institution. Independent researchers can attend the workshop as auditors.
SSIIM Unesco Chair will offer a total of 11 Fellowships (3 to Italian candidates and 8 to foreign candidates), for:
- travel reimbursement (up to 350 Euros for foreign researchers, up to 150 Euros for Italian researchers)
- accommodation in Venice (two days)
- meals and coffee-breaks during the workshop
Deadline for applications is November 28, 2011

Cities Make Broad Cuts As Revenue Declines
A study by the National League of Cities says how the economic recession has finally started to hit cities as property- and income-tax have decreased. Cities are balancing their budgets through layoffs, canceled construction projects or raised fees.
High unemployment, ailing housing market and weak consumer spending have reduced taxes for cities for five straight years, reports Daniel Wagner for the Associated Press.
"As states' tax collections fell during the recession, they responded by cutting aid to cities, school districts and localities. Those cuts are expected to peak next year, according to research by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities cited by the league's report.
"Public education is especially hurt because many school districts are funded about half by states and half by property taxes, said Michael Leachman, the center's director of state fiscal policy."
Cities that rely most on property tax revenue have been hit the hardest.
"Many are in the Northeast, Hoene said. By contrast, Midwestern cities tend to have steeper income taxes. And cities in the West, South and Southeast typically rely more on sales-tax revenue."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gPRdDrh8T3Ourk_lnUodI9qYf8GQ?docId=18619d40a67541519cbfe3473721ba63

ICLEI to pursue GNH in South Asia
ICLEI launched ‘Healthy and Happy Communities’ as one of its strategic goals to help local governments to promote community vitality, health, education, culture and good governance at the ‘Future of Cities’ congress in Incheon, Korea, in 2010.
To take this ICLEI initiative forward, Emani Kumar, Executive Director of ICLEI South Asia, visited Thimphu, Bhutan and had an audience with the Honorable Deputy Prime Minister of Bhutan and the Minister for Labor and Human Resources to discuss ICLEI’s interest in developing a training module for a Gross National Happiness (GNH) index.
Read more on the ICLEI South Asia website.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=11926

Call for papers – European Conference on Mobility Management
The call for papers for the European Conference on Mobility Management 2012 (ECOMM) is now open!
The 16th edition of the ECOMM will take place in Frankfurt, Germany on 12-15 June. It promises to be an interactive and dynamic conference, with innovative formats and training sessions. Take this opportunity to contribute by suggesting new ideas and concepts in response to this call for papers.
The main theme of the conference is electric mobility. This is one of the most important challenges in changing mobility culture, especially considering pressing EU climate targets and the white paper on transport’s emphasis on cleaner vehicles. Your proposal should reflect the main theme while addressing one of the various sub-topics.
The deadline for submission is 30 October 2011.
You can find more information on the call for papers on the ECOMM website:
http://www.ecomm2012.eu/call_for_papers.html

Will your city be Europe’s Green Capital?
Does your city deserve European-wide recognition for its hard work in meeting the environmental challenges our society is facing? Should your city be considered a leading destination for green tourism and green industry in Europe?
Applying for the 2014 edition of the European Green Capital could help your city gain the green reputation it deserves. Participating in the competition is a unique opportunity for your city to become an example at a European level and an ambassador for a better and greener world – just look at Hamburg, European Green Capital 2011. And what’s more, being awarded the Green Capital title can not only bring great advantages to your city’s image but also help boost its economy and attract tourists.
Applications for the next edition of the award will close on 14 October 2011. Make sure your city is Europe’s Green Capital 2014!
Information for mayors and city administrators that whish to apply are available on the Green Capital website: Applying for the Award.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/applying-for-the-award/index.html

Join UNDP's roster of experts in local governance!
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is currently developing a Democratic Governance Vetted Experts Roster, within which Local Governance / Local Development is one of the key areas of expertise.
In order to respond to the needs of Country Offices, Regional Centers and Headquarters, the Democratic Governance Group (DGG) employs a team of in-house policy advisers and specialists, backed by a roster of outside experts who provide demand-driven advisory services, access to knowledge, and technical backstopping.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4705&tx_ttnews[backPid]=983&cHash=2efcb0063f

Chinese Government "Cancels" the City of Chaohu
With no advance warning, residents of the large city of Chaohu were told on August 22nd that their city no longer existed. The city's land and people are now divided into 3 and incorporated into other nearby cities.
The government explained that the nearby cities of Hefei, Wuhu and Ma'anshan would each take a piece of the former Chaohu.
According to NPR, "Rumors had circulated for a few weeks beforehand, but there had been no public consultation and no official notice, with residents not being told about the new boundaries in advance."
"...City government offices are, for once, deserted."
http://www.npr.org/2011/09/21/140633602/the-curious-case-of-the-vanishing-chinese-city?ft=1&f=1001

Regional exchange platform unveiled for ACP countries
Cities participating in the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) will benefit from a series of regional exchange forums seen as a concrete step towards the actualization of repeated requests for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to tap into each other's potential and experience.
At one such forum taking place in Accra, participants agreed that ACP countries will continue to learn from each other and address the future of their cities together.
"We consider this exchange forum an important step that will enable us move from programme formulation to further slum improvement. We are happy to know that there are ACP countries that consider Tanzania as a country that they can learn from, especially when it comes to land tenure, said Ms. Lucy Kimoi, Tanzania's Assistant Director with the Ministry for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=10403&catid=5&typeid=6&AllContent=1

Invitation to explore local bioenergy partnerships - pushing the green economy agenda
Sustainable energy initiatives are creating new jobs and reducing emissions, with bioenergy becoming a major element in the development of the new green economy. The ‘Decision-making and implementation tools for delivery of local and regional bioenergy chains’ (MAKE-IT-BE) project has been a driving force behind these developments but after 3 years is coming to an end.
To showcase the various exciting outcomes, as well as the resources available to assist local governments and other key stakeholders in planning the roll out of bioenergy, the project coordinator, Maria Grazia Tommasini, from CRPV (Centro Ricerche Produzioni Vegetali), invites government and private sector stakeholders to the joint final conference of three Intelligent Energy Europe co-funded projects, namely Ben, BioEnerGIS and MAKE-IT-BE.
The conference is called “Bioenergy planning in European regions” and will take place on 5 October 2011 at the Fondation Universitaire in Brussels. This event will focus on sharing institutional approaches and know-how, as well as exploring the process with huge win-win potential.
European Commission representatives, policy makers and bio-energy experts will share viewpoints and provide an overview of the guidance available to assist bio-energy planning and implementation. This forms an essential element of the EU 2020 strategy, as well as the region’s green economic development approach.
An interesting line-up of speakers is planned: a keynote speech by Romana JORDAN CIZEL, Member of European Parliament and Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, will be followed by Mr. Brian Meaney, the Committee of the Regions rapporteur on bio-energy, who will address the importance of integrated bio-energy partnerships for cities and regions. Several experts will share project results – and highlight advanced solutions for local and regional stakeholders for new bio-energy projects.
Participation in the conference is free of charge.
Register at: www.amiando.com/makeitbe.html.

London's "Lego" Olympics
In order to lighten the footprint of the 2012 Olympics, Britain's architects and event planners are aiming to "reduce, reuse and recycle" venues so that they can be repurposed or taken down when the games are over.
Not only will some of the venues be adaptations of pre-existing sites, but much of the new construction for the games will be capable of disassembly or downsizing for other purposes -- like giant Lego structures -- thereby avoiding the potential for "white elephants" in years to come. As the Globe and Mail reports,
"When the Games are gone, many of its buildings will be taken down, sold or repurposed. Qatari developers have struck a deal to buy the athletes’ village for £557-million (about half of what it cost to build, critics have pointed out). The basketball and water-polo arenas will disappear, and the BMX track will be dismantled and moved to a new location. The handball stadium becomes a multi-use sports centre, although it’s unclear who will use it.
The third of the three Rs, 'recycle,' will be in evidence all over London. Instead of building new venues, the idea was to use world-famous locations in fresh, and sometimes jaw-dropping, ways. Horse Guards Parade, where you can normally see Changing the Guard and various sombre military ceremonies, becomes home to beach volleyball...Archery will be held at Lord’s Cricket Ground...At the end of the Games, the steel trusses and spectators’ stands will be taken down and sold, the debris hauled away and Greenwich will look the same as it has since Charles II ordered the Royal Observatory built more than three centuries ago. That, at least, is the plan."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/londons-reduce-reuse-recycle-olympic-games/article2178501/

United Nations launches guidelines for eco-efficient and socially inclusive cities
Prepared jointly by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for> Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) in partnership with the Urban Design Lab of the Earth Institute, Columbia University, the Guidelines for developing eco-efficient and socially inclusive infrastructure provide practical tools for city planners and decision-makers to reform urban planning and infrastructure design according to the principles of eco-efficiency and social inclusiveness. The guidelines built on knowledge accrued and lessons learned though case studies and pilot projects conducted in cities across Asia and Latin America. The guidelines are available from: http://www.unescap.org/esd/environment/infra/daproject.asp

Commission calls for more action on urban environment
The European Commission has pointed out that much remains to be done to improve the environment in cities
The European Commission has pointed out that much remains to be done to improve the environment in cities. In its assessment of the 6th Environment Action Programme (6th EAP), the Commission finds that the programme significantly contributed to promoting additional measures, in particular under the thematic strategy on the urban environment. However, a number of concerns remain. For instance, levels of particulate matter and ozone in many urban areas still cause early deaths and respiratory diseases, and around 40% of the EU’s population living in urban areas is still subject to levels of noise exceeding the threshold recommended by the WHO. The Commission asks for more and better policy development to address the urban environment, not least since nearly 75% of the EU population lives in cities. Changing consumer behaviour should be a priority.
In the other policy areas of the 6th EAP - air, pesticides, waste prevention and recycling, natural resources, soil, and marine environment - the plan has also helped address key issues, even though progress differed depending on the thematic areas highlighted in the programme. The Commission is yet to confirm whether there will be a successor to the 6th EAP after 2012.
Commission assessment of the 6th EAP: http://tinyurl.com/3jzopga

Over $200 Million for Detroit Sustainable Communities Strategy
Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has announced it plans to invest $30 million in five Detroit neighborhoods and leverage an estimated $200 million in additional investments. The funding will be used to implement a comprehensive community development strategy known as Building Sustainable Communities, which focuses on five investment goals: rebuilding the physical environment, increasing family income, stimulating the local economy, improving access to education, and creating safe, healthy environments.
http://www.lisc.org/content/article/detail/19726

Could a Commuter Tax on Chicago's Suburbanites Work?
Chicago aldermen are toying with just that idea, which would involve a one-percent income tax on those who work but don't live in the city. Hal Dardick reports on the discussion.
"Ald. George Cardenas, 12th, 'like[s] the fact that in the city, we all must sink or swim together... and I think the people who love this city must partake in its fruits and also its pains.'
But Ald. Patrick O’Connor, 40th, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s closest City Council ally, dismissed the idea of a commuter tax.
'I’m not quite sure that that’s necessarily the best thing for this region at the time, given where we're at,' he said. 'It’s all well and good for us to think that we want to solve our problems, but there’s a region that exists around Chicago.'"
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-chicago-aldermen-tweak-suburbanites-on-idea-of-commuter-tax-20110927,0,185

Mayors across West Africa meet in Lagos to mobilize action towards COP 17
The African Mayoral Climate Change Declaration – West African pre-COP17 Congress officially began on 21 September 2011 in Lagos, Nigeria.
The event, co-hosted by Lagos State Government and ICLEI Africa, is seeing Mayors and other local government representatives from across West Africa meeting to sign the "African Mayors Climate Change Declaration". The congress will also serve as a preparatory platform for West Africa’s local authorities and their partners to prepare for UNFCCC COP17/CMP7 in South Africa later this year.
The congress has attracted over 400 participants from across West Africa, and has received extensive coverage in the local and national media.
In his opening speech, his Excellency the Governor said “I express gratitude to the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)…….and hope that this will be the beginning of many more meetings where Lagos and Nigeria will take leadership for combating the greatest threat to the human civilisation”. He subsequently went on to lead the signing of the African Mayoral Climate Change Declaration, followed by 83 other local government chairmen.
Meanwhile Hajiya Hadiza Mailafa, the Federal Minister of the Environment, encouraged African countries to take decisive actions on confronting climate change. She stated that due to its geographical and economic peculiarities, Africa was more vulnerable to the effects of the problem. She also encouraged the developed nations that had contributed most to the issue of global warming to take responsibility and help African countries in facing the effects of the problem.

Apply to be a Future City Leader!
ICLEI‘s Future City Leader initiative is a 2 year capacity building program for 21 selected young mayors and council members.
The capacity program includes networking among young leaders, interactions with partners and international organizations, and personal and professional capacity building, and is complemented by a program alumni network.
Applications are now being accepted!
Are you a young council staff or do you know anyone up to 35 years of age that could benefit from this program? Apply now or share the information with your colleagues and contacts to spread the word.
For further information please visit www.iclei.org/futurecityleaders or contact future.city.leaders@iclei.org

Plan for Haiti Unveiled
Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism have unveiled a comprehensive plan for Jacmel, Haiti. Highlights of the plan, which took a year and a half to draw up, include prefab homes that work around the city's "topographical challenges."
Alison Furuto explains:
"The urbanism proposes an ecologically sustainable planning for a topographically challenging tropical site. We have divided the site into three basic zones, depending upon their topographic qualities.
1) Steep hillsides, which are not buildable, are to be reforested.
2) Valley bottoms, which are also not buildable due to flash-flood dangers, will be terraced and converted to middle intensity agriculture for local consumption.
3) Ridges and plateaus are inhabitable for the built environment.
An essential objective of the planning was the construction of an affordable, ridge-top road network that linked the built-up areas with each other as well as to the access road Route 204 connecting to Jacmel."
http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/216034/20110919/reconstruction-plan-for-haiti-trans_city-architecture-and-urbanism.htm

ROMA-NeT Project - Inclusive housing policies and area based regeneration programs
ROMA-NeT is an URBACT project led by Budapest which intends to improve the integration of Roma populations. The 10 city partners have three priority activities: access to key services, active inclusion in the labour market though education and training, and the development of self help initiatives. Following the second thematic learning cluster event of the project which took place in Almeria last spring, Eszter Somogyi, URBACT Thematic Expert for ROMA-Net, wrote an article entitled 'Inclusive housing policies and area based regeneration programs'.
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/news/?entryId=5088

All aboard in Lyon: CLUSNET final conference
A barge on the Rhône river will be the unconventional setting for the CLUSNET final Conference on 13 – 14 October.
CLUSNET is an INTERREG IVC funded project that brings together major cities, EUROCITIES and Stockholm School of Economics to analyse and improve cluster support policies. This two day meeting will showcase the project’s findings on how to improve cluster performance in Europe.
The conference, moderated by the renowned urbanist Greg Clark, will give an opportunity to representatives from clusters across Europe to network and share expertise over a series of thematic workshops. Nikos Pantalos from the European Commission’s DG Enterprise and Industry will present the EU policy dimension of clusters and city leaders will join for an exchange of experiences and best practice. On the second day, participants will be able to visit some of Lyon’s clusters.
This event will examine the outcomes of ten city study visits to Barcelona, Budapest, Dortmund, Eindhoven, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Leipzig, Lyon, Manchester and Munich, that have taken place since the project began in January 2009.
www.clusnet.eu

Slow Growth in Cities May Have Lessened Foreclosures
Researchers found in their analysis of 300 California municipalities that the cities that had slow growth or anti-growth policies were less impacted by the housing crisis, writes Mark Bergen for Forbes.
The authors say that their findings do not endorse strict growth policies, but that "Their data indicate that local maneuvers didn’t affect the amount of development, but its allocation. A 'spillover effect' emerged, where restrictive land use in one region pushed new housing development into neighboring, more lax cities."
"'A lot of previous studies have assumed that cities are unable to resist larger macroeconomic forces,' Garrett Glasgow, one of the study’s authors, wrote to me in an email. 'But at least in this case, we see evidence that city policies helped to mitigate the effects of a national foreclosure crisis."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markbergen/2011/09/20/slow-growth-in-cities-may-have-minimized-foreclosures/?feed=rss_home

Engaging with the private sector at Intelligent Cities Expo
ICLEI Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann will give a keynote address on governance and policy for intelligent cities at the Intelligent Cities Expo in Hamburg, Germany on 8-10 November 2011.
To support cities in becoming more sustainable, smart cooperation between companies and local governments to jointly design and implement new, innovative solutions is vital. ICLEI is increasingly engaging with the private sector and connecting leaders from local governments and the business sector. The event will be attended by high-level representatives primarily from the private sector, including companies such as Arup, Cisco, Danfoss, IBM, Panasonic, Siemens, Suez Environment and Veolia.
Want to join the ICLEI SG at the event? Take a look who will be there and register for the event online.
http://www.intelligentcitiesexpo.com/

ENGAGE days: 12 European cities ready to celebrate!
October and November 2011
ENGAGE is a pan-European communication initiative that aims to involve citizens and stakeholders in building a sustainable energy future at the local level. Posters are the main
communication channel used to raise awareness for the campaign and to locally share the Covenant of Mayors’ goals and the European Union “3x20” objectives.
A core group of 12 Energy Cities members and signatories of the Covenant of Mayors from 12 different European countries are pioneering the ENGAGE campaign. To reach their energy and climate objectives, cities need to mobilise municipal departments and as many of their stakeholders and citizens as possible so that these objectives are jointly achieved via a bottom-up process.
ENGAGE aims to develop and implement an efficient participative communications campaign, leading to tangible energy savings.
Since January 2011, more than a thousand posters have been produced by the 12 ENGAGEd cities. They are all displayed on the European ENGAGE gallery at: http://www.citiesengage.eu/european_gallery.php.
In October and November 2011, local ENGAGE days are being organised by these cities to thank participants and involve other citizens and stakeholders in the campaign. Visitors will be invited to join the ENGAGE campaign at stands where a photographer will take a picture of them that will appear on a poster with their energy-related engagement.
The ENGAGE days will take place on the 1st of October in Pamplona (Spain), on the 10th in Heerlen (The Netherlands), on the 13th in Helsinki (Finland), on the 15th and 16th in Rimini (Italy), on the 16th in Ivanic-Grad (Croatia), on the 21st in Leicester (United Kingdom), on the 21st and 22nd in Bielsko- Biala (Poland), on the 23rd in Oeiras (Portugal), on the 29th in Växjö (Sweden), from the 30th of October to the 1st of November in Heidelberg (Germany), from the 8th to the 20th of November in Rennes Métropole (France) and on the 9th of November in Liège (Belgium).

London's Buses Hauls Twice as Many Riders Than The Tube
Surprisingly, London's bus network carries 6 million passengers to the Underground's 3 million. Facing serious cutbacks and fuel costs, Transport for London is working to reinvent the bus system.
Already known for innovations like Oyster electronic ticketing, Joe Peach writes that Transport for London must improve the quality and number of its bus lanes:
"Whilst there are many bus lanes leading to central London, in the city itself many roads are shared, delaying buses considerably. London needs to introduce bus lanes comprehensively throughout its centre, becoming a city which truly prioritizes public transportation needs."
Other ideas?
"It is also possible to digitally monitor how full buses are, and display this information at bus stops. This shows passengers the capacity of buses before they arrive, allowing them to make informed judgements about the best route home..."
http://americancity.org/buzz/entry/3137/

Amsterdam: most cycle-friendly large city
A recent report has named Amsterdam the world's most bicycle-friendly large city.
Home to around 600,000 bicycles and 400km of cycle paths, it’s hardly surprising that EUROCITIES member Amsterdam has been named the most bicycle-friendly large city in a recent report.
Copenhagenize, a consultancy that advises local authorities on measures to increase the uptake of bicycles, has produced a chart of the world’s top 20 bicycle-friendly large cities. The report credits Amsterdam with making cycling in the city a relaxing and enjoyable experience and with taking away the fear-mongering often associated with cycling in cities.
http://www.eurocities.eu/include/lib/sql_news_card.php?id=1967

Cities Reclaiming Alleys for Smart Growth Developments
A recent article by the Sightline Institute reports that backstreet alleys in some cities cover almost half as much space as all of the city's parks, squares, and existing pedestrian-oriented streets. City residents and planners are beginning to reclaim these alleys into "laneways," turning them into pedestrian passages, marketplaces, and gathering places. In many situations, the potential for laneways can be realized without taking away service functions like garbage collection.
http://daily.sightline.org/2011/08/26/alley-alley-in-come-free-2/

Mexico leads Global World Habitat Day Celebrations
The Global Observance of World Habitat Day this year will be held in Aguascalientes, Mexico on Monday 3 October.
Hosted by the Government of Mexico the day's events will be held at the Descubre Museum and opened by the Governor of the Aguascalientes State, Carlos Lozano de la Torre. Other speakers include: the Secretary of Social Development, Heriberto Félix Guerra; the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Patricia Espinosa Cantellano and United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, Dr. Joan Clos
This year's theme, Cities and Climate Change, was chosen because climate change is fast becoming the preeminent development challenge of the 21st century while, at the same time, our world is becoming increasingly urban. Indeed, no-one today can really foresee the predicament in which a town or city will find itself in 10, 20 or 30 years time.
In an official statement, the Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said: "Cities are centres of industrialization and sources of emissions, but they are also home to solutions. More and more municipalities are harnessing wind, solar and geothermal energy, contributing to green growth and improving environmental protection."

September 2011 News.