30/9/2011 - Local and regional authorities can now explore potential of LIFE programme and existing projects.
29/9/2011 - UN-HABITAT and UNODC release guidelines to help prevent crime in urban areas.
29/9/2011 - How Urban Design Influences Behavior.
28/9/2011 - European local governments must be equipped with tools to effectively implement Europe 2020 Strategy.
28/9/2011 - Ecological urban district development in a large housing estate in Berlin-Hellersdorf.
27/9/2011 - Participatory Budgeting Launches in New York City.
26/9/2011 - Simplify state aid for local public services, says EUROCITIES.
25/9/2011 - Invisible Density.
25/9/2011 - Democracy, Cities and Drugs (DCD) II: Read a summary of the debates in the electronic publication.
24/9/2011 - Urban Village Rising in El Paso.
24/9/2011 - Disaster Planning, Politics, and Payment.
24/9/2011 - Port cities under the microscope.
23/9/2011 - Commuters Find Car-Free Lifestyle Easy in Washington D.C.
23/9/2011 - Covenant of Mayors - Open Days discussion groups.
23/9/2011 - The "Growing Divide" Between Cities With Kids and Cities Without Them.
23/9/2011 - Take part in ICLEI’s FutureCityLeaders initiative.
22/9/2011 - Popular Complete Streets Policy Killed by City Council.
22/9/2011 - NZ city unveils first fully integrated metro Wi-Fi network.
22/9/2011 - Best Cities to Wait Out the Recession.
21/9/2011 - Climate Smart Cape Town Campaign.
21/9/2011 - Reconsidering the Urban Alley.
20/9/2011 - Information on Smart Cities and Communities call for proposals opening in July 2011.
20/9/2011 - Squatting on the Rise in Detroit.
19/9/2011 - State of the World Cities 2012/13.
19/9/2011 - European Urban & Regional Planning Awards.
18/9/2011 - Is There a Capital of the World?.
17/9/2011 - ‘Train of Ideas’ visits Europe’s cities.
16/9/2011 - Energy Cities’ Position paper on the Covenant of Mayors’ future - July 2011.
16/9/2011 - Gambling With Cities.
15/9/2011 - Urban Network for Innovation in Ceramics: UNIC Results.
15/9/2011 - Urban Infill a New Target for Modular Homebuilders.
14/9/2011 - MIT's Free Urban Planning Software Will Help Build The Cities Of The Future.
14/9/2011 - Dubai International Award for Best Practices: Launching the 9th Cycle (2012).
14/9/2011 - Istanbul Clears Cafes Off of Streets.
13/9/2011 - UN-HABITAT's Urban Youth Fund awards 59 small grants to urban youth-led projects in 43 countries.
13/9/2011 - Rapid City Growth Causes Concern Over Urban Sprawl.
12/9/2011 - Mileage-Based User Fees Could Work, Says Study.
12/9/2011 - Vienna and Helsinki top the liveable cities charts.
11/9/2011 - Do Bike Lanes Bring Gentrification?
10/9/2011 - New Results of URBACT Projects Now Available!
9/9/2011 - 'Truck Train' Cuts out Freight Trucks in a Dutch City's Core.
9/9/2011 - OECD selects Kitakyushu, Japan as a green growth model city.
8/9/2011 - Israeli city uses music to encourage integration and social inclusion.
8/9/2011 - Measuring Socially Sustainable Urban Regeneration in Europe.
8/9/2011 - Philippines rolls-out e-scorecard for local gov’t.
7/9/2011 - Behind the Decline in Driving.
7/9/2011 - Call for proposals issued - Strengthening Urban Climate Change Education.
7/9/2011 - A Dirty Reputation in 'Filthadelphia'.
6/9/2011 - Urban Waters Federal Partnership Created.
6/9/2011 - The Hague Residence Brigade: increased livability in deprived inner city areas.
5/9/2011 - EPA Announces Green Infrastructure Partnerships with Five Capital Cities.
5/9/2011 - Livability Grows in China's Emerging Megacities.
5/9/2011 - ICLEI President launches TEEB Manual for Cities.
4/9/2011 - Struggles and Success in Two Neighboring Stadium Towns.
3/9/2011 - Measuring Socially Sustainable Urban Regeneration in Europe.
2/9/2011 - Optimising Bike Sharing in Europe – A Handbook.
2/9/2011 - UN-HABITAT publishes report to promote sustainable housing and urban development.
1/9/2011 - Declaration of Zadar "Good Laws for a Better Habitat".
1/9/2011 - The Controversy Over Sports Stadiums Continues.
Local and regional authorities can now explore potential of LIFE programme and existing projects
European municipalities and regions can now explore the potential of the EU LIFE programme and learn from the experiences of existing projects thanks to the newly released publication “LIFE and local authorities: Helping regions and municipalities tackle environmental challenges”.
The publication features more than 70 LIFE environment related projects as well as an analysis of local and regional policy challenges in the fields of sustainable transport and mobility, climate change, waste and water management and spatial planning.
Local and regional authorities have been involved in over 600 LIFE projects to date, either as beneficiaries of funding or as project partners of NGOs and private businesses.
The “LIFE and local authorities” publication is published by the European Commission Directorate General for the environment in association with the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR). It is available in English, French, German and Polish and teasers are available in all the 23 official languages of the EU.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/env.htm
UN-HABITAT and UNODC release guidelines to help prevent crime in urban areas.
Under the Safer Cities Program, UNODC and UNHABITAT have issued a handbook to help prevent crime in cities and towns. The handbook, entitled Introductory Handbook on Policing Urban Space provides policy makers and practitioners, including government officials, police, municipal planners and members of civic groups, with strategies and good governance practices to help understand crime and crime prevention patterns in order to better control crime trends in rapidly growing cities in low- and middle-income countries.
Among the promising practices highlighted in the handbook are: state officials must establish links between police and other state institutions in order to effectively incorporate security concerns into wider government efforts; city planners should contribute to discussions about security and develop relations with police; and collaboration between urban planners, civil society, government officials, police and communities is essential in combating crime.
The handbook examines a variety of crime control strategies, including community-oriented policing, problem-oriented policing, intelligence-led policing, situational crime prevention and crime prevention through environmental design. It also addresses broader principles of managing urban spaces to control crime and strategies for evaluating crime control programmes.
The handbook includes references to efforts to control crime in the following countries: Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.
http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/UNODC-Policing_Urban_Space.pdf
How Urban Design Influences Behavior
"There has been a long-standing thread of recognition that the way people live their lives is directly linked to the designed environments in which they live," writes Dan Lockton, reflecting back on his research.
Lockton gives a detailed overview of research on how the design of a built environment effects, or even controls, the behavior of those who participate in it. Being summarized from his PhD thesis, it inevitably is rich with citations as well as ideas:
"The physical arrangement of elements can be broken down into different aspects of positioning and layout—putting elements in particular places to encourage or discourage people’s interaction with them, putting them in people’s way to prevent access to somewhere, putting them either side of people to channel or direct them in a particular way (e.g. staggered pedestrian crossings which aim to direct pedestrians to face oncoming traffic; Department for Transport, 1995), hiding them to remove the perception that they are there, splitting elements up or combining them so that they can be used by different numbers of people at once, or angling them so that some actions are easier than others (termed slanty design by Beale (2007), both physically and in metaphorical application in interfaces). Urbanists such as Whyte (1980) have catalogued, in colourful, intricate detail the effects that the layouts and features of built environments have on people’s behaviour—why some areas become popular, others not so, with whom, and why, with recommendations for how to improve things, in contrast to work such as Goffman (1963) which focuses on the social contexts of public behaviour in urban environments. "
http://architectures.danlockton.co.uk/2011/09/12/architecture-urbanism-design-and-behaviour-a-brief-review/
European local governments must be equipped with tools to effectively implement Europe 2020 Strategy
On the occasion of the ICLEI European Convention 2011, which took place in Brussels 12-14 September, top political leaders from cities and towns across Europe have united to release the ICLEI European Convention Declaration. They are responding to the Europe 2020 Strategy and are calling for greater support and recognition of their contribution to an economically smart, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable Europe.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4699&tx_ttnews[backPid]=983&cHash=a1c140847e
Ecological urban district development in a large housing estate in Berlin-Hellersdorf
In Berlin-Hellersdorf, the completion of a large new developing area was usedto expand and develop the large housing estate profoundly with regard to urbandevelopment and in a highly ecological way.
Problem
Main goal of the measure was ecological enhancement and open space planning in the large housing estate by involving residents. Implementation-oriented concepts for an ecological waste disposal, for open space development, for the planning of urban fringe areas and for the ecological consultation of current investment projects were prepared at several spatial levels.
Description
At the time of German reunification, the large housing estate Hellersdorf with its mostly young residents had not yet been completed. Residential buildings and infrastructure facilities (kindergardens, schools, shops) did already exist, however, most of the plots still were building sites, an urban district centre did not yet exist. The chance was given to advance ecological development. Together with the Berlin Senate Department responsible for building, housing and transport, with “Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Hellersdorf mbH (WoGeHe)” (a housing society) and with citizens concepts and projects for an ecological development of the area were prepared. Associations and initiatives active in the field of natural and environmental protection played an important role here.
http://www.eukn.org/Germany/de_en/E_library/Urban_Environment/Environmental_Sustainability/Ecological_urban_district_development_in_a_large_housing_estate_in_Berlin_Hellersdorf
Participatory Budgeting Launches in New York City
In four New York City Council districts, residents will soon be able to propose and vote on capital projects to be funded by councilmember's budgets.
Yesterday, Council Member Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn), Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan), Council Member Eric Ulrich (R-Queens) and Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Brooklyn) unveiled a new process for budgeting, in which voters in their districts will directly decide how to spend millions of their own tax dollars, a first in New York City.
Through the new initiative, called participatory budgeting, residents will come together in public meetings to discuss local priorities and propose specific infrastructure projects to address the needs of their communities. Community volunteers will finalize proposals and work with city agencies and the council members to estimate costs. Public votes will be held in each district in March, for the residents to decide which projects will be funded. Each council member is reserving at least $1 million in discretionary capital funds for their constituents to allocate.
Participatory budgeting originated in Brazil and has since been adopted in other countries around the globe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/nyregion/4-on-ny-city-council-will-let-public-decide-some-spending.html?_r=3
Simplify state aid for local public services, says EUROCITIES
EUROCITIES calls for simplification of state aid rules for local and regional authorities in its July 2011 statement
The European Commission will at the end of this year revise the state aid package for public services. EUROCITIES has taken this opportunity to call for more simple and flexible rules to ease the administrative, legal and financial burden on local and regional authorities.
European legislation should support European cities in their role as promoters of economic and social innovation. Cities frequently adapt and modernise services to prevent social polarisation and exclusion and improve citizens’ wellbeing.
In our statement issued in July 2011, we recommend that the new state aid guidelines:
1. are complementary to public procurement rules;
2. are simplified and more proportionate to the nature and size of local public services;
3. are more flexible so that local authorities, best placed to understand the needs of citizens, can choose the most appropriate form of service provision;
4. secure the legal framework needed for the provision of high quality public services.
We also suggest that the European Commission should run a training session in all EU languages on how to deal with the new state aid rules. An explanatory ‘toolbox’ aimed at local and regional authorities would also help clarify the laws applicable to the various forms of public service provision, ranging from direct provision to public procurement.
Invisible Density
The Canadians call it "laneway housing", and in the U.S. they're often dubbed "granny units". These smaller homes in underused garage or alley locations are creating new ways to add density to areas without changing community character.
Kamala Rao explains that in Vancouver, one of the main differences between this housing type and other densification techniques is that they "can’t be sub-divided or sold separately from the main house on the lot. They can only be used for additional family space or rental income."
Rao explains why this is a smart strategy for cities and towns attempting to add housing without stirring up NIMBY resistance:
"Think about it: what other city has successfully added density to long-established, single-family neighbourhoods filled with $1 million-plus homes? The very thought of it conjures up images of staunch NIMBYism. The City of Vancouver’s deft branding and effective outreach smoothed the roll-out of its laneway housing bylaw, keeping NIMBY opposition to a minimum."
http://daily.sightline.org/2011/09/08/home-home-on-the-lane/
Democracy, Cities and Drugs (DCD) II: Read a summary of the debates in the electronic publication
The presentations made during the final conference of the Democracy, Cities and Drugs (DCD) II project in Vienna, in February 2011, are available in electronic format. How to live better together? What solutions for small cities? How to validate your work? Here are some of the themes covered in this e-publication that contains 10 chapters, which summarise the content of the plenary sessions and workshops. It also includes the final resolution adopted in Vienna, in February 2011.
The publication is presented in PDF format and includes direct links to the speakers’ abstracts and interventions.
click here to download it. http://www.efus.eu/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/DCD-VA-BD.pdf?9d7bd4
Urban Village Rising in El Paso
The first buildings of a massive $777-million Westside urban village are little more than wood skeletons towering over North Mesa Street right now, but the developer is already preparing to launch its next projects, the first to follow El Paso’s Smart Code adopted a few years ago, according to a story in El Paso Inc:
Richard Aguilar’s EPT Land Communities expects to start construction on a senior community, as well as town homes, in six months. They will be located behind the four apartment buildings, called The Venue at Montecillo, now under construction along Mesa.
It’s all part of a 293-acre development named Montecillo that broke ground in May, located along Mesa Street between Castellano Drive and Festival Drive, extending to Interstate 10.
“It’s no longer just talk and rhetoric, we actually have concrete pieces in place and the whole thing is moving forward,” says David Bogas, EPT Land Communities’ development director.
When fully built, the urban village is expected to have more than 2,500 apartments and almost 500 homes and town homes, mixed with schools, retail, offices and 80 acres of open space, mostly arroyo.
http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/local_news/article_a7b97750-dd8a-11e0-8a5c-0019bb30f31a.html
Disaster Planning, Politics, and Payment
Half of the US population lives in coastal areas, but 100% of the population foots a portion of the insurance bill. And as storm event strength is trending upward with global warming, the inlanders are getting less excited about that payment stream.
When the rains fall and the floods come, who pays the bills? Ben Brown lays out the politics:
"Many of us live in a subsidized dream world where we can wish away our troubles and our accountability for addressing them. And when someone waves an invoice in front of us, we’re peeved at being bothered. We wring our hands over the mounting debt load, but hold onto our sense of entitlement."
"What makes paying for disaster events different from most of the other bills coming due is that, when the wind blows and the waters rise, it’s a lot harder to turn over and drift back to dream land."
http://placeshakers.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/after-the-flood-hard-choices-for-communities-and-citizens/
Port cities under the microscope
Mayors and senior local government officials from Africa, Asia and Latin America gathered for the first “Shelter Academy” held 13-15 September 2011 held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
The Shelter Academy which will be an annual event provides participants with a unique opportunity to engage with high-level experts and each other on some of the most vexing urban challenges of the day. This years’ theme focuses on the challenges and opportunities climate change presents port cities.
“For the residents of Banjul, climate change is a reality today for the residents of the capital of the Gambia. Coastal erosion is a real threat and we need practical and affordable solutions to solutions to withstand raising sea levels” the Mayor Mr. Samba Faal. Despite the threats involved, we should also look to use climate change can involve opportunities, he added.
In a statement made on his behalf of UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos praised this important partnership. “Cities can only hope to address rapid urbanization if they plan at a scale that is commensurate to the challenge. Sustainable development is not an accident; it depends upon the concerted efforts by citizens, business, and political leaders aided by their technical staff to develop long-term policies which can accommodate smart-growth supported by a series of short-term action plans. We often underestimate the role urban policies and legislation can play in stimulating economic growth to fund needed expansions in critical infrastructure and neighbourhoods.”
Commuters Find Car-Free Lifestyle Easy in Washington D.C.
More than a quarter of D.C. households are car-free, federal data shows. The diverse options such as an efficient public transportation, bike share and Zipcar program make it easier for residents to ditch their cars.
Ashley Halsey III and Jon Cohen describe in their article for The Washington Post how Zipcars are popular with young white college graduates.
"The typical D.C. Zipcar user is a white college graduate younger than 39 who lives in Northwest, the survey found. The vehicles are less popular among black college graduates, with 8 percent saying they use them. With people older than 40 — also just 8 percent. People who haven’t graduated from college typically are not inclined to drive Zipcars.
"'Generation Y doesn’t feel the need to own a car,' said Chris Hamilton of the District, who works as Arlington County’s Commuter Services bureau chief. 'They want to live in places they can get around without one. The car isn’t the same status it once was.'"
Covenant of Mayors - Open Days discussion groups
The Covenant of Mayors office is organising a series of discussion groups on 12 October.
The Covenant of Mayors Office will host a series of discussion groups on 12 October in the framework of the Open Days 2011
The Covenant of Mayors discussion groups will allow local and regional authorities to:
1. exchange experiences with European Commission, Covenant representatives and peers on access to and implementation of local/regional/national/European financial instruments and funding mechanisms available for energy efficiency related projects;
2. meet managers of existing European funding programmes.
3. draw on experiences of existing funding schemes and suggest how future EU and national funding could be shaped to encourage local and regional authorities in their efforts to go beyond the EU energy and climate objectives.
This event is primarily open to Covenant signatories, coordinators and supporters. Other organisations and people interested in attending can participate subject to availability of seats, after prior confirmation from the Covenant of Mayors Office. Please visit the website below for more information.
http://www.eumayors.eu/agenda_en.html?id_event=215
The "Growing Divide" Between Cities With Kids and Cities Without Them
William Frey with the Brookings Institution explains that 1/3rd of the largest cities in the U.S. have seen significant losses of kids under 15, while babies are booming in the Southwest, Utah and Idaho.
Provo, Utah and Raleigh, North Carolina have seen an enormous growth in the number of children, up almost 50% since 2000:
Jeffery Spivak reports: "These gains resulted primarily from increases in births and migration, and they reflect an emerging attractiveness of western and south-central states outside the traditional Sunbelt."
A full graph and more detail over at Urban Land Magazine.
http://urbanland.uli.org/Articles/2011/August/SpivakTop10Kids
Take part in ICLEI’s FutureCityLeaders initiative
The call for applications is on for ICLEI‘s FutureCityLeaders 2-year capacity building program for 21 selected young Mayors and Council members.
The capacity building program is based on the following elements:
•personal & professional capacity building of the individual young leader;
•facilitated interactions with partners from international organizations, business, science, and NGOs;
•networking among the participating young leaders.
The initiative, endorsed by UN-HABITAT and the World Mayors Council on Climate Change, encourages young municipal leaders up to the age of 35 from developed and developing countries to apply.
For more information and to apply, please visit www.iclei.org/futurecityleaders
Popular Complete Streets Policy Killed by City Council
According to Kari Petrie, a highly popular Complete Streets measure in St. Cloud, Minnesota couldn't get a majority of votes from the City Council.
Petrie writes that "Dozens attended the public hearing Monday, and almost all of the more than 20 speakers spoke in support of the policy. Supporters said the policy will help make it easier for all users to get around the city."
Councilmember George Hontos "...called the policy redundant and cited four city documents that discuss transportation and safety for users."
The 3 dissenting councilmembers were concerned about the possible costs of such a measure, and didn't want to add "...another layer of requirements and makes it harder to do business in St. Cloud."
http://www.sctimes.com/article/20110913/NEWS01/109120050/St-Cloud-votes-no-complete-streets-policy?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Umbr
NZ city unveils first fully integrated metro Wi-Fi network
The Auckland City in New Zealand has launched earlier this month the world’s first fully integrated metropolitan Wi-Fi system. Free roaming Wi-Fi access across the central city and on public transport has also gone live in Auckland.
The Wi-Fi network, which is established through the efforts of Auckland Transport, Auckland Council and Wi-Fi supplier Tomizone, extends across all Link buses and selected trains.
The project has already seen strong support from Aucklanders and visitors with heavy usage in its first week of operation.
Mark Lambert, Auckland Transport’s Public Transport Operations Manager said the Wi-Fi network brings convenience to residents and visitors.
“Being able to access the internet via this new Wi-Fi service means our customers and our visitors to the city can make more effective use of their commute time,” he added.
“Auckland is now home to the best integrated Wi-Fi network across a city anywhere in the world,” said Tomizone Executive Director Steve Simms.
The Wi-Fi network uses a combination of the Tomizone Metro product combined with the Chauffer system for transport which has been heavily used on Sydney Buses and Ferries.
The Auckland Wi-Fi network was deployed in less than six weeks across over 90 sites and areas including Party Central Queens Wharf, the Viaduct and new Wynyard Quarter of North Wharf.
The Auckland Transport will evaluate the success of the Wi-Fi service before making it more widely available across the public transport network.
Best Cities to Wait Out the Recession
GOOD compiles a subjective list of the best cities to live a decent life cheaply while you wait for the jobs to reappear. Austin tops the list of "artsy, cheap, liberal oases."
GOOD proposes their picks for cities that "strike a delicate balance of having a low cost of living, ways to make money, and a youth-friendly vibe." New York and San Francisco are obviously not featured.
GOOD breaks the cities down into 4 categories:
"easy on the wallet alternatives near huge cities" (Oakland, CA as an example);
"artsy, cheap, liberal oases" (Austin, and Omaha?)
"ultra-cheap industrial towns in need of TLC" (Newark, for example)
and "young cities with low unemployment rates" (Madison, WI)
http://www.good.is/post/the-good-guide-to-hustlin-the-best-cities-for-the-young-and-broke/
Climate Smart Cape Town Campaign
The start of September saw the official launch of the Cape Town Climate Change Coalition’s "Climate Smart Cape Town Campaign". The focus of the campaign is to help residents of Cape Town learn about climate change and how they can take action, as well as to learn about the actions already being taken by the City of Cape Town and other leading public and private sector organisations to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille said at the launch “the campaign is to ensure an understanding of climate change in order to determine the future development of the City. If we carry on in ‘business as usual’ mode in the knowledge that climate change impacts, including increased droughts, storm surges, sea-level rise and increased floods, will be a reality in future decades, we will be rightfully accused of negligence by our grandchildren. And so we will be looking to build a more compact and resource efficient City and to use the energy behind this campaign to create awareness and robust discussion."
The initiative is headed by 23 partner organisations that first came together to bid for the hosting of UNFCCC COP17/CMP7 in Cape Town. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability – Africa, as one of the coalition partners, participated in the launch on 1 September 2011 and demonstrated its commitment to support the campaign during a signing ceremony of the campaign charter.
For more on the campaign, visit www.climatesmartcapetown.co.za
Reconsidering the Urban Alley
Alyse Nelson takes a look at a handful of alleys that were transformed from crusty dumping grounds into beautiful urban spaces.
Nord Alley in Seattle is one of the success stories highlighted by Nelson in this picture-rich article. She emphasizes that transforming an alley doesn't take a lot of physical changes, just collaborative effort.
And the opportunity is significant, as report from a couple of University of Washington students shows:
"They studied downtown Seattle's alleys and determined that laneways cover almost half as much space as all of the zone's parks, squares, and existing pedestrian-oriented streets. In other words, reclaiming alleys could increase by almost half the pedestrian area of downtown Seattle."
Nelson also looks at alleys in Vancouver, San Francisco and Melbourne.
http://daily.sightline.org/2011/08/26/alley-alley-in-come-free-2/
Information on Smart Cities and Communities call for proposals opening in July 2011
The call for proposals of the Smart City and Communities Initiative was launched on 20 July and will end 1st December 2011. Application is open for consortiums of at least 3 cities of 3 different countries that are facing common challenges. For a successful application, it is important that all cities of a consortium cooperate on common challenges. The added value generated by the cooperation has to be higher than the administrative burden.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Urban_Environment/Environmental_Sustainability/Energy_Efficiency/Information_on_Smart_Cities_and_Communities_call_for_proposals_opening_in_July_2011
Squatting on the Rise in Detroit
With more than 100,000 empty homes within the city of Detroit, squatters are increasingly moving in.
"Once they're in, it's tough to get rid of them: Michigan law places the burden of proof on rightful owners, and the eviction process can take months.
Gretchen Barrow knows the problem all too well. She fought for months to remove two families in her neighborhood on the west side and fears the situation will only worsen.
'With families losing houses, they've got to go somewhere,' said Barrow, 57."
OIfficials say that reports of squatting have tripled in the past few years.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20110823/METRO01/108230383/1409/metro/Squatter-problem-balloons-in-Detroit
State of the World Cities 2012/13
The State of the World’s Cities Report (SWCR), synthesizes information and knowledge on the state of the world’s cities with a view to strengthening the ability of Governments, local authorities and key partners to gain access to and make use of information on urban conditions and trends and to formulate effective urban policies. The report is presented in clear and concise language, with lively illustrations, including figures, maps, boxes, stories and essays, best practices and telling data, in order to make an impact on a large public.
The SWCR 2012/13 will be the sixth publication of its kind, with the main theme: The Prosperity of Cities. By adopting this theme, the report aims to outline the opportunities created by cities, and particularly focuses on five key dimensions: Quality of Life, Productivity, Infrastructure development, equity, and Environmental Sustainability.
European Urban & Regional Planning Awards
ECTP-CEU is delighted to announce that entries are now invited for the 9th series of the European Urban & Regional Planning Awards.
The European Urban and Regional Planning Awards, with the support of the Committee of the Regions and conferred by the European Council of Spatial Planners, gives recognition to planning strategies, schemes or developments which make an outstanding contribution to the quality of life in urban and rural regions of Europe.
We would like to draw your attention to key features of these Awards:
- demonstrate successful and innovative planning projects and developments which improve the quality of life of European citizens
- promote the ECTP-CEU Vision of the future of European cities and regions – a way to create and enhance conditions favourable to sustainable development.
- illustrate the diversity and wide scope of planning activity
- demonstrate the advantages of participation in the planning process, facilitated and enabled by professional planners
- illustrate the concept of "territorial cohesion”
- explain how stakeholders in spatial development formulate joint strategies to tackle problems in an inter-connected world.
The closing date for nominations is 28th February 2012.
The Awards will be presented at a Ceremony in Brussels in autumn 2012, in association with the ECTP-CEU General Assembly.
The Call for Entries, the submission form and the financial detail sheet are available for download on the ECTP-CEU website and by clicking this link.
http://www.ectp-ceu.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=167:the-9th-planning-awards-&catid=1&Itemid=29
Is There a Capital of the World?
Intelligent Life magazine asks what city would be the capital of the world.
"Intelligent Life has subjected the contenders to a scoring system that rates them on five attributes (see table below). These are: power and influence (mostly political); income and wealth; educational standards (universities and graduates); cultural life (theatre, publishing, an art scene) and global connections (foreign residents, airports, tourists, foreign languages taught at school, phone calls, internet connections and so on). We have tried to make the scores impartial but some, such as those for power and culture, are inevitably subjective."
Based on this ranking, London comes in first as the world capital, with New York trailing as a close second.
http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ideas/john-parker/what-capital-world?page=0,1
‘Train of Ideas’ visits Europe’s cities
Departing from Europe's Green Capital Hamburg, the 'Train of Ideas' is making its journey across Europe bringing ideas for environment-friendly cities
Hamburg’s ‘Train of Ideas’ arrived in Brussels yesterday, 7 September, it’s third-last stop before returning home. The train is part of Hamburg’s activities as European Green Capital 2011.
The ‘Train of Ideas’ exhibition was opened yesterday by the European commissioner for environment Janez Potocnik, Hamburg’s senator for urban development and environment Jutta Blankau and by Brussels’ minister for environment, energy and urban renovation Evelyne Huytebroeck.
During the opening Commissioner Potocnik said “Sharing good ideas and practices is vital if we want our cities to change for the better. The ‘Train of Ideas’ and Brussels exhibition are models of what can be done. I encourage as many Europeans as possible to visit both exhibitions.”
During a seven-months journey the train visits 18 European cities, all of them members of EUROCITIES and nearly all have signed the ambitious Covenant of Mayors. The exhibition ‘Visions for the cities of the future’ showcases the challenges of designing cities that are sustainable, environmentally-friendly and attractive to live in. It features many good examples from the city of Hamburg but also from other European cities.
The ‘Train of Ideas’ exhibition will be open to the Brussels public until 13 September, after which it continues its journey to Amsterdam (15-19 September), Antwerp 21-25 September), to finally return to Hamburg six months after its departure from Europe’s Green Capital.
Energy Cities’ Position paper on the Covenant of Mayors’ future - July 2011
The Covenant of Mayors is the landmark EU initiative successfully delivering on the community’s climate and energy objectives at the local level. The approach upon which it is based is unprecedented, and its success largely undisputed.The number of local authorities joining the ranks of Covenant Signatories is growing by the day, and so is the number of regions, provinces and networks supporting their efforts. This has prompted decision-makers across all EU institutions to extend their support to the initiative, and call for its replication to other policy areas. Taking stock of these developments, Energy Cities has issued a position outlining its vision and contributing to the reflexion on the Covenant of Mayors’ future.
http://www.energy-cities.eu/IMG/pdf/vision_Covenant_of_Mayors__en_2011-2.pdf
Gambling With Cities
What if gambling was legal all over the United States? Neal Peirce reviews Sam Skolnik’s new book, "High Stakes: The Rising Cost of America’s Gambling Addiction" and looks at what might be the result of bills pending in CA and MA.
With state governments "...desperate for any new form of revenue", and chants of "No new taxes!" sweeping the land, Peirce says it is no surprise that states are considering gambling as a possible new income source:
"Already, government-countenanced (or directly run) gambling is at an historic high water mark. All but seven states have lotteries. Casino gambling, both state-countenanced and run by Indian tribes, is spreading like wildfire, especially in the Northeast. Each year at least half of America’s states consider new gambling outlets," writes Peirce.
Skolnik's book warns of the deleterious effects legalized gambling can have on states and municipalities, looking at Nevada as an obvious example.
http://citiwire.net/post/2898/
Urban Network for Innovation in Ceramics: UNIC Results
In Europe, the transition from heavy industry that had lost its competitive edge on the worldwide market to an economic model based on innovation penalises all the more the cities whose history and economic development have been intrinsically linked to a specific industry. The nine cities in the URBACT UNIC project share the common denominator of having a strong tradition in the ceramics industry and they shared their experiences and developed local policies adapted to this changing economic context in order to make ceramics an asset for their territory in terms of innovation, cultural dynamism and attractiveness. As a conclusion of UNIC three-years of exchange and learning activities, here is a look at its main results!
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/urbact-news/?entryId=5083
Urban Infill a New Target for Modular Homebuilders
Urban infill housing is becoming a major part of business for large homebuilders, even those building modular homes.
Builders are focusing on infill as a new area for modular homes, which have been coming down in size in recent years.
"In fact, over the past seven years, modular has risen above 3% of the total only once, at 3.6% in 2009 (see chart below). In markets where tract building dominates or where labor is cheap, modular "doesn't make sense for a lot of builders," observes Dan Goodin, vice president of sales and marketing for Nationwide Homes, which has been producing modular homes in Martinsville, Va., for 52 years.
Still, Goodin remains convinced that housing trends and buyer demand are shifting toward a greater acceptance of modular, particularly for rural scattered lots (where it would otherwise be expensive to send subcontractors over long stretches to complete a stick-built house) and urban infill, where the speed at which factory-built homes can be assembled at jobsites is less disruptive to the surrounding neighborhood."
http://www.builderonline.com/modular-building/urban-infill-could-be-key-to-boosting-modulars-meager-market-share.aspx
MIT's Free Urban Planning Software Will Help Build The Cities Of The Future
If we are to improve the quality of life in our cities--27 of which are expected to have more than 10 million people by 2020--we will have to find a better way to build them. MIT's new software will help.
Most of the world lives in cities. That number, now at about 3.3 billion people, will keep going up. During the next five years, urban populations are expected to soar well beyond half the world's total.
Yet most of those urbanites are also likely to live in poorly, or at least haphazardly, designed cities. The expertise to create a well-planned metropolis is seldom available, especially in the developing world, where 30% of urban populations live in informal slums. Globally, 70% of today's urban growth (PDF) occurs outside the formal planning process. If nothing changes, the inefficiencies, pollution, and misery of modern dysfunctional cities may become the norm.
Avoiding that future just became a bit easier with the launch of the Urban Network Analysis, an open-source software released by MIT. Taking a cue from social networks and mathematical network analysis methods, the City Form Research Group's program calculates how a cities' spatial layout affects the way people will live in it.
http://www.urbangateway.org/content/news/mits-free-urban-planning-software-will-help-build-cities-future
Dubai International Award for Best Practices: Launching the 9th Cycle (2012)
Do you have a programme or project which has resulted in the improvement of the living environment of urban dwellers?
UN-Habitat and Dubai Municipality offer you an opportunity for global recognition through the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment. This is a biennial award established in 1995 under the directive of the late Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Since its establishment, over 4000 practices from 140 countries have been received, compiled and disseminated through the Best Practices Database . These practices are classified into one of four categories: Award Winners, Best Practices, Good Practices or Promising Practices.
Every two years, 12 submissions are awarded as winners and 100+ recognized as best practices for their innovative ways of dealing with the common social, economic, and environmental problems.
The award is open to all sectors: national and regional governments, local authorities and their associations, non-governmental organizations and agencies, multilateral agencies, community based organizations, research and academic institutions, public and private foundations, media entities as well as individuals.
We invite submissions for the 2012 cycle which starts from August 2011.
For eligibility, best practice selection criteria and submission guidelines click here
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=19&catid=34&cid=160
Istanbul Clears Cafes Off of Streets
After complaints about blocking the sidewalk and creating litter, the City of Istanbul has been cracking down on street dining, gutting the food industry in the process.
Constanze Letsch reports that over 2,000 waiters and other restaurant employees from the crackdown, and revenues are down 80% at some cafes:
"One possible solution offered by the municipality is the "70cm balcony" that can be added outside – so far only one restaurant has put the idea into practice, at a price of 20,000 lira. According to Turkish media, the official guidelines are vague: the balcony should be "chic" and not cheap-looking, but business owners could decide themselves about the final design. Most restaurant and bar owners, however, reject this costly plan."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/05/istanbul-cafes-lose-outdoor-tables
UN-HABITAT's Urban Youth Fund awards 59 small grants to urban youth-led projects in 43 countries
Now in its third year, the Urban Youth Fund established by UN-HABITAT with funding from the Government of Norway has supported several thousand young people across the world to improve their lives and their urban communities. UN-HABITAT recognizes the rapidly growing youth population in cities of the developing world as potential partners in sustainable urban development.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Urban_Environment/Urban_Environment/UN_HABITAT_s_Urban_Youth_Fund_awards_59_small_grants_to_urban_youth_led_projects_in_43_countries
Rapid City Growth Causes Concern Over Urban Sprawl
The rapid growth of cities is causing concern amongst experts over the effects of urban sprawl. There are 19 megacities in the world today, and 10 more will rise in the next 30 years, reports Marcus Moretti for Yale Daily News.
In the Aug. 18 issue of the journal PlosOne, a study co-authored by Yale urban environment professor Karen C. Seto predicted the "a major global expansion of urban land over the next two decades."
"The research team, consisting of scientists from Yale, Stanford, Texas A&M University and Arizona State University, performed a meta-analysis on 326 English-language papers about urban land expansion to predict the global increase of “urban extent,” the fraction of land occupied by cities."
"'If cities are configured so that they take up increasingly more land it means that more people drive, as opposed to walk, from point A to point B,' (Seto) said. 'If you think about the implications of that — across billions of urban people — it doesn’t matter how many emissions we reduce by switching to more energy-efficient cars.'"
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/sep/06/city-growth-worldwide-intensifies-sprawl-concerns/
Mileage-Based User Fees Could Work, Says Study
The Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota has prepared a comprehensive report on the shortcomings of the fuel tax and how to transition to what they call a mileage-based user fee, a form of a vehicle-miles-traveled fee.
From the report's conclusion: "First and foremost, fuel taxes are not sustainable for funding surface transportation, but the mileage-based user fee (MBUF) would be."
Unlike the conclusions from prior federal commissions and reports, the CTS recommends a transitional revenue mechanism that will lead to the final replacement of the fuel tax. This transitional option includes a federal and state fuel tax component that "would be reset to a lowerbase rate that would be sufficient to generate revenues for baseline transportation needs."
• Mileage-Based Charge Component—Federal and State Level "to fund road and bridge reconstruction and expansion"
• Mileage-Based Charge Component—Local Option for local roads.
The first step, however, is for "policymakers to understand the shortcomings of fuel taxes and how unsustainable they are in the long run." The report highlights the challenges to adopting the MBUF as well.
http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=2048
Vienna and Helsinki top the liveable cities charts
EUROCITIES members Vienna and Helsinki have both come in the top ten list of the annual Global Liveable Cities survey.
Two EUROCITIES members have been named amongst some of the world’s most liveable cities in the annual Global Liveability Survey. Vienna and Helsinki came second and seventh respectively, amongst a predominantly Canadian and Australian top ten list. The Australian city of Melbourne took this year’s title, with Canada’s Vancouver slipping off the top ranking for the first time in nearly a decade. Vancouver has topped the survey since 2002, but this year fell to third place, behind Vienna.
A total of 140 cities were assessed in five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. London ranked 53, with the Economist Intelligence Unit, who conducted the survey, blaming the eurozone crisis for a slight fall in Europe’s city rankings. Meanwhile, Vancouver missed out on the top spot due to periodic closures of a key motorway, while Papua New Guinea’s Port Moresby, Bangladesh’s Dhaka and Zimbabwe’s Harare occupied the bottom of the table. The top US city, Honolulu, only made 26th place.
Australian cities are consistently successful in the rankings considering the country’s low population density and relatively low crime rates, but it is worth noting that the top ten ranked cities were only separated by a margin of 1.8 percentage points.
Do Bike Lanes Bring Gentrification?
With the not-so-secret understanding that white people are much more likely to bike, some ethnic minorities in Portland, Oregon see the coming of a bike lane through their neighborhood as a fast lane to gentrification.
A proposed bike lane widening on N. Williams Avenue in Portland is causing a stir among residents, who see it is a step towards gentrification.
Paul M. Davis writes:
"This is only the latest salvo in a debate taking place in many of the nation’s cities over bike lanes and how they affect disadvantaged communities. In Washington DC, where a 31% increase in white residents in the past decade has been met by an 11% decline in the black population, debates over gentrification have reached a fever pitch. As a recent New York Times article notes, in some DC neighborhoods bike lanes are seen to indicate the impending displacement of low-income communities..."
http://www.shareable.net/blog/are-bike-lanes-an-expressway-to-gentrification
New Results of URBACT Projects Now Available!
20 URBACT projects have just completed their programme of exchange and learning activities. The project partners have been working relentlessly for three years looking for joint, effective and sustainable solutions to major urban challenges. These projects have brought to light solutions that have proven effective and providing valuable support for policy makers and practitioners involved in tackling these challenges. Each project has or will publish in the coming weeks its final publications and recommendations. Following HerO, REDIS, CityRegion.Net, FIN-URB-ACT and OPENCities projects' results, here is a look at the results, recommendations and outputs of three other projects!
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/urbact-news/?entryId=5085
'Truck Train' Cuts out Freight Trucks in a Dutch City's Core
Cargohopper is a transportation system in Utrecht, the fourth largest Dutch city, that aims to replace freight trucks entering the city core. Electric trucks powered by solar panels take cargo from freight trucks to retailers in the city.
Freight trucks drop off their cargo 10 kilometers outside the city, and then it is picked up by Cargohopper. The system is also in Haarlem, and later this month in Enschede, writes A.K. Streeter for Treehugger.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/how-tiny-trucks-can-save-american-cities.php#ch04
OECD selects Kitakyushu, Japan as a green growth model city
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has selected ICLEI Member Kitakyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan as
a ‘green growth model city’ well combined with the environment and the economy.
The OECD 'Green Cities Program' selects the world’s most environmentally advanced cities as models. Its objectives are to analyze and assess the city’s efforts, to compile a report and distribute the report as an advanced example to the OECD member counties.
Under the program, the OECD conducts a survey mission to the city to analyze the city’s efforts which will then be compiled in a report by June 2012.
The city is to set up a “Kitakyushu Team for OECD Green City Program (tentative name)” soon to deal with the survey.
As of July 2011, Kitakyushu is one of the four cities chosen for the program, along with Paris, Chicago and Stockholm. Kitakyushu is the first selected city in Asia.
“The world recognition for the City’s environmental policy and efforts will give great encouragement to the citizens”, Kitakyushu Mayor, Kenji Kitahashi said.
Israeli city uses music to encourage integration and social inclusion
The Israeli city of Rosh Ha' Ayin has developed and implemented a model for a “musical city” with the help of its citizens so as to encourage integration and to bridge social, ethnic and national divides.
The “musical city” project, which was launched in 2005, aims at introducing music into the everyday lives of the city's inhabitants and communities, and has so far successfully implemented music programmes in the local educational system and community culture.
The project has so far been integrated from kindergarten through to elementary and secondary schools, ensuring quality music education all the while promoting dialogue, self-discipline and team spirit. The city also invested in the setting up infrastructure to facilitate the development of musical institutions.
Musical and cultural education is thus made available to all residents irrespective of their social or economic status and includes specific measures for people with special needs and children with disabilities. In its six years of existence, the “musical city” has helped visibly reduce violence, crime and urban vandalism.
Rosh Ha' Ayin has also set-up a “musical city network” in order to share its model with municipalities abroad and to promote international cooperation for the establishment of research institutes for social music activities and research on the importance of music as a social and cultural tool.
Measuring Socially Sustainable Urban Regeneration in Europe
In a research called ‘Measuring Socially Sustainable Urban Regeneration in Europe’ by Andrea Colantonio and Tim Dixon et. al. it is argued that previous research on sustainability has been mainly limited to environmental and economic concerns. However in recent years social sustainability has gained increased recognition as a fundamental component of sustainable development, beginning to receive political and institutional endorsement within the sustainable development agenda, and the sustainable urban regeneration discourse.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Social_Inclusion_Integration/Community_Development/Community_Development/Measuring_Socially_Sustainable_Urban_Regeneration_in_Europe
Philippines rolls-out e-scorecard for local gov’t
The government departments of the Philippines have teamed up to implement the latest version of e-scorecard project that is used to determine the level of performance and development of local government units (LGU) in the country.
The project, dubbed Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS), will be used by The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Managed by the DILG’s Bureau of Local Government Supervision, LGPMS is an online self-assessment; management development tool that enables LGU’s to determine their capabilities in public service delivery.
http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2011/jul/18/philippines-rolls-out-e-scorecard-local-govt/
Behind the Decline in Driving
Driving is down in the U.S. and countries all over the world, according to a variety of studies. This piece from New Scientist looks into why the road is less traveled.
"What could be driving us off the road? Fuel costs and rising insurance premiums may be a factor. And urban gridlock, combined with an absence of parking places and congestion charging, makes the car a dumb way to move around in cities where there are public transport alternatives.
In the US, however, the decline of the car is most dramatic not in the gridlocked city centres but in the car-dependent suburbs. In sprawling cities like Atlanta and Houston where the automobile is king, driving is down by more than 10 per cent."
The economic situation in the U.S. may have a role in the shifting driving habits of Americans, but changing demographics and preferences are also contributing to the trend of fewer miles being driven.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128255.600-the-end-of-the-road-for-motormania.html
Call for proposals issued - Strengthening Urban Climate Change Education
The Habitat Partner University Initiative and the Cities and Climate Change Initiative have issued a call for proposals: Strengthening Urban Climate Change Education - Module Development for the Cities and Climate Change Academy. Six modules on
(i) Theory and Concepts of Climate Change and Cities,
(ii) Planning for Climate Change,
(iii) Practice of Urban Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation,
(iv) Climate Change and Urban Water Cycle Management (incl. Sanitation),
(v) Climate Change and urban Energy (including urban transport) and
(vi) Climate Change and Shelter/Housing are to be developed.
The modules are to be designed for easy adaptation and inclusion into existing urban courses. Deadline for the submission of the proposals is 9 October 2011.
For more information please visit the call.
http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/UrbanClimateChangeEducationEoI.pdf
A Dirty Reputation in 'Filthadelphia'
Philadelphia has long been derided for its dirty and filthy streets. This reputation has turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"'It's almost part of the social norm in some circles to think of the city as 'Filthadelphia,' ' he said. 'It's become ingrained in people.'
Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler agreed that the local outlook makes it more difficult to keep the city clean.
'People are disconnected from the fact that littering is very disrespectful to their city,' she said. 'The biggest difference [between cleaner cities and Philadelphia] is mind-set and attitude.'"
The bad reputation has turned into a feedback cycle in which people think it's acceptable to litter. Officials are trying to figure out how to reverse that cycle.
http://articles.philly.com/2011-08-12/news/29880806_1_trash-cans-cleaner-cities-clean-cities
Urban Waters Federal Partnership Created
Eleven federal agencies have formed the Urban Waters Federal Partnership to help restore and protect waterways in U.S. cities. The partnership will increase coordination of waterways programs and assist with waterway protection and revitalization efforts in urban communities. Cities that have already incorporated waterways into river walks, waterfronts, bike paths, parks, and public spaces often see increased commercial development as well as increased property values.
http://www.urbanwaters.gov/
The Hague Residence Brigade: increased livability in deprived inner city areas
Illegal uses of buildings and homes can put a strain on the local living environment. The The Hague Residence Brigade focuses on the quality and use of the housing stock in deprived neighbourhoods. Its goal is to combine the knowledge, experience ánd manpower of different organisations involved in maintaining the housing stock, in order to be able to increase livability and decrease illegal practices.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Housing/Housing_Management/Tenant_Management/The_The_Hague_Residence_Brigade_increased_livability_in_deprived_inner_city_areas
EPA Announces Green Infrastructure Partnerships with Five Capital Cities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has chosen five state capital cities where it will target programs to help boost economic development, reduce energy costs, and provide more transportation and housing options to residents. Chosen to be part of EPA's Greening America's Capitals project were the capital cities of Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi, Nebraska, and the District of Columbia.
http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/greencapitals.htm#comm2011
Livability Grows in China's Emerging Megacities
A new breed of developers in China are increasingly trying to make the country's new cities into pleasant, walkable and even environmentally sustainable.
Architect and developer team Calvin and Frederick Tsao are trying to integrate elements of livability into new and emerging Chinese megacities.
"The Tsao brothers have teamed up to imbue Chinese cities with some mixed-use pedestrian friendliness. The idea is to retain some of the connections to the existing rural landscape to ease people into city living. Their two Chengdu plans are heavy on parks and plazas to encourage walking and socializing. Encouraging exercise for new urban denizens is probably a good thing-obesity rates in rural China are only 5 percent, but the rate in cities is four times higher."
http://www.grist.org/cities/2011-08-15-trying-to-make-chinas-planned-cities-livable
ICLEI President launches TEEB Manual for Cities
ICLEI President, David Cadman, launched the latest TEEB tool for cities 'The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Manual for Cities: Ecosystem Services in Urban Management' at the 'Liveable Cities Forum' in Montreal.
This practical guide for cities is highlighting how a focus on ecosystem services and their valuation can create direct benefits for urban areas and can be performed even with limited resources. It was written in partnership between ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, the TEEB for Local and Regional Policy Makers team and IUCN.
Cadman said the TEEB Manual built upon the TEEB for Local and Regional Policy Makers report in 2010 and tailors the information specifically for an urban context. Cadman mentions that cities depend on a healthy natural environment that continuously provides a range of benefits: ecosystem services.
The TEEB Manual is a practical resource, outlining the step-wise approach introduced in the TEEB Report with in-depth real-life case examples from cities around the world that have employed this approach. This manual aims to inspire cities to start thinking about ecosystem services and how a focus on their valuation can be useful at the local situation, thus creating sustainable and resilient cities.
Visit the Local Action for Biodiversity website for more information.
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=12349
Struggles and Success in Two Neighboring Stadium Towns
Two neighboring towns -- one with a bustling soccer stadium and the other with a struggling minor league baseball stadium -- offer a story of changing times in the U.S.
Harrison, New Jersey has seen much success with its Major League Soccer stadium, but nearby Newark has had trouble justifying the costs of renovating a stadium for its decreasingly popular minor league baseball team.
"While the Bears fend for scraps, the Red Bulls averaged 18,796 fans for their first 12 home games this season — and that does not include the sellout for the M.L.S. All-Star Game and other exhibition matches.
Although the Newark-Harrison story is an extreme and somewhat unusual case, it reflects an urban cultural shift on which soccer hopes to capitalize as an emergent and faster-paced sport in 21st-century America. Still enormously popular in many markets, baseball has lost traction with young people, especially African-Americans, with a 26 percent decline in youth participation between 2000 and 2009, according to the National Sporting Goods Association."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/sports/baseball/did-newark-bet-on-the-wrong-sport.html?_r=3&hpw
Measuring Socially Sustainable Urban Regeneration in Europe
In a research called ‘Measuring Socially Sustainable Urban Regeneration in Europe’ by Andrea Colantonio and Tim Dixon et. al. it is argued that previous research on sustainability has been mainly limited to environmental and economic concerns. However in recent years social sustainability has gained increased recognition as a fundamental component of sustainable development, beginning to receive political and institutional endorsement within the sustainable development agenda, and the sustainable urban regeneration discourse.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Social_Inclusion_Integration/Community_Development/Community_Development/Measuring_Socially_Sustainable_Urban_Regeneration_in_Europe
Optimising Bike Sharing in Europe – A Handbook
The Handbook offers facts and figures about bike sharing schemes and recommendations for their planning, implementation and optimisation. It is based on the broadest survey of bike sharing initiatives in Europe to date. The Handbook will be of value to both people already involved in bike sharing as well as those wishing to better understand how bike sharing works.
http://www.eltis.org/index.php?uid=ZGZkZQLX&ID1=19&id=20#45
UN-HABITAT publishes report to promote sustainable housing and urban development
Urbanization is one of the most powerful, irreversible forces in the world. It is estimated that 93 percent of the future urban population growth will occur in the cities of Asia and Africa.
The persistent problems of poverty and slums are in large part due to weak urban economies. Cities act as engines of national economic development. Strong urban economies are essential for poverty reduction and the provision of adequate housing, infrastructure, education, health, safety, and basic services.
UN-HABITAT has recently published the report ‘Public-Private Partnerships in Housing and Urban Development’ which examines how the public-private partnership (PPP) model can be applied to help promote sustainable housing and urban development for countries around the world.
The first part of the report identifies key opportunities and challenges faced by PPPs in general, and it provides PPP best practices and guiding principles adopted by governments at various levels of economic development. The second part describes global patterns in the most prominent urban PPP sectors followed by case studies that have been adopted and implemented by various governments around the globe.
http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=3142
Declaration of Zadar "Good Laws for a Better Habitat"
The Global Parliamentarians on Habitat (GPH), have come together at their 7th Global Forum in Zadar, Croatia, from 18 to 20 May 2011, to take stock of their work and to deal with the challenges of the future. The focus of the forum was the joint discussion and search for solutions for the challenges relating to the impact of climate change on coastal cities and the role of Parliamentarians as drivers of change. This exchange of experiences has enabled GPH to develop common approaches at global level, which can be used to fashion and strengthen initiatives within national legislative bodies.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Urban_Environment/Urban_Environment/Declaration_of_Zadar_Good_Laws_for_a_Better_Habitat
The Controversy Over Sports Stadiums Continues
It appears that everyone is talking about the impact that sports stadiums have on urban economic development. As soon as one person says they're a terrible idea, another article will retort the benefits brought to a given city.
In this article by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, the author looks at both sides of the argument. Sure, public subsides are often required to finance these urban stadiums. Tax breaks, free land, government-subsidized tax-free loans and discounts are routinely offered by cities in order to attract a sports team to build a stadium in their hometown. NYC was able to attract the Nets by offering $511 million in tax exempt bonds. The initial plans included office towers and affordable housing to be built alongside the stadium, but these have since been scrapped due to the economy.
But even without the office towers and condo complexes, is the stadium a worthwhile investment for NYC?
Boston Mayor Tom Menino announced in June that fans had spent $300 million in Boston as a direct result of hometown sporting events the past year. A pennant race and Stanley Cup championship certainly didn't hurt the city's efforts.
http://icic.org/connections/blog-entry/blog-an-economic-development-case-for-building-sports-stadiumsor-not
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