From corporate, to bicycle mechanic, to founder of ‘Get Women Cycling’, Angela Azzolino has experienced New York’s streets as a cyclist from different perspectives. We caught up with her to discuss helmet hair and the gender cycling gap, her scepticism of bike lanes and how...
JPI Urban Europe put out a call for projects researching urban migration in Europe. The outcome is a current knowledge base that gives insights into how migration impacts the lives and workings of a city, and how these affect the experiences of new arrivals....
Water touches on almost every aspect of our lives and cities. Initially, it appears to be a large and unwieldy beast. Maybe to create sustainable urban systems, we need to break down the components: consumption, sanitation, pollution, waste, biodiversity, runoff, scarcity and stress, flooding,...
While the case for the FWE nexus concept is relatively clear to make in a theoretical, academic context, translating it to urban reality can be a struggle. Against a backdrop of climate change, urban population growth, and global supply chains that are limited in...
With a background in architecture and sociology, Bronwen Thornton started her career in government, keenly interested in social justice issues. Attending the Walk21 conference in 2001, she had an epiphany – walking is where it all comes together. Now that she is CEO of...
The effects of climate change are not equal everywhere. Pakistan is one of the world’s lowest greenhouse gas emitters, but it is dealing with some of the harshest consequences. With projections that it will only get worse, Hamza Amin feels a personal responsibility for...
The challenges for migrants arriving in a new country seem endless. The more vulnerable their situation, and precarious their legal status, the deeper these problems run. Social and structural barriers and discrimination prevent newcomers from integrating with any ease. Just as well there are...
What water is available to cities is unevenly distributed and increasingly stressed due to population growth. Human activity backed by poor policy safeguards increases volumes of wastewater, reduces that of potable quality, and triggers erratic drought-and-flood conditions by way of climate change. Effective urban...
Setting up micro hubs is a promising approach to last-mile delivery. Yet, what is often missing is a suitable space in city centres. Using public transport facilities such as a bus garage or tram depot for logistical operations is one possible solution to this...
Vancouver has undergone a blue-green infrastructure revolution. Its Rain City Strategy integrated nature making the city more resilient to fluctuations in rainfall. Behind it all is Melina Scholefield, a CityChanger with an impressive portfolio and knack for getting things done! She tells us all...
It’s a fact! Cities are designed by men for men. This skews power relations in the built environment and the systems that govern them, curtailing women’s social and economic mobility. Added to this, intersectional factors – and for migrants the specifics of a legal...
This article was written by Klaudia Bencze, Social Media Team Leader, European Committee of the Regions in Brussels, and was originally published on Apolitical, the global learning platform for government. It was originally published here in July 2020. We’re featuring the article with kind permission by Klaudia Bencze...
Every neighbourhood has the potential to become a wonderful place to live - a city block with vibrant streets, romantic lights, bookstores and cafés! In a lot of communities, this potential is simply too hidden for the residents to see. We talked to CityChanger...
Community energy is an agent of decarbonisation. Transition in the sector is gaining momentum. How can we motivate people to get involved and maintain that trajectory? We asked Éva Goudouneix, Community Development Manager with Repowering London, how she approaches her work with London’s locals.
Stakeholder...
This article was written by Emma Sisk for Apolitical, the global learning platform for government. It was originally published here in August 2020. We’re featuring the article with kind permission by Apolitical.
A majority of people across most OECD countries do not trust their government. In 2018, the organisation went so far...
A 15-minute city is simply a place where all basic amenities are available within a short journey by foot or bike. But what is the idea behind it, what does it mean for reducing the dominance of the car, and could it be the...
In 2014 Bern launched a ‘Velo Offensive’ to make cycling the triumphing transport choice. We asked those involved about which tactics were deployed and whether it can be heralded as a win for the bike.
What Is the Velo Offensive?
Momentum is building to make Bern...
Telling the average person on the street to upgrade their draughty, crumbling home to save energy and, ergo, the planet might be too abstract to inspire action, met with responses like: “What difference can I really make? Why should I when countries and corporations...