TAG

behaviour

Bicipolitana: Rimini’s Cycling Network That Works Like a Metro

Rimini’s comprehensive Bicipolitana cycling network has been expanding since the 1960s, converting car culture into enthusiasm for active mobility through joy and convenience. Nestled on the Adriatic coast to the northeast of Italy is Rimini,...

CityChanger “Dog Poo Darren” Clark: Finding Meaning in Dirty Jobs

Environmental health officer “Dog Poo Daren” Clark found purpose in a job no one else wanted to do. He ended up improving public spaces nationwide. About a quarter of a century ago, a story emerged...

Just What is the Beef with Meat?

There’s a lot to be said for going vegan. That must be why they drone on about it all the time! Like other drones, don’t you wish they would just fly off? But let’s give...

How to Make Water Use More Efficient

Showering, cleaning, drinking, flushing, and washing clothes all use water. A lot of water! As the climate changes and populations increase, supply is struggling to keep up with demand. Making our city’s buildings more...

How to Make Energy Use More Efficient

Using fossil fuels emits a lot of carbon dioxide. This enters the atmosphere and traps heat, warming the climate. Unless we curb our energy use, temperatures will rise beyond the 1.5 degree-maximum we’ve set...

CityChanger Katharina Schätz: How Positive Energy & Fighting Fear Enable Change-Making

In the world of sustainability, there’s an assumption that we all want the same change. Even for those of us who share this mindset, behaviours often don’t match, which can stall positive transitions. Katharina...

Community Sociologist Jeni Cross: Building Better Retrofitting Behaviours

A toxic mix of bad habits and infrastructure that prevents change is holding sustainability back. This is as true for retrofitting as anything. Community sociologist Doctor Jeni Cross has dedicated 20 years to researching...

Promoting Heat Pumps: A Communication Strategy for Hard-to-Engage Groups

Conservatives fiercely resist behaviour change, but a six-point communications strategy designed to advance buy-in of heat pumps is a working model for engaging hard-to-convince groups. When Anja Floetenmeyer-Woltmann steps onto the stage, she is determined...

Soft Factors to Encourage an Inclusive Culture of the Bicycle

This article was written by Lucas Snaije, Community & Communications Manager at BYCS, an Amsterdam-based social enterprise driven by the belief that bicycles transform cities and cities transform the world. It was originally published...

How to Drive a Modal Shift From Private Vehicle Use to Public Transport, Walking and Cycling

This article was written by and for the C40 Knowledge Hub, which delivers cutting-edge insights and practical resources from leading climate cities for others working in city government. It was originally published here in March 2019....

How Can We Use Behavioural Insights to Engage People?

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...

A Conundrum of Common Courtesy: How Can Decency Deliver Better Cities?

In 2015, a London cyclist clashed with a pedestrian, knocking her unconscious and leaving her with scars and broken teeth. It sent the media into a frenzy. Front and centre of the story was the...

Hypocritesmas: The Seasonal Scourge of Light Pollution

Oh joy! It’s that time of year again. For what feels like months already we’ve been wading through the drawn-out build-up to Christmas. Shops are once again subjecting their staff to the saccharin mental torture of...

From Nero to Zero – The Unspoken Exclusion of Smartphones

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. During a recent trip, my enquiry into departure times for the shuttle bus connecting sites of Pompeii, Italy, was met with a bark of, “Check...

Urban Noise – Nuisance or Necessity?

Proving humans’ unparalleled capability for confounding logic, the daylight hours of 31 December in Graz were punctuated with the whizz-pop of fireworks. The magical glittery hues may have been lost to an unseasonal sunny backdrop,...

School-Proof Ways of Getting Children Cycling to Class

Trying to encourage children to cycle to school? Follow these tried and tested ideas, and you’ll be sure to pass with flying colours!  Why Cycling Comes Top of the Class  Although convenient, driving to school by...

Rush to Hush Hour: How to Get People Cycling to Work

From helmet hair to soaked suits, cycling to work isn’t always appealing. Here’s why paying commuters to cycle to work is misguided and how employers, employees and policymakers can all play their part. Making Cents...

The Psychological Effects of Greenery on Modern City Dwellers

We may be modern individuals living in civilized cities, but we are still creatures of nature at heart. So, how does greenery play a part in our mental well-being? Why do we seem to...