explainer Archives | CityChangers.org – Home Base for Urban Shapers

Greenery & Biodiversity

What are Buzz Stops? An Explainer

Karl Dickinson - November 10, 2025

Buzz stops are an example of how underutilised everyday spaces can be retrofitted simply, improving urban environments and creating habitats for biodiversity in the city. Commuters pass a lot of time at bus stops. Waiting...

Smart Cities

What are Digital Twins? An Explainer

Karl Dickinson - October 20, 2025

Digital Twins offer cities an affordable, low-risk chance to experiment, tweak, and reformulate potential plans and possible solutions in an easily understandable, life-like virtual environment. Imagine if urban planners could test new concepts without risk...

Circularity

What is a Lending Library? An Explainer

Karl Dickinson - August 11, 2025

A Lending Library allows citizens to borrow… well, anything. It’s emerging as an increasingly popular cost-saving, community-boosting, emission-reducing stalwart of the sharing economy. Could there be a greater neighbourly gesture than sharing your possessions? Lending someone...

Greenery & Biodiversity

What is Urban Biodiversity? An Explainer

Karl Dickinson - August 27, 2025

Against the odds, cities host an incredible array of flora (vegetation) and fauna (animals). How can we ensure that they thrive and why should we bother? Biological diversity – more commonly shortened to biodiversity –...

Retrofitting

What is Retrofitting? An Explainer

Karl Dickinson - September 15, 2025

Retrofitting has the potential to improve efficiency in the built environment, one of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters, and help cities meet net zero targets. It is not a new idea, but many people still...

Car-Free

What are School Streets? An Explainer

Karl Dickinson - March 4, 2025

There has been a lot of talk about school streets in the sustainable cities sphere of late, but what does the term really mean, and why are school streets necessary? We gen up on...

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