Argentina’s Smart Cities Charter Sparks Nationwide Movement for a Sustainable Urban Future
This is a guest post by Lucía Bellocchio, founder and executive director of Trend Smart Cities. Lucía has extensive experience working on urban innovation, and has written in leading media outlets in South America like La Nación, El Observador, Clarín or TN. Last month, Argentina made a significant stride forward in urban development by signing […]
Zurich stuns with its innovative bike tunnel
Author | Elvira Esparza Zurich has opened an urban tunnel to provide cyclists with safe passage and easy access to the city’s main train station. The goal of the project is to promote cycling as a primary mode of transportation over cars and to boost sustainable mobility. Zurich’s Stadttunnel, which runs beneath the Hauptbahnhof, is […]
Biochar and Concrete: The Next Revolution in Urban Construction?
Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Päivi Raivio, a Helsinki-based urban designer and placemaker recognized for her innovative work on people-centered public spaces. With a background in creative urban interventions and community engagement, Raivio’s projects demonstrate how thoughtful design can make cities more vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming for every season.
Turning trash into treasure: Inside Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum
Author | Raquel C. Pico For many people, everything they know about an informal settlement comes from popular culture, fiction, and media reports. They have never set foot in one, nor do they live near any, so their image of daily life in these places is shaped entirely by what others say about them. Dharavi, […]
Villa Savoye: Le Corbusier’s architectural icon that redefined the modern house
Author | Lucía Burbano Though it is nearing its 100th anniversary, Villa Savoye, the work of the renowned and revered Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, remains a cornerstone of modern residential architecture. It perfectly embodies the Swiss architect’s vision, standing as a timeless example of how aesthetics and functionality can coexist. So much so […]
Tourists on board: navigating the impacts of tourism on public transport systems
Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Päivi Raivio, a Helsinki-based urban designer and placemaker recognized for her innovative work on people-centered public spaces. With a background in creative urban interventions and community engagement, Raivio’s projects demonstrate how thoughtful design can make cities more vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming for every season.
Zero waste in action: what municipalities are doing right
Author | Raquel C. Pico Every time a trial excavation is conducted in a city, some form of waste is uncovered. For centuries, even millennia, we have been generating waste, much of which has ended up forming the foundations of urban hills or even serving as paving in our cities. Waste has been one of […]
What are stroads, and why do they pose a growing challenge for urbanists?
Author | Elvira Esparza A stroad is the term used to describe a hybrid of a street and a road, combining elements of both. This combination creates challenges that urbanists and planners are working to solve. The term ‘stroad’ was coined in the United States a decade ago by Charles Marohn, an engineer specializing in […]
Ride with pride: creating safe public transport systems for LGBTQ+ riders
Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Päivi Raivio, a Helsinki-based urban designer and placemaker recognized for her innovative work on people-centered public spaces. With a background in creative urban interventions and community engagement, Raivio’s projects demonstrate how thoughtful design can make cities more vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming for every season.
What exactly is climate resilience, and why is it such a red-hot topic right now?
Author | Elvira Esparza The term ‘climate change’ refers to long-term shifts in temperature and the Earth’s climate patterns, resulting in major droughts and flooding, polar ice melting, rising sea levels, and other significant impacts. Given the increasing frequency of these events, climate resilience emerges as society’s ability to prepare for, recover from, and adapt […]