The Sounds –or Noises– of Cities: Can Electric Mobility Make a City More Inclusive?
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. A few weeks ago, while browsing a bookstore, I came across a children’s […]
Habitat 67: a brutalist icon where suburban home meets urban apartment
Author | Lucía Burbano Now that the polarizing brutalism has returned to the spotlight with the movie The Brutalist, we revisit an icon that epitomizes this functional, geometric architecture rooted in reinforced concrete: Habitat 67, located in Canada, stands proudly among the classics of brutalist architecture, rivaling icons like the Barbican in London, Las Torres […]
How Cities Are Placing People at the Center of Urban Mobility Transformations
What does it take for cities to create a true systems change that creates a holistic, positive shift of the entire urban system?
Cleaner, quieter, more affordable: How pneumatic waste collection works
Author | Elvira Esparza Can you imagine not waking up to the disruptive noise of a waste collection truck emptying bins in the middle of the night? In some cities, this is now possible thanks to the installation of underground pneumatic waste collection systems. This system not only minimizes noise but also helps keep streets […]
From Streets to Society: How Urban Planning is Shaping a Human-Centered Future
In recent years, urban planning has evolved significantly—from a car-centric model to a more human-centered approach. What has driven this transformation?
The water scarcity problem (and how cities are preparing to tackle it)
Author | Lucía Burbano According to the latest State of Global Water Resources report, published in 2023 by the World Meteorological Organization, the water cycle is becoming increasingly disrupted due to climate change and human activities. This imbalance is leading to extreme droughts and violent showers, both of which are causing devastating consequences for millions […]
How underutilized urban spaces are being repurposed for sports
Author | Raquel C. Pico In the race toward sustainable development, urban development plays a crucial role. Firstly, as an ever-increasing proportion of the global population relocates to cities, the challenges of the future are increasingly urban in nature. Furthermore, cities themselves have begun to exhibit signs of strain, underscoring the urgent need for urban […]
Fiat factory to mixed-use building: an architectural history of the iconic Lingotto
Author | Lucía Burbano The Lingotto Fiat factory, a century-old architectural icon in Turin, Italy, is a prime example of how a building can transform and adapt its original purpose to meet today’s needs. The Lingotto was a pioneer of industrial architecture for several reasons. The main reason is that it exemplifies the “vertical factory” […]
The case for congestion pricing: the benefits beyond the controversy
The summer of 2017 – dubbed by former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as the ‘Summer of Hell’ in New York City’s transit history – was marked by derailments and delays. With only 65% of weekday trains reaching their destinations on time, a state of emergency was called for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the public transport operator for the New York City region. As a result, numerous short- and long-term proposals were introduced. One of these proposals was congestion pricing.
How Valencia and Tallinn are using entrepreneurship to mitigate disasters
Author | Elvira Esparza Valencia and Tallinn have launched initiatives that encourage startups to develop innovative solutions aimed at mitigating the impacts of natural disasters. The aim of this initiative is to develop innovative solutions for emergency management to reduce the impact of disasters, such as the ‘DANA’ (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos, Spanish for […]