Is it possible to save suburbs from themselves?
Suburban living implies many challenges. How can technologies and policies be helpful to improve its sustainability?
Singles and urbanism: towards cities with fewer couples
Living alone is one of the silent trends affecting today’s urbanism. It may be hard to believe, but the phenomenon has implications that go beyond the demographic sphere. How is it affecting cities and their economies?
Mastering mobility: LEV batteries
Light electric vehicles (LEVs) are rapidly becoming a key component of modern urban mobility, with significant growth expected in the industry over the coming years. In Europe, LEVs are already outselling electric vehicles (EVs), with the market projected to triple by 2030 and double again by 2040. In 2022 alone, 10 million LEVs were sold in Europe, nearly three times the number of EVs sold that year.
Can we combat poverty with an app?
Some cities are trying apps to mark down homeless camps and tend to their needs in a more localized fashion. But that technology can be abused.
Mastering mobility: public transport microincentives
Subsidies and incentives for public transportation have long been seen as an integral part of encouraging public transportation ridership. A recent study conducted in the United States found that metro areas that received more government subsidies per capita were more likely to run with more passengers on board, rather than running routes with just a few heavily subsidized riders per vehicle. This finding was important as it was an alternative to the widely held belief that subsidies only influenced ridership in very particular groups and led to inefficiencies in the system.
Clean energy: what is it and under what circumstances is it possible?
Green energy and clean energy are often confused, but they are hardly the same thing. Discover their differences and how they are meant to power a more sustainable world.
Mastering mobility: understanding the health benefits of active mobility
In an era defined by the drive towards decarbonised transportation, active mobility is often highlighted as a crucial part of the solution. But active mobility, which encompasses modes of human-powered transportation such as walking, cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, running, etc; is more than just a way of getting from one place to another sustainably. Active mobility not only helps to decarbonise transportation, but it is also a pathway to improved physical, mental and social well-being; both individually and collectively.
Social equity: what is it and how is it epitomized in Iceland
Social equity takes into account systemic inequalities to ensure that all members of a community have access to the same opportunities. Iceland is leading by example.
Mastering mobility: noise pollution
According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), one in five people living in the European Union are exposed to noise pollution and long-term noise levels that are considered harmful to their health. From sleep disturbances to cardiovascular issues, noise has also been shown to even have impacts on children’s ability to learn. These negative impacts affecting roughly 100 million residents are due to traffic noise. This translates to one million healthy years lost per year to illness, disability or early death due to road, rail and air transport-related noise.
Given that the European Environment Bureau lists noise pollution as one of the most significant threats to public health, after air pollution, there are numerous action plans in place. The reduction of noise is currently a key objective under the EU’s Zero Pollution Plan for 2050, which aims to reduce the share of people chronically disturbed by transport noise by 30% by 2030. And the Environmental Noise Directive is the main EU law focused on identifying and addressing noise pollution.
This is how electric vehicle charging points can be integrated into the urban architecture
Shrinking down charging points is a good way to save precious space on sidewalks, but we are still ways from finding a universal solution.