Exercise and urban gyms: the solution for staying fit in cities
Urban gyms have reemerged. A network of infrastructures that cities implement heterogeneously through parks, specific facilities or by designing infrastructures that favor activity.
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
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.
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
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.
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 […]
How can cities help visually impaired people?
According to the WHO, around 1.3 billion people in the world are affected by some form of visual impairment. Given that an increasing number of people are living in cities, it seems logical to facilitate the lives of people living with visual impairments through accessibility.
Call for Research Papers: AI for Cities to accelerate urban efficiency, quality of life, and resiliency
Smart City Expo is launching a Call for Research Papers in collaboration with the prestigious Street Art & Urban Creativity Scientific Journal (Scopus Q2) to connect cities with the leading-edge technologies in AI.
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 […]