30/4/2012 - Private partners in electric mobility: The EVUE experience.
29/4/2012 - Cities in action: Gateshead Warm Zone.
28/4/2012 - Lessons on Urban Redevelopment from Colombia's Divergent Design Stories.
28/4/2012 - The Brussels-Capital Region launches the Mobility Toolbox.
27/4/2012 - Facing Crises in Urban Life, Nigeria Keeps On Growing.
27/4/2012 - Urban Policy: gaining momentum on the European Agenda.
26/4/2012 - ICLEI city mayors on list released for World Mayors Prize.
26/4/2012 - Cities call for strong urban dimension to Horizon 2020.
25/4/2012 - How U.S. Cities Drive the Global Economy.
25/4/2012 - MyCity+20 and Ombudsperson for future generations.
24/4/2012 - Lyon inaugurates secure bicycle parking.
24/4/2012 - Can Atlanta Become a Smart City? .
23/4/2012 - Cities play a key role in tackling demographic change and promoting active ageing.
23/4/2012 - Mexico City offers free app that can save your life .
23/4/2012 - "Car Culture is our main challenge and creating a Green Culture is our next one" .
22/4/2012 - World Urbanization Prospects: Urbanization a critical issue for Rio+20.
22/4/2012 - Special Report - OP-ACT, tackling decline in Europe's smaller cities.
22/4/2012 - Urban plans needed for better Palestinian development.
21/4/2012 - The potential of creative industries in Central European Cities.
21/4/2012 - CTBUH City Representative Programme.
20/4/2012 - Bristol, Copenhagen and Frankfurt shortlisted for European Green Capital 2014.
20/4/2012 - The SHAPES project on benefits and risk of urban cycling receives award in Belgium.
20/4/2012 - Provocative Images of Cities Without People.
19/4/2012 - Launch of the European Citizen’s Initiative .
19/4/2012 - Linking local governments and Mayors to a new economic paradigm .
19/4/2012 - Urban governance in the EU: strategic and forward urban planning across Europe.
18/4/2012 - Practice: “Prison! Me! No Way!” in Greenwich (United Kingdom) .
18/4/2012 - Why Generation Y is Causing the Great Migration of the 21st Century.
18/4/2012 - Transforming youth policy – Experiences from My Generation project.
17/4/2012 - EMI and ICLEI launch survey on urban sustainability in cities.
17/4/2012 - Do Compact Cities Dream of Electric Cars? .
16/4/2012 - Guanghzou International Award for Urban Innovation official launched.
16/4/2012 - The Cleansing Power of Mexico City's Vertical Gardens.
15/4/2012 - COSME should reach cities and have a strong territorial dimension.
15/4/2012 - New Platform Aims to Be a Facebook for Cities.
14/4/2012 - Reforming the world's city networks, part 1: a time to cull.
14/4/2012 - 49th International Making Cities Livable Conference.
13/4/2012 - Port cities: towards responsible growth.
13/4/2012 - CityHush research results to reduce traffic noise in cities.
12/4/2012 - TEMS – The EPOMM Modal Split tool.
12/4/2012 - Housing and Transportation Affordability Has Declined Since 2000.
11/4/2012 - Council of Europe launches publication on local authorities as solution to crisis.
11/4/2012 - "Europe needs more local responsiblity and self-government to exit crisis" .
11/4/2012 - Brewing Innovation: Intercultural Practices from Delft.
10/4/2012 - Special Report - OP-ACT, tackling decline in Europe's smaller cities.
10/4/2012 - Twin Cities Studying Streetcar Feasibility.
9/4/2012 - Stockholm unveils plans to develop model green urban district.
9/4/2012 - City Hacking Goes Mainstream.
8/4/2012 - New instruments for urban development explained at Berlin meeting.
8/4/2012 - Wroclaw has introduced an electronic chip city card called URBANCARD (Poland) .
8/4/2012 - City of New York awarded Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2012.
7/4/2012 - The Greenest Cities on the Planet.
7/4/2012 - LINKS Project - How can eco-restoration become an asset for the local economy? .
6/4/2012 - The Next Mass Global Killer: Urban Air Pollution.
5/4/2012 - The European urban fabric in the 21st century.
5/4/2012 - New Chinese Eco-City Aims to be Practical, not Perfect.
4/4/2012 - More than 1,000 cities now committed to Istanbul Water Consensus.
4/4/2012 - Edinburgh sets new standard for cycling (UK) .
4/4/2012 - What Will It Take to Win the Global Competition Between Cities? .
3/4/2012 - Cities play a key role in tackling demographic change and promoting active ageing.
3/4/2012 - Europe's Largest Civil Engineering Project.
3/4/2012 - The ROSYPE project: a unique road safety campaign in Europe.
2/4/2012 - Green Mobility Guide for the Performing Arts.
2/4/2012 - New Census Numbers Detail Surprising Facts About Urban Density.
1/4/2012 - Danish cities team up to fight youth unemployment.

Private partners in electric mobility: The EVUE experience
The URBACT project Electric Vehicles in Urban Europe focuses on the development of integrated, sustainable strategies and dynamic leadership techniques for cities to promote the use of electric vehicles. EVUE's URBACT Local Support Groups (ULSG) provide the opportunity for the partner cities to work with private partners. Sally Kneeshaw, Lead Expert for EVUE, tackles this issue of joint working with private sector companies in her article "Private partners in electric mobility: The EVUE experience".
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/news/?entryId=5147

Cities in action: Gateshead Warm Zone
The latest EUROCITIES case study looks at Gateshead Warm Zone, a scheme offering free or discounted home insulation measures to tackle fuel poverty and promote a greener urban environment
Fuel poverty is a big challenge for many of Europe’s cities. In the UK, a household is classified ‘fuel poor’ if it spends more than 10% of its income on fuel for heating, cooking, lighting and water.
Gateshead in the UK is one of the country’s designated ‘Warm Zones’, which systematically identifies households at risk of fuel poverty and offers cost-effective solutions and advice. Examples include free or discounted home insulation measures, such as cavity wall or loft insulation; or the installation of energy-efficient lighting and central heating system replacements.
The Warm Zone team also offers residents advice on improved energy-efficiency and social security benefits available to cover costs. The team also trains housing officers to raise awareness of reducing fuel poverty. As well as targeting the poorest residents, the city has also improved its green credentials. With 33% of carbon emissions coming from homes, many of which are in need of energy-efficiency improvements, the measures will help cement Gateshead’s commitment to a cleaner urban environment.
The scheme, which in January 2012 had cost £8.5 million (€10 million), is supported by Gateshead Council, Gateshead housing company, Warm Zones, and utilities companies Scottish Power and RNE npower.
Out of a total of 93,000 households in Gateshead, 31,625 homes have already benefited from new insulation measures. A total of 30% fuel poverty was identified and the Warm Zone team has helped residents secure a total £6.2 million (€7.4 million) in additional benefits income.
The Warm Zone approach is already showing signs of improving the quality of life for Gateshead’s residents, as well as creating an overall greener future for the city.
You can read more about the project in our latest case study, below. Gateshead is a participant in the CASCADE (cities exchanging on local energy leadership) project. To read more, visit the CASCADE website, www.cascadecities.eu.

Lessons on Urban Redevelopment from Colombia's Divergent Design Stories
The cities of Bogotá and Medellín have made dramatic transformations over the last ten years, driven in large part by their influential mayors. But while one continues to soar, the other is in crisis, reports Justin McGuirk
Two cities in Colombia showcase how the mix of politics and good infrastructure design can work. Bogota, Colombia's capital, utilized transport infrastructure to revitalize their streets. Two past mayors, Antanas Mockus and Enrique Peñalosa, "brought decent sidewalks, bike lanes and the Transmilenio bus service to bypass the capital's crippling traffic – measures that privileged the non-car-owning poor." With current overcrowding, various stalled road projects and the last mayor accused of corruption, Bogota is a city in trouble.
By comparison, Medellin was considered a dangerous city filled with violence and drugs in the 1990s. By the early to mid 2000s, progressive design projects such as Coliseos Juegos Suramericanos, Orquideorama, and Paisajes Emergentes swimming pool complex, led the city's revival, notes McGuirk.
Giancarlo Mazzanti, Colombia's renowned architect, says the focus on "social urbanism" reflected in these projects marks a critical shift in urban policy, "This is a massive U-turn since the days when it was common to speak of 'cutting out the cancer' of the slums. For once, architecture-as-spectacle is not being used as a tool to market the culture industry, but to make poverty visible."
In the hands of mayor Sergio Fajardo, Medellin became a proving ground for innovative urban design. "There are several hybrid library-parks (part community centres and part much-needed public spaces), two cable car systems and, most recently, an outdoor escalator running nearly 400m up the troubled slum of Comuna 13." Fajardo focused on the creation of public spaces for the poor and "he attributed the fall in crime during his term in part to the increase in the amount of public space per citizen."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/apr/11/colombia-architecture-bogota-medellin

The Brussels-Capital Region launches the Mobility Toolbox
The Mobility Toolbox is meant for citizens to inform, inspire and help them prepare a project to re-design their neighborhood towards more sustainable mobility.
The toolbox comprises various tools such us a set of guidelines, a Power Point presentation to support stakeholder meetings, a free photo library to get inspiration from, a promotional video, and a mobility expert (the MobilityCoach).
People can drive a positive change in their neighborhood! First experiments in Brussels have proved that all stakeholders working together, inhabitants, shopkeepers, architects and planners, city officials can give public space back to the people.
Eligible projects should propose measures to remove transit traffic, reduce speed which would clearly benefit alternative modes of transportation (on foot, cycling, public transport), or improve the quality of life in the neighborhood.
https://toolboxmobilite.irisnet.be/

Facing Crises in Urban Life, Nigeria Keeps On Growing
Unlike Asia and South America, sub-Saharan Africa did not see birthrates fall in the second half of the 20th century. As a result, urban life in Nigeria heralds the challenges facing an increasingly populous planet, Elisabeth Rosenthal reports.
Currently the sixth most populous nation in the world, Nigeria is expected to double in size over the next twenty-five years, compounding already-disastrous living conditions for city-dwellers.
In Lagos, its largest city (indeed the largest in Africa), entire families often crowd into 80-square-foot apartments so narrow, they're referred to as "Face Me, Face Yous," with as many as 50 people sharing a kitchen and bathroom – assuming they still have access to running water. And with almost 50 percent of young people unemployed, the threat of crime and civil unrest are growing.
"Population is key," said Peter Ogunjuyigbe, a researcher from the small central city of Ile-Ife. "If you don't take care of population, schools can't cope, hospitals can't cope, there's not enough housing – there's nothing you can do to have economic development."
The Nigerian government is scrambling to develop new infrastructure, but it's impossible for construction to keep up with the booming population. While developing countries in Asia and South America have successfully curbed birthrates over the last few generations, it may not be easy for Nigeria to duplicate those results. "That transformation was driven in each country by a mix of educational and employment opportunities for women, access to contraception, urbanization and an evolving middle class," writes Rosenthal. "Whether similar forces will defuse the population bomb in sub-Sarahan Africa is unclear."
Even with rapid urbanization, fertility rates have only fallen one-fifth since 1975, from 6.8 children per woman then to 5.5 now. In addition to cultural pressures to embrace large families, Rosenthal explains, historical factors have forestalled the shift to low birthrates in countries like Nigeria. "Because Africa was for centuries agriculturally based and sparsely populated, it made sense for leaders to promote high fertility rates. Family planning, introduced in the 1970s by groups like Usaid, was initially regarded as foreign, and later on, money and attention were diverted from family planning to Africa’s AIDS crisis."

Urban Policy: gaining momentum on the European Agenda
Over the last two decades, urban areas have gained recognition as the engines of economic growth in Europe. For this reason, it seems clear that there is a need for a distinct ‘urban dimension’ in Cohesion Policy. The aim of this Background Report is to promote the debate on this dimension, by posing prickling questions and recommendation on the subject.
http://www.eukn.org/Dossiers/EU_presidencies/Polish_Presidency/The_Urban_Dimension_of_Cohesion_Policy_the_past_present_and_future/Cohesion_Policy_in_the_future_2014_2020/Urban_Policy_gaining_momentum_on_the_European_Agenda
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/world/africa/in-nigeria-a-preview-of-an-overcrowded-planet.html?_r=2

ICLEI city mayors on list released for World Mayors Prize
Thirty mayors of ICLEI member cities have been nominated for the 2012 World Mayors Prize and placed on a long-list for selection. Furthermore, 6 mayors on the long-list are members of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change.
Every two years, the City Mayors Foundation seeks a mayor who has developed a vision for urban living that is relevant to towns and cities across the world. Previous winners include WMCCC Chair and ICLEI Member Marcelo Ebrard (Mexico City, 2010), ICLEI and WMCCC member John So (Melbourne, 2006) and Helen Zille, Former Mayor of ICLEI member city Cape Town (2008).
Nominations will be accepted until mid-May 2012. Nominate your mayor now!
http://www.worldmayor.com/contest_2012/word-mayor-nominations-2012.html

Cities call for strong urban dimension to Horizon 2020
Eurocities recently published their statement on the proposed Horizon 2020 funding programme for research and innovation
Regarding the future of the smart cities & communities initiative, we call for the initiative to go beyond the current activities under FP7 and cut across both societal challenges and industrial leadership under Horizon 2020.
Our statement also addresses links between cohesion policy and Horizon 2020. We suggest that Horizon 2020 should have a strong territorial and transnational dimension. This is currently very uncertain, with the current proposal suggesting a shift of regional and local capacity building to cohesion policy instruments.
Our statement raises a number of further concerns and recommendations in relation to:
• thematic priorities and specific programmes of Horizon 2020
• the Horizon 2020 rules of participation and practical details of accessing the programme
Read more about Horizon2020. http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm

How U.S. Cities Drive the Global Economy
Brad Plumer discusses the findings of a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute that delves into the impact that U.S. cities have on the national and global economy, and assesses the reasons for their influence.
Plumer expands on one of the key findings of the new McKinsey report, which found that, "the United States appears to be wealthier than Europe because it has a greater share of its population living in large, productive cities." This finding is based on data in the report that shows, "Roughly 83 percent of America’s GDP came from its 'large cities,' defined as cities with a population of 150,000 or more. By contrast, China got 78 percent of its GDP from large cities and Western Europe got a surprisingly small 65 percent of its GDP from its large urban areas."
An article by Yuval Rosenberg in The Fiscal Times investigates one of the report's other key findings, that "Large U.S. cities are expected to generate more than 10 percent of global GDP growth in the next 15 years, a larger contribution than all of the large cities of other developed countries combined." The report attributes that advantage to America's second tier cities, rather than New York or Los Angeles, which "have economic and size advantages over the second tier of European cities."
"The U.S. has a broad base of cities such as Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco that are very large and important cities and contribute much more than their counterparts – let's say No. 3 to No. 30 in Western Europe," says Jaana Remes, a senior fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute and co-author of the new report. "It’s the strength of the middleweight cities across the U.S. that really is the differentiator."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/why-is-the-us-wealthier-than-europe-give-credit-to-its-cities/2012/04/17/gIQABfOfOT_blog.html

MyCity+20 and Ombudsperson for future generations
Do you want your young citizens to get engaged into local and global politics?
Let them know about MyCity+20, a project aimed at mobilizing, educating and encouraging youth to get involved in sustainable development issues and the negotiation process of Rio+20.
Take a look at www.mycityplus20.blogspot.de for more.
To consider the future generations’ input, UN member states are deliberating the prospect of an Ombudsperson for future generations.
Hungary already has an Ombudsperson, Do you? If so, let us know at secretary.general@iclei.org
You could present your experiences as a shining example at the ICLEI World Congress and the Rio+20 Global Town Hall.

Lyon inaugurates secure bicycle parking
The metropolitan area of Lyon, dubbed “Grand Lyon”, unveiled 227 secured parking spaces for bicycles beginning of March 2012 in partnership with the Lyon Parc Auto dealership, in order to increase biking as a means of urban transportation.
Born of a public-private partnership, the aforementioned parties have invested a total of €1.2 million. Close to 1 350 parking spaces should be inaugurated by 2015.
These spaces, located in existing car parks, will facilitate the parking of bicycles, a problem often voiced by cyclists, while “Grand Lyon” hopes to see the use of bicycles tripled in the metropolitan area by 2020.

Can Atlanta Become a Smart City?
Maggie Comstock looks at what it takes to be considered a "Smart City", and asks what an organizationally and infrastructurally challenged city like Atlanta can do to raise its IQ.
For Comstock, the established definitions of a smart city, based on technologically advanced or socially inclusive characteristics are inadequate. Her broader definition sounds somewhat like smart growth, and a lot like sustainable development: "At its most basic level, a city is comprised of a government (in some form), people, industry, infrastructure, education and social services. A smart city thoughtfully and sustainably pursues development with all of these components in mind with the additional foresight of the future needs of the city."
By these metrics, Comstock evaluates whether established, sprawling cities such as Atlanta can "boost its IQ." She turns to two initiatives that she argues are paving the way for "smarter and more sustainable habits."
"As for Atlanta, the USGBC Atlanta Branch of the Georgia Chapter has done a stellar job on this front, including facilitating the passage of a LEED green building policy for public sector buildings. The City of Atlanta has since signed up to be one of the three pilot cities for the President’s Better Buildings Challenge, which charges cities to make commercial buildings 20% more energy efficient by 2020 and to accelerate private sector investment in energy efficiency."
While these measures are certainly smart, they seem to stretch the established "smart city" definitions to the breaking point.
Perhaps it's just time to choose some new buzzwords.
http://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/node/576?cid=EXT_TWBN_D_EXT

Cities play a key role in tackling demographic change and promoting active ageing
The EUROCITIES Social Affairs Forum (SAF) met in Brussels on 27-28 March 2012. Co-organised with the Brussels Capital Region, the event attracted a large number of cities reaching more than 110 participants.
The first day was dedicated to active ageing in cities and was organised in the framework of the 2012 European Year for active ageing and solidarity between generations. It began with an introduction to the challenge of ageing and existing responses to it at EU and at local level. The speakers included Lenia Samuel from the Commission’s DG Employment, Maria Iglesia Gomez of the Commission’s DG for Health and Consumers, Annette Perdaens of the Brussels’ Observatory of Health and Social Affairs and Dominique Verte from the Free University of Brussels (VUB).
The speakers highlighted the key role of cities in tackling demographic change and promoting active ageing. They stressed that ageing needs to be viewed as an opportunity not as a problem. Faced with a gradually increasing spending for health and social care, the panellists pointed out that we need to use our resources better to tackle the challenge of longer life expectancy and stability of public finances.
The afternoon session began with the speed networking session where 11 projects were presented. Participants learnt more about how to promote entrepreneurship among older people, how to improve urban planning to adapt it to the changing demographic profile of the city and how to create opportunities for older people to take part in the life of their communities through networking or volunteering.
The afternoon panel debate focused on the practical proposals on how to improve cooperation between cities on active ageing. The speakers stressed the importance of taking action to tackle ageing and managing change in cities. The speakers included the representatives of the EU and international institutions such as Kartika Tamara Liotard MEP, Anne-Sophie Parent from AGE Platform Europe and Lisa Warth from WHO. Their input was followed by practical examples from Edinburgh, Manchester and Leipzig on how to address active ageing through policy strategy and urban development and planning.
The second day was a business meeting where SAF members looked at the ongoing network work and key EU policy developments.

Mexico City offers free app that can save your life
Following an earthquake that shook the capital and Southern Mexico on 20 March, ICLEI Member Mexico City has released a free app that will alert Blackberry users when a major earthquake is approaching.
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard says there are monitoring stations in remote areas of the country that detect earthquakes and send signals to Mexico City from 5 to 10 seconds before the earthquake reaches the capital.
"Even a few seconds warning will be valuable in helping people take action to protect their lives," remarks Ebrard.
The city is also planning to use the monitoring system to set off sirens that would alert all residents.

"Car Culture is our main challenge and creating a Green Culture is our next one": Andrea Colombo about sustainable mobility in Bologna
The city of Bologna actively thrives for more sustainable urban transport, is involved, among others, in Civitas Mimosa and called for cities to join a cycling challenge recently. In March Bologna won the 2011 European Mobility Week Award. It was presented in Brussels by Commissioner Kallas to the city’s Mobility Councillor Mr. Andrea Colombo. Interview with Andrea Colombo about the city’s challenges, creating a green culture and top priority for pedestrians.
http://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/200/45/quot-Car-Culture-is-our-main-challenge-and-creating-a-Green-Culture-is-our-next-one-quot-Andrea-Colombo-about-sustainable-mobility-in-Bologna/

World Urbanization Prospects: Urbanization a critical issue for Rio+20
With half of humanity living in cities today, urbanization is a critical issue for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20, which will take place from 20 to 22 June in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the United Nations said today.
Cities are where the pressures of migration, globalization, economic development, social inequality, environmental pollution and climate change are most directly felt, according to DESA. Yet, at the same time, they are the engines of the world economy and centres of innovation where many solutions to global problems are being piloted.
"The launch of the World Urbanization Prospects is timely because world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and other groups, will come together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet," stated the Secretary-General of Rio+20, Sha Zukang, in a news release.
"We expect world leaders to come up with concrete action plans to realize sustainable cities for the future we want," he added.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41722

Special Report - OP-ACT, tackling decline in Europe's smaller cities
Confronting the problems of decline in small and medium-sized cities has been the challenge facing the URBACT project OP-ACT since it was launched in 2009. As they finalise their Local Action Plans, we find out how three project partners are hoping to stabilise both the economic and social fabric of their cities.
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/news/?entryId=5137

Urban plans needed for better Palestinian development
UN-Habitat Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos has encouraged the Palestinian authorities to develop comprehensive urban planning so that growing cities can expand in a way which promotes economic development and provides sustainable, affordable housing for all of its people.
The comments came last week at the close of the first Palestinian Urban Forum, organized by the Ministry of Local Government, the Al Najah University and the municipality of Nablous, and supported by UN-Habitat. The Forum drew more than 800 people from the academia, government and civil society to shine a spotlight on urbanization in the region and to make concrete recommendations to the Palestinian Authority.
"I congratulate you on the establishment of a Palestinian Urban Forum and commend your commitment to the important issue of urbanization, especially in the context of the complex and difficult situation that you face," said Dr. Clos. "The future of Palestine is urban. If we want to make real progress towards sustainable urban development, we need to think beyond boundaries and more along the lines of economic and social integration."
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=11053&catid=5&typeid=6&AllContent=1

The potential of creative industries in Central European Cities
The creative industry sector is vital in moving towards a more innovative and competitive Europe. The transnational network “Creative Cities” aims to develop new tools to exploit the unused potentials of creative industries in Central European Cities. The project is financed by the Central Europe Programme and develops transnational clusters to make cities more attractive and to stimulate entrepreneurship. The actions and objectives of the network contribute to the achievement of the Lisbon agenda as the network provides hands-on knowledge to attract more investors in Central European Cities and thus generates more employment opportunities.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Economy_Knowledge_Employment/Urban_Economy/Specific_Sectors/Creative_Industries/The_potential_of_creative_industries_in_Central_European_Cities

CTBUH City Representative Programme
We are proud to announce the launch of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s City Representative program, part of an initiative to increase the Council’s presence at a grass roots level around the world. This new level of City Representatives will work closely with Country Representatives, where established, to create education and networking events, increase the awareness of best practices in tall buildings and urban design and grow the CTBUH’s involvement in the community.
We are actively seeking members to fill this vital role in cities around the world. This is a unique opportunity for a professional to establish themselves as a community leader and to work toward improving the quality of planning and construction in their home city.
To qualify, potential CTBUH City Representatives must be members in good standing of the CTBUH and recognized in the professional community for their accomplishments. City Representatives also should have experience in the development of significant tall building and urban planning projects, or have status as a high-standing academic focused on tall buildings.
Visit http://ctbuh.org/AboutCTBUH/GlobalRepresentation/tabid/90/language/en-GB/Default.aspx to see the current representation of CTBUH Leaders around the world.
If you are interested—or know someone who might fill this exciting and important role—please send a note to me at kbrass@ctbuh.org.

Bristol, Copenhagen and Frankfurt shortlisted for European Green Capital 2014
Bristol, Copenhagen and Frankfurt have been named as finalists for the European Green Capital 2014. The three cities, all EUROCITIES members, were selected out of 18 cities who applied for the 2014 title, which is currently held by Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain and by Nantes, France for 2013.
Four cities have been awarded the title of European Green Capital since its inception in 2010. As well as the current and 2013 title holders, EUROCITIES members Stockholm and Hamburg have also been European Green Capitals. The award is presented to cities that promote European environmentally friendly living. The finalists were selected by an independent jury who judged them according to 12 criteria.
The winner will be announced on 8 June 2012 at a ceremony in Vitoria-Gasteiz. You can find out more about the award here.
http://www.europeangreencapital.eu/

The SHAPES project on benefits and risk of urban cycling receives award in Belgium
The SHAPES project (Systematic analysis of Health risks and physical Activity associated with cycling policies) evaluates the benefits and risks involved in cycling in the city. This study was conducted at the interface of 3 domains: health, transport and environment.
http://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/204/45/The-SHAPES-project-on-benefits-and-risk-of-urban-cycling-receives-award-in-Belgium/

Provocative Images of Cities Without People
The Daily Mail shares the wonderfully scary work of Paris-based artists Lucie and Simon, who have created "Silent World," a series of enchanting but disturbing images of the world's major cities, bereft of people.
According the article, Lucie and Simon, who have been working together since 2005, focus on "blurring the line between reality and fantasy in their work."
As for the technical processes by which the stunning images were created, "the team used a neutral density filter on their pictures to create scenes right out of the Will Smith film I Am Legend or zombie saga The Walking Dead," which the article claims is the same technology used by NASA while studying the stars.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2122554/At-worlds-end-Artists-reveal-stunning-post-apocalyptic-images-worlds-major-cities.html

Launch of the European Citizen’s Initiative
The European citizens' initiative the European Union's first direct-democracy mechanism, was put into effect on 2 April 2012. It allows one million citizens from at least one quarter of the EU member states to invite the European Commission from to bring forward proposals for legal acts in areas where the Commission has the power to do so.
This initiative was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty. The organisers of a citizens' initiative, a citizens' committee composed of at least seven EU citizens who are resident in at least seven different member states, will have one year to collect the necessary statements of support. The number of statements of support has to be certified by the competent authorities in the member states. The Commission will then have three months to examine the initiative and decide how to act on it.
According to the European Commission’s vice-president Maroš Šefčovič, “this new right will open a new chapter in the democratic life of the EU. Not only will it provide a direct gateway for citizens to make their voices heard in Brussels, it will also encourage real cross-border debates about EU issues.”
http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/

Linking local governments and Mayors to a new economic paradigm
ICLEI President David Cadman to speak at Bhutan’s high-level meeting on ‘Happiness and Wellbeing: Defining a New Economic Paradigm’.
On 2 April 2012, the Royal Government of Bhutan convened a high-level meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where over 600 participants will work to implement “the vision of a new wellbeing and sustainability- based economic paradigm that effectively integrates economic, social and environmental objectives.”
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4827&tx_ttnews[backPid]=983&cHash=aecdc9b386

Urban governance in the EU: strategic and forward urban planning across Europe
The Community of Regions’ (CoR) publication titled ‘Urban Governance in the EU. Current Challenges and Future Prospects’ focuses primarily on strategic and forward urban planning across Europe. It gathers material from several conferences on urban matters such as territorial governance and environment or demographic change.
http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Urban_Policy/Urban_governance_in_the_EU_strategic_and_forward_urban_planning_across_Europe

Practice: “Prison! Me! No Way!” in Greenwich (United Kingdom)
The town of Greenwich, situated east of London, put in place two years ago the Crime and Safety Awareness Day. Entitled, ” Prison! Me! No Way!”, this action aims at warning young people about the risks of crime and the penalties incurred. One of the strong points of this action is that young people are invited to spend some time in a fully furnished life-size replica prison cell.
This action is implemented by the city, the local community, the Police, and the Greenwich Community Safety Partnership, who were concerned by increasing tensions among “rival” schools and a surge in knife crime.

Why Generation Y is Causing the Great Migration of the 21st Century
Nathan Norris explores what planners need to know about the trends driving Generation Y's quest for urban living and America's evolving housing market.
We've been surrounded with buzz over the last week regarding the decline of the suburb and the ascendency of cities. Norris looks at the motivators driving Generation Y's "Great Migration" back to the cities in search of adventure, convenience, freedom and connectedness. As planners gear up to design for new market dynamics, Norris describes Generation Y's inspiration:
"While the answer is complex, it comes into focus when you contrast the childhood lifestyle of Generation Y with the childhood lifestyle of previous generations. Like those before them, Generation Y currently finds themselves attracted to things they did not have growing up. Four that stand out are: 1. Safety to Adventure; 2. Isolated to Connected; 3. Inconvenient to Convenient; 4. Car Dependent to Car Independent."
With a little help from Boomers, gas prices, and need for higher Return-on-Investment to governments, serious change agents are reshaping markets while supply scrambles to catch up.
http://placeshakers.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/generation-ys-great-migration/

Transforming youth policy – Experiences from My Generation project
"Young people in Europe are not just disillusioned about their life prospects – they are angry and ready for action. They want to be heard and want solutions." This is the conviction of Robert Arnkil, Lead Expert for My Generation, an URBACT project that has identified ways for cities to strengthen connections linking policies and projects with young people. Robert Arnkil, says a new, more inclusive, approach is vital to building a sustainable youth policy in Europe. He tackles this issue in his article "In search of sustainability in Transforming Youth Policy".
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/news/?entryId=5142

EMI and ICLEI launch survey on urban sustainability in cities
In order to gauge the sustainability priorities and views of European cities, EMI and ICLEI have jointly launched a digital questionnaire on urban sustainability. Cities are asked to fill out the questionnaire before the 23rd of April so that results can be used in further developing EMI’s Urban Sustainability Research Agenda. The main aim of this Agenda is to, together with cities, identify new, overarching research questions so that cities can become (increasingly) sustainable.
http://www.eukn.org/News/2012/EMI_and_ICLEI_launch_survey_on_urban_sustainability_in_cities

Do Compact Cities Dream of Electric Cars?
New research suggests that the electrification of automobiles can undermine planning efforts to create denser development patterns and may work against policies that encourage non-motorized forms of mobility, such as biking and walking.
In the 60's, urban planners and politicians in Reykjavik consciously turned their back on Europe and sought to emulate the most advanced urban development planning in the world in the United States. The results would make any teacher proud: one of the highest per capita car ownership rates in the world, sprawling low-density urban development and a citizenry that is nearly allergic to public transportation.
Fast forward to the early 21st Century as new ways of thinking about mobility and transportation infrastructure begin to take hold in the midst of the worst economic collapse in Iceland's history. As Dagur B. Eggertsson, the former mayor of Reykjavik , noted “we [Icelanders] are really at a crossroads now in my opinion . . . are we going to stick to the 1960’s plan or are we going to make some radical changes?".
One of the more contentious questions within planning today is the role of the automobile within a sustainable mobility paradigm. The recent emergence of strong policy and planning support for the introduction of electric vehicles raises thorny questions as to whether or not this development will be complementary to, or conflicting with, other sustainable mobility planning goals, such as the pursuit of compact cities, restrictions on automobiles, promotion of walking and bicycling, and support for public transport.
Researchers from Aalborg University in Denmark and Reykjavik University in Iceland have carried out a pilot study in the Reykjavik city region concluding a strategy of provision for electric vehicles on a large scale represents a continuation of the dominant "predict-and-provide" transport engineering approach, drawing scarce financial and institutional resources away from path-breaking measures such as the efforts to create denser development patterns and promote non-motorized and public forms of transport.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09654313.2012.665036?journalCode=ceps20

Guanghzou International Award for Urban Innovation official launched
On March 28th 2012, the Press Conference and Launch Ceremony for Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation was officially held in the city of Guangzhou, China.
Representatives from the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the World Association of the Major Metropolises (Metropolis) and the city of Guangzhou issued invitation to global cities for participation in the award. In the meantime, the Unveiling Ceremony for the Guangzhou Award Organizing Committee was held, and the website for the award was officially launched.
Attached are related documents for the Guangzhou Award, including the Rules and Procedures, Submission Guide, Registration Form, Application Form, and Application Form Guidance, which are also available on the official website of the Guangzhou Award at http://www.guangzhouaward.org.
Applicants need to complete and return the Registration Form by 31st May, and the Application Form by 31st July.
For further information, please contact the Guangzhou Award Secretariat at info@guanghzouaward.org.

The Cleansing Power of Mexico City's Vertical Gardens
Damien Cave reports on Mexico City's ambitious efforts to reduce pollution and beautify the city through the planting of vertical gardens, and other progressive pollution reducing measures.
Cave reports on the remarkable transformation making the metropolis once called “Mexsicko City” into the envy of the developing world. "The laughingstock has become the leader as the air has gone from legendarily bad to much improved. Ozone levels and other pollution measures now place it on roughly the same level as the (also cleaner) air above Los Angeles."
VerdMX, a nonprofit that has installed three eco-sculptures across the city, is a symbol of the citizen-driven, cooperative efforts reflecting the city's growing civic consciousness.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/world/americas/vertical-gardens-in-mexico-a-symbol-of-progress.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss

COSME should reach cities and have a strong territorial dimension
EUROCITIES just published its position on the proposed COSME (competitiveness of enterprises and SMEs) programme for 2014-2020.
In November 2011, the Commission unveiled its proposal for a new ‘COSME’ (Competitiveness of enterprises and SMEs) programme for the 2014-2020 period.
COSME aims at improving the business environment and the competitiveness of European enterprises through four objectives: Improve the framework conditions for the competitiveness and sustainability of Union enterprises; Promote entrepreneurship; Improve access to finance for SMEs; Improve access to markets inside the Union and globally.
We recently published our position on Creative Europe. The main points are:
- COSME should reach cities and have a strong territorial dimension
- The regulation should clarify what actions will be implemented to facilitate SME access to markets outside the European Union and international industrial cooperation
- The Enterprise Europe network should be strengthened
- Financial instruments should be easily accessible for SMEs
- There needs to be wide dissemination of information about COSME, especially to local and regional authorities

New Platform Aims to Be a Facebook for Cities
Claire Thompson profiles Neighborland, an online urban planning platform that aims to promote organic conversations that can build momentum and facilitate connections around improvement projects.
Born out of a project started by artist Candy Chang in New Orleans in 2010, Neighborland has aspects in common with existing participatory platforms such as Mindmixer and Change by Us, but sees itself as offering a unique service.
According to Alan Williams, Neighborland’s director of community, "What’s different about Neighborland is we’re trying to build support for existing ecosystems,” Williams says. “We didn’t want to create a separate community, we wanted to provide a tool for the existing community. For almost every idea someone has about their neighborhood, somebody’s already working to make that change happen.”
"Neighborland serves as a forum to collect those ideas and, with Williams’ help, direct them to the people with the power to make them reality," writes Thompson.
"The platform provides a concrete, but continuously evolving, record of the needs and desires residents have for their neighborhoods," and makes it easier for public officials to track the wishes of their constituents.
http://grist.org/cities/facebook-for-cities-a-social-network-for-neighborhood-improvement/

Reforming the world's city networks, part 1: a time to cull
If we are living in the urban century, then the governance landscape at the global level does very little to reflect this fact. A cursory glance at recent national government and global institutional reports reveals nothing short of a truism: cities become more important as more people live in them. But how successfully do cities lobby for more power in a world dominated by nation states and 'inter-national' diplomacy and rhetoric?
Nowhere is the nation-state paradox more felt than in the global inter-municipal framework of institutions, which have existed largely unreformed for several years. Not a week passes without the creation of another urban institute or website on sustainable cities. Yet, in spite of the 'sexiness' of the urban agenda and the rise of Asian and Latin American cities in particular, most global city networks are often perceived as backwater committees of glad-handing mayors and their deputies working the sister-city circuit.
http://globalurbanist.com/2012/04/11/city-networks

49th International Making Cities Livable Conference
Planning Healthy Communities for All
Portland, OR, May 20 – 24, 2012
Environmental factors have been shown to significantly contribute to obesity, chronic physical ill health, social isolation, violence and crime. The way we built our cities in the 20th century amplified these problems. The 49th IMCL Conference on Planning Healthy Communities for All, in Portland, Oregon, May 20 - 24, will examine the evidence, and focus on how we in planning, public health, city government, and related fields can work together to reshape the built environment to improve physical and social health and well-being.
Richard J. Jackson, MD, MPH, author of Designing Healthy Communities, will launch the conference. Dr. Ungern-Sternberg, Governor for South Baden, has called the IMCL Conferences, “The most important continuous conference dialogue on making the world's cities and towns more livable for all of their inhabitants.”
Note: If you register now, you can take advantage of great discounts. Registration increases April 15.
The conference will bring together 350-400 delegates - elected officials, practitioners and scholars in public health, planning, urban design, landscape architecture, transportation planning, pediatrics, human development, social sciences, land use development and architecture from around the world. Exemplary cities, healthy planning models, community development strategies, analysis and design tools will be discussed. Educational walking tours of Portland, exhibits of successful designs for healthy, inclusive communities, and a Workshop on Achieving Healthy Inclusive Communities will round out the event.
For more information, please visit the website at www.LivableCities.org/conferences/49th-conference-Portland or contact Suzanne.Lennard@LivableCities.org.

Port cities: towards responsible growth
Growth is dead, long live growth!. The successive crises are putting into question the development model up to now prevalent. They are also putting into light one of the messages carried by AIVP since its foundation, that of the necessity of a responsible and sustainable development. In the front line during these crises, the port cities because of this are the places where solutions and the innovative strategies of tomorrow are invented. An immediate future where the port – urban entrepreneurial and citizen – will be more than ever in discussion with the city. The discussions during the coming World Conference of AIVP will provide perfect testimony to this.

CityHush research results to reduce traffic noise in cities
The EU project CityHush published updates on research results in its third newsletter. Two workshops for local authorities to learn about the CityHush concepts to reduce traffic noise will be held later in 2012.
Topics covered in the 3rd CityHush newsletter are:

• Cost & benefit analysis of quiet zones
  
• Low-noise tyres for electric vehicles
  
• Evaluation of the effect of restrictions on the use of studded tyres in quiet zones
  
• Development of a low noise road surface for inner city areas
  
• Low-frequency insulation of facades
  

A CityHush session "Acoustically Green Road Vehicles and City Areas" will be held at the international conference Euronoise 2012, 10-12 June in Prague. It targets urban transport noise experts from industry and research.
Two workshops specifically for local authorities will be organised in autumn 2012 to learn about the CityHush concepts and tools of traffic noise reduction. Date and place will be confirmed in the coming months.
The European CityHush project supports city administrations with the development and implementation of noise action plans according to the directive EC 2002/49. Noise action plans made with existing technology suffer from major shortcomings: there is a poor correlation between hot spots and annoyance and complaints, most measures lead to increased emissions, and only indoor noise comfort is addressed.
For more informationm visit www.cityhush.eu .

TEMS – The EPOMM Modal Split tool
TEMS – The EPOMM Modal Split tool is an online tool allowing access to modal split data from currently more than 330 cities across Europe, with more cities added all the time. This is the first publicly accessible database that allows easy access to such data on a European-wide scale. The database is rapidly expanding, as users can easily upload (www.epomm.eu/tems/upload) city data. Users can select a city from the map or compare a group of cities using search and benchmarking options. This allows, for example, to compare all cities in Europe with between 100.000 and 200.000 inhabitants and a cycling modal share of over 10%. The aim of EPOMM is to be able to provide the modal split data of all of the more than 600 European cities with more than 100.000 residents – and to foster discussion on a European standardisation of such data.

Housing and Transportation Affordability Has Declined Since 2000
A recent analysis by the Center for Neighborhood Technology reveals that less than one in three American communities are affordable when transportation costs are considered along with housing costs. Under an expanded definition of affordability (where housing and transportation costs consume no more than 45 percent of income), just 28 percent of communities are affordable.
http://www.cnt.org/news/2012/02/28/national-index-reveals-combined-housing-and-transportation-affordability-has-declined-since-2000/

Council of Europe launches publication on local authorities as solution to crisis
The Council of Europe has launched a book entitled Local Government in Critical Times: Policies for Crisis, Recovery and a Sustainable Future, which outlines the local level’s financial and budgetary development over the last three years.
Produced in collaboration with the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the book includes passages on the impact of the economic downturn, as adopted at the 17th session of the Council of Europe’s Conference of ministers responsible for local and regional government, held in Kyiv (Ukraine).
“Ever since the beginning of the crisis, CEMR has repeatedly shown that this situation can in fact prove to be an opportunity for Europe to define a new model of growth based on an endogenous development of territories,” recalls Frédéric Vallier, CEMR secretary general. However, this remains possible “so long as the states do not engage in a policy to recentralise means and that they preserve intact local and regional authorities’ financial independence and their capacity to act.”
In addition to analysing the crisis, this publication highlights several policy proposals, which demonstrate the important role of local and regional authorities in the recovery process when implementing these recommendations.
The publication, published on 21 March 2012, will notably be an important tool for national governments, local government ministries, finance ministries, local and regional authorities, their representative associations and non-governmental organisations.
http://www.ccre.org/docs/Local_Government_in_critical_times.EN.pdf

"Europe needs more local responsiblity and self-government to exit crisis"
“We cannot just adopt rapid and hasty solutions to the crisis, as the last thing we need is more bureaucratic centralism; what Europe needs is more local responsibility and self-government in order to truly solve this crisis.”
Such was declared by Wolfgang Schuster, president of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and mayor of Stuttgart, at a session on the financial crisis and its impact on local and regional authorities, organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
“We need to develop a new culture of political cooperation,” explains Schuster. “Indeed, youth unemployment, which currently affects seven million young people in Europe, climate change, energy, immigration and demographic change are all fields in which coordinated action and partnership is needed between all tiers of government as well as citizens, scientific experts and economists.”
The session on the crisis was organised in the context of the 22nd plenary session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, which took place from 20 to 22 March 2012 in Strasbourg, France. Other topics discussed include trans-border cooperation, Roma inclusion, regional governance and local democracy.

Brewing Innovation: Intercultural Practices from Delft
Delft (the Netherlands) is a charming medieval medium-sized city situated in the south-west Netherlands between Rotterdam and the Hague.
Migration history and policy
Around twenty-seven per cent of the Delft population of 100,000 are foreign born, which is twice as high compared to eleven per cent countrywide. Seventeen per cent of the local population have 'non-western' origins. Three major migrant communities - Turks, Surinamese and Moroccans - settled in Delft in the 1960s-1970s. In the 1980s-1990 they were joined by refugees and asylum seekers from Middle East and Africa (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Somalia). Furthermore, the city has recently welcomed a number of highly-qualified employees and students and has around 1,000 residents of Chinese origin
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/Cities/Newsletter/newsletter20/delft_en.asp

Special Report - OP-ACT, tackling decline in Europe's smaller cities
Confronting the problems of decline in small and medium-sized cities has been the challenge facing the URBACT project OP-ACT since it was launched in 2009. As they finalise their Local Action Plans, we find out how three project partners are hoping to stabilise both the economic and social fabric of their cities.
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/news/?entryId=5137

Twin Cities Studying Streetcar Feasibility
Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have studies underway to determine the feasibility of streetcars in several different corridors. Streetcars are powered by overhead electric and similar to light rail, but run in streets with other forms of transportation, and make frequent stops along comparatively short lines. Streetcars in other cities have been proven to spur economic development and promote increased housing density.
http://tlcminnesota.typepad.com/blog/2012/03/streetcars-and-the-funding-picture.html

Stockholm unveils plans to develop model green urban district
ICLEI member city Stockholm, Sweden has taken a step further in consolidating its reputation as a global leader in green urban planning with its latest project, Stockholm Royal Seaport.
The ambitious initiative is part of the former European Green Capital’s plan to create a district that can function as a model for other growing cities around the world.
The plan envisages the development of 10,000 new apartments and 30,000 new work places. In addition to housing and offices, the area will also include urban parks, an art gallery and a harbor for cruise ships.
The project embraces all aspects of sustainability. Learn more about Stockholm’s plans.
http://sustainablecities.dk/en/blog/2010/09/double-up-on-sustainability-in-stockholm

City Hacking Goes Mainstream
Within the last six months, two forward thinking American cities have created new positions for Chief Innovation Officers, with a mission to connect city hall with a new generation of problem-solvers outside of it, reports Emily Badger.
As distrust in the effectiveness of those working to improve cities from within the walls of city hall grows, a concurrent rise in interest among those outside city hall to work with, or around, government to achieve change in their communities is developing along with it, explains Badger. In recognition of this interest, and the opportunity to do more with less, cities are creating new Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) positions to engage and harness such potential resources.
Badger speaks with Jay Nath, the CIO for the city of San Francisco, and Adel Ebeid, CIO for Philadelphia, about their roles in working with, "the so-called civic hacker, a growing army of deeply committed, tech-savvy city-dwellers who don't necessarily want to work for government, but who wouldn’t mind spending a Saturday afternoon benevolently coding its data."
Badger connects the beginning of the governmental open-data trend to the appointment of Vivek Kundra by Barack Obama as the country’s first official chief information officer in 2009. As information has moved to the cloud, that has freed up information officers to focus more on innovation and less on infrastructure.
Among the biggest barriers to maximizing the potential of those working outside government comes from the attitudes and decades-old processes of those within. According to Badger, "People on the outside of government are much more comfortable with the idea of collaborative problem-solving. 'On the inside, it’s a different story,' echoes Ebeid. 'On the inside, you’re dealing with assembly-line processes that were developed in the ‘70s and ‘80s, a culture of ‘I’ve just got to get widgets out,’ rather than, what’s the value of what I’m doing?'”
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2012/03/dawn-municipal-chief-innovation-officer/1516/

New instruments for urban development explained at Berlin meeting
Discussions in Berlin on new instruments proposed for urban development under the future cohesion policy
Meeting at the Commission representation offices in Berlin on 2 March 2012, officials from German cities, MEPs, and Commission representatives debated the three new instruments proposed in the future cohesion policy for urban development: integrated territorial investment (ITI); community-led local development (CLLD); and urban innovative actions. The Commission launched new proposals for the future cohesion policy at the end of 2011. They are designed to reinforce the strategic dimension of the policy and ensure that EU investment is targeted towards Europe's long term goals for growth and jobs, Europe 2020. The policy was presented at the meeting by Margit Tünnemann from the European Commission directorate for regional affairs.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/New-instruments-for-urban-development-explained-at-Berlin-meeting-WSPO-8SLCJ7

Wroclaw has introduced an electronic chip city card called URBANCARD (Poland)
URBANCARD, a modern chip card, has now replaced traditional paper period cards in Wroclaw. It is personalised, so it can be identified or replaced if lost. The card incorporates student cards and payment cards and can also be used for entering the city zoo and swimming pools. Wroclaw authorities are planning to widen the range of the card’s use even further, making it a City Card for all kinds of urban activities.
http://www.eltis.org/index.php?uid=ZGZkZQLX&id=13&lang1=en&study_id=3176

City of New York awarded Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2012
The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2012 has been awarded to the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg (2002 – present) and the Departments of Transportation, City Planning and Parks and Recreation for New York City’s remarkable transformation from one at risk in the post September 11 period, to one scaling new heights. Within a short span of time, the city has reinvented and rejuvenated itself to give residents and tourists renewed confidence and optimism for the city’s future.

The Greenest Cities on the Planet
In a piece for GE's Ecomagination, Michael d'Estries takes a look at five cities that set the bar for cutting carbon, recycling waste, and making space for Mother Nature.
Thanks to innovative programs in alternative transportation, renewable energy, green building, and waste management, the following five cities earned d'Estries' vote for "Most Sustainable Cities in the World":
•Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
•San Francisco, California, United States
•Oslo, Norway
•Curitiba, Brazil
•Copenhagen, Denmark
Said d'Estries of Vancouver: "They already lead the world in hydroelectric power—making up 90 percent of its supply—as well as regularly tapping into renewables like wind, solar, and wave power. Thanks to mass transit, bike lanes (248 miles worth), ride sharing programs, and greenways, Vancouver has the lowest per capita carbon emissions of any major city on the continent."
The analysis looked heavily at cities' electric vehicle fleets, where San Francisco took the lead with over 1,000 EVs and 5,000 plug-in hybrids expected by the end of the year.
http://www.ecomagination.com/top-five-most-sustainable-cities-in-the-world?utm_campaign=outbrain

LINKS Project - How can eco-restoration become an asset for the local economy?
According to the URBACT project LINKS, in the economic current crisis eco-restoration can provide a new impetus for employment and boost the economy at large. Thus the project's nine partners organised their third thematic workshop in the French city of Bayonne on the topic 'How can eco-restoration become an asset for the local economy?'. Read the inputs and outputs of this challenging meeting.
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/news/?entryId=5133

The Next Mass Global Killer: Urban Air Pollution
Fiona Harvey delivers the findings of a new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), that predicts urban air pollution is set to become the biggest environmental cause of premature death in the coming decades.
Replacing such mass health hazards as poor sanitation and a lack of clean drinking water, the report predicts that "by 2050, there could be 3.6 million premature deaths a year from exposure to particulate matter, most of them in China and India." The news isn't much better for developed countries either, as exposure to ground-level ozone will severely impact public health.
The report is seen as a call to action to head off the anticipated effects of climate change, loss of biodiversity, strains on water supplies and the health impacts of pollution.
According to Harvey, "the OECD study alsos [sic] said that there are some actions that governments can take quickly to tackle some of the key problems. For instance, many governments treat diesel fuel for vehicles differently than petrol for tax purposes, with tax breaks that encourage the take-up of diesel. But although diesel vehicle fuel produces lower greenhouse gas emissions than petrol, it is far worse for spewing out small particulate matter, which is bad for urban pollution."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/15/air-pollution-biggest-killer-water

The European urban fabric in the 21st century
The Committee of the Regions fifth European summit of regions and cities took place in Copenhagen on 22-23 March 2012
More than 300 participants – mayors, representatives from the European institutions, urban planners and researchers – gathered in Copenhagen on 22-23 March for the Committee of the Regions fifth European summit of regions and cities.
The summit, on ‘The European urban fabric of the 21st century’ looked at the importance of promoting sustainable urban development in Europe and worldwide. Members of the Committee of the Regions adopted the ‘Copenhagen declaration’, which confirms the commitment of European cities towards green growth and economic recovery, and calls for a greater role for cities in European decision making, and financial support from the EU for integrated urban development.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/The-European-urban-fabric-in-the-21st-century-WSPO-8SVC6G

New Chinese Eco-City Aims to be Practical, not Perfect
Malcolm Moore reports on Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco City, the world's largest eco-city, where residents will be guinea pigs as planners experiment with the city around them.
Located just over an hour from Beijing by train, Tianjin looks very much like any other Chinese city on the surface: "shrouded in smog and depressingly grey," writes Moore. However, its ordinary appearance belies the progressive experiments being tested in the city. And according to Moore, "If a few of the small changes adopted in Tianjin were rolled out nationwide, the results could dramatically change China's devastating impact on the environment."
Some of the innovating technologies being tested in the city are electric driverless cars, a low energy lighting system, and trash cans that empty themselves.
Practicality, adaptability, and commercial viability are the goals guiding the city's technological experiments.
"Our eco-city is an experiment, but it is also practical," said Wang Meng, the deputy director of construction. "There are over 100 eco-cities in the world now, and they are all different. If you look at the one in Abu Dhabi, they spent a huge amount of money and bought a lot of technology. It is very grand, but is it useful?"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9151487/Chinese-move-to-their-eco-city-of-the-future.html

More than 1,000 cities now committed to Istanbul Water Consensus
The signing ceremony took place on the second day of the 3rd International Conference of Local and Regional Authorities for Water on 14 and 15 March 2012.
The Consensus now has an impressive 1,070 signatories, with cities and regions reconfirming their commitment to safeguard public control over water and to share responsibility for sustainable water management with local stakeholders. To the new signatories belong, among others, cities such as Strasbourg, Bethlehem and Corse.
David Cadman, ICLEI President and former Councilor of Vancouver, Canada, emphasized the urgency of re-thinking and upgrading urban water systems in his speech during the General Assembly at the end of the conference: “The 21st century will be the century of cities … This means building in 40 years what we have previously done in 4,000 years.”
Muchadeyi Masunda, Mayor of Harare, Zimbabwe, and Co-President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) - which co-organized the Conference together with the World Water Council – highlighted that: “The city networks are an important medium to implement concrete solutions”.
At the end of the conference the more than 350 participants also endorsed a message reflecting new issues and opportunities to accelerate sustainability in local water management.
This message is available in English, French and Spanish and includes, among others, a request to develop innovative financing mechanisms for enabling local and regional authorities to play a stronger part in decentralised cooperation and thus increase the benefits of North-South solidarity actions.
Furthermore, the political message pledges for a better involvement of local and regional authorities in the next UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro (‘Rio+20’) and an increased focus on water and sanitation issues in the related discourse on the Green Economy.
In addition, the message recognizes the Ministerial Declaration of the 6th Forum which emphasizes “the particular role of local and regional authorities in the principle of subsidiarity”, representing a major success with regard to their recognition in vital multi-level governance of water resources.
For more information, contact barbara.anton@iclei.org

Edinburgh sets new standard for cycling (UK)
The City’s 2012/2013 spending commitment of 5% of the transport budget for active travel is in addition to funding from external sources and is in contrast to many other local authorities in Scotland, some of which do not dedicate any funding at all for walking and cycling infrastructure.
http://www.eltis.org/index.php?uid=ZGZkZQLX&ID1=5&id=60&news_id=3237

What Will It Take to Win the Global Competition Between Cities?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, someone who may know a thing or two about running a successful city, pens an opinion piece examining what it takes to succeed in the global competition for people, visitors, and business.
For Bloomberg, the 21st-century global economy has fundamentally changed what it means to run a city, as individuals and capital become ever more mobile. As Bruce Katz, Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, recently discussed, cities are increasingly responsible for their own competitiveness on the global stage, and must take on obligations that traditionally have been the purview of national governments.
So what are the metrics by which success for cities can be judged? According, to Mayor Bloomberg, "For cities to have sustained success, they must compete for the grand prize: intellectual capital and talent."
"I have long believed that talent attracts capital far more effectively and consistently than capital attracts talent. The most creative individuals want to live in places that protect personal freedoms, prize diversity and offer an abundance of cultural opportunities. A city that wants to attract creators must offer a fertile breeding ground for new ideas and innovations."
"Economists may not say it this way but the truth of the matter is: being cool counts. When people can find inspiration in a community that also offers great parks, safe streets and extensive mass transit, they vote with their feet."

Cities play a key role in tackling demographic change and promoting active ageing
The Social Affairs Forum (SAF) took place in Brussels on 27-28 D March. Co-organised with the Brussels Capital Region, the event attracted a large number of cities reaching more than 110 participants.
The first day was dedicated to active ageing in cities and was organised in the framework of the 2012 European Year for active ageing and solidarity between generations. It began with an introduction to the challenge of ageing and existing responses to it at EU and at local level. The speakers included Lenia Samuel from the Commission’s DG Employment, Maria Iglesia Gomez of the Commission’s DG for Health and Consumers, Annette Perdaens of the Brussels’ Observatory of Health and Social Affairs and Dominique Verte from the Free University of Brussels (VUB).
The speakers highlighted the key role of cities in tackling demographic change and promoting active ageing. They stressed that ageing needs to be viewed as an opportunity not as a problem. Faced with a gradually increasing spending for health and social care, the panellists pointed out that we need to use our resources better to tackle the challenge of longer life expectancy and stability of public finances.
The afternoon session began with the speed networking session where 11 projects were presented. Participants learned more about how to promote entrepreneurship among older people, how to improve urban planning to adapt it to the changing demographic profile of the city and how to create opportunities for older people to take part in the life of their communities through networking or volunteering.
The afternoon panel debate focused on the practical proposals on how to improve cooperation between cities on active ageing. The speakers stressed the importance of taking action to tackle ageing and managing change in cities. The speakers included the representatives of the EU and international institutions such as Kartika Tamara Liotard MEP, Anne-Sophie Parent from AGE Platform Europe and Lisa Warth from WHO. Their input was followed by practical examples from Edinburgh, Manchester and Leipzig on how to address active ageing through policy strategy and urban development and planning.
The second day was a business meeting when SAF members looked at the ongoing network work and key EU policy developments.

Europe's Largest Civil Engineering Project
London kicks-off the beginning of a massive new rail line linking the city's western suburbs, including Heathrow Airport, through the city, and into the eastern suburbs in Essex.
The new rail line -- 40 years in the planning -- will stretch 70 miles across London, and is expected to carry 20 million people per year. The system is expected to help alleviate some of the pressure on London's existing rail system
NPR's Philip Reeves discusses two of the massive tunneling machines -- named Ada and Phyllis -- and the scope of the tunneling project.
The tunneling machines are "one and a half times the length of a football field," says Reeves. "They move at the pace of the average garden snail. And they generate enough force apparently to lift nearly 3,000 London taxis."
"The lines run along the northern edge of Roman and Medieval London and there's a lot of stuff down there. So Crossrail has got a team of archeologists and it says this is one of the most extensive archaeological programs ever undertaken in the U.K. And they've already started finding stuff during construction..."
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/17/148811125/london-starts-digging-massive-tunnels-for-transport

The ROSYPE project: a unique road safety campaign in Europe
Launched by Michelin, in partnership with the European Commission, the ROSYPE project (ROad Safety for Young People in Europe) aims at raising the road safety awareness of 730,000 young people.
As primary road victims, children, teenagers and novice drivers deserve special attention. That is the reason why the ROSYPE project uses an innovative approach to educate them. The project offers programmes adapted to each age group:
"Discovering mobility": from 6 to 12 years old
"Learning road safety rules": from 13 to 16 years old
"Responsible driving": from 17 to 25 years old
Each year, more than 30 initiatives are carried out in 15 European countries with the support of experienced partners. For instance, in France, Italy, Poland and Hungary, children learn about traffic rules and the importance of helmet-wearing. 60,000 helmets and 600 bikes are distributed to help them learn good cycling habits. In Germany, the Netherlands and Romania, Michelin uses its driving simulators to engage young drivers in a fun, positive and educational way to learn about road safety.
Unique of its kind, the ROSYPE project is based on a commitment shared by Michelin's European teams and regional or local public authorities who support activities in public areas or at school. The ambition is to significantly and lastingly improve road safety by protecting those most exposed to risk and to modify tomorrow's road user behavior.
For more information about the ROSYPE project, please visit the website: http://rosype.michelin.eu

Green Mobility Guide for the Performing Arts
Europe’s first Green Mobility Guide for the Performing Arts gives recommendations for reducing the environmental impact of touring European theatre companies and venues. It contains best practice case studies, statistics on the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of all activities related to arts performances, including how the audience travels to the show. It also provides checklists for artists planning tours.
http://www.eltis.org/index.php?uid=ZGZkZQLX&ID1=19&id=20#75

New Census Numbers Detail Surprising Facts About Urban Density
John King considers a new report released by the Census Bureau on Monday, which finds that of the ten most densely populated urbanized areas in the United States, nine are in the West.
As King comments, the Census Report "reaffirmed a counterintuitive truth: The cities of the West, barely considered cities at all by many East Coast pundits, often are more densely populated than such skyscraping metropolises as New York and Chicago."
The four most densely urbanized areas were all in California, with Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (nearly 7,000 people/sq mi), San Francisco-Oakland (6,266 people/sq mi), and San Jose (5,820 people/sq mi) topping the list. Of course, the New York-Newark area continues to be the most populous area, with 18,351,295 residents.
According to King, the density numbers, which are shaped by commute patterns and geographic features, rather than municipal boundaries, reflect the unique historic growth patterns of the West where there are "much more rigid lines of separation" between urban, rural, and wilderness land.
"It's a legacy of how in our minds' eye we have always separated California into 'urban' land and 'productive' land and then wilderness, the cathedrals of nature," said Jon Christensen, executive director of the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University.
Also of note in the Census Bureau's findings is that the nation's urban population as a whole "increased by 12.1 percent from 2000 to 2010, outpacing the nation's overall growth rate of 9.7 percent for the same period." In addition, "Among urbanized areas with populations of 1 million or more, the Charlotte, N.C.-S.C., area grew at the fastest rate, increasing by 64.6 percent."
For King however, "The most intriguing nugget found in the density measurements might be the hints that the American norm of growth - ever outward, with densities in a constant decline - might be coming to a halt in certain desirable locales."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/26/BAG91NQI7S.DTL

Danish cities team up to fight youth unemployment
Inspired by our Cities for Active Inclusion, Denmark’s six main cities, led by Copenhagen, have outlined proposals for the Danish government to tackle youth unemployment
The proposals are set out in a charter, ‘Towards the future: tackling the problem of youth unemployment in Denmark’.
Like elsewhere in Europe, youth unemployment is a problem in Denmark. In 2010, the unemployment rate was 7.6%. The figure for young people (15-24 years) out of work was 14.3%.
The six cities (Aalborg, Aarhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Odense and Randers) have four proposals:
reform Denmark’s secondary education system
provide opportunities for young people without qualifications: do not give up on them
support graduates in finding a job as soon as possible
think outside the box to integrate public services
The charter is available in English on the Cities for Active Inclusion website, where you can also find the recent Cities for Active Inclusion report on youth employment.
http://www.eurocities-nlao.eu/

March 2012 News.