29/6/2011 - Policy Implications for Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) and Innovation in Regions in a Globalised Economy.
29/6/2011 - New City Planned For Unlikely Corner of California Desert.
29/6/2011 - UN-HABITAT unveils new Charter of Values.
29/6/2011 - The Top 10 Cities Leading the Way on Climate Change.
29/6/2011 - Liveable Cities Forum: Designing Biodiversity Friendly Communities - Register Now!.
28/6/2011 - Old Airport to Become Large Urban Campground.
28/6/2011 - ICLEI joins OECD governments at their meeting on Urban Policy.
28/6/2011 - South Korea to Build New Capital for Southern Sudan.
28/6/2011 - Green cities for Europe’s growth.
27/6/2011 - CEMR meets with Barroso to discuss the EU budget, Europe 2020 and governance in partnership.
27/6/2011 - Webinar: Lessons From Leading Resilient Cities .
26/6/2011 - Forging our urban future .
25/6/2011 - CEMR questions feasibility of 3% target for annual renovation of public buildings.
24/6/2011 - ICLEI’s Local Action Counter records cities working towards sustainability.
24/6/2011 - Three Model Cities Seattle Can Learn From.
23/6/2011 - Park Under Toronto Freeway to Transform City.
22/6/2011 - EUROCITIES 25 years publication: ‘my city – my view’ .
22/6/2011 - Rebuilding Tsunami-Wrecked Japan As Smart Towns.
21/6/2011 - Mega-Cities Team Up to Fight Climate Change.
21/6/2011 - Washington Towns Reimagine Waterfronts.
20/6/2011 - Stripping back street clutter.
20/6/2011 - Local Planning Offices Eliminated.
20/6/2011 - Explaining Induced Traffic.
19/6/2011 - Five cities are named finalists in tap water taste competition.
19/6/2011 - Innovative Designs for Car Parks .
18/6/2011 - Companions in French public transportation.
18/6/2011 - New Google App: "Mapnificent" .
18/6/2011 - IWA World Water Congress Call for proposals.
17/6/2011 - Argentina Gets Its First Bus Rapid Transit.
17/6/2011 - Le Corbusier Buildings Rejected From World Heritage List.
16/6/2011 - Launch event of the World Bank - Austria Urban Partnership Programme and Symposium.
16/6/2011 - Groundbreaking Climate Change Plan.
15/6/2011 - Presentations on “smart city Wien”.
15/6/2011 - Envisioning a Lush Mexico City.
14/6/2011 - Cities for Children: "Vital that children learn to use media technology responsibly and independently.
13/6/2011 - C40 and ICLEI to establish Global Standard on Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Cities.
13/6/2011 - Evidence That Smart Growth Strategies Curb Emissions.
13/6/2011 - Value for money: CEMR calls for real reform of EU public procurement.
12/6/2011 - ICLEI’s Local Action Counter showcases cities working towards sustainability.
11/6/2011 - UN-HABITAT at OECD transport summit.
10/6/2011 - Oldenburg (Germany): a city where all the citizens participate in crime prevention.
10/6/2011 - Project ISIS – a world first from Cape Town, South Africa.
9/6/2011 - Chinese province holds exhibition on human settlements.
9/6/2011 - What went on during HerO Final Conference?.
8/6/2011 - Funding for adaptation needs to be bottom-up.
8/6/2011 - Launched! ICLEI white paper 'Financing the Resilient City'.
7/6/2011 - How to Get People to Ride Transit.
6/6/2011 - Value for money: CEMR calls for real reform of EU public procurement.
5/6/2011 - Treasure hunt on Barcelona's public transport.
5/6/2011 - An Olympic Ghost Town in Rio de Janeiro.
4/6/2011 - ICLEI Africa Signs MoU with cewas.
4/6/2011 - Downtown Winnipeg's Comeback.
3/6/2011 - A new roadmap for Iraq’s local government.
3/6/2011 - Loved Cities Prosper.
3/6/2011 - New Smart Cities and Communities initiative.
2/6/2011 - Building Green Cities: Public Policies Manual for Sustainable Construction.
1/6/2011 - Chicago Plans for a Warmer Future.
1/6/2011 - Clos hails new course on Millennium Development Goals.
1/6/2011 - Density is Good for Cities, But is it Healthy for Kids?

Policy Implications for Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) and Innovation in Regions in a Globalised Economy
The Research Centre for Spatial and Organizational Dynamics (CIEO) is organizing in cooperation with the Regional Studies Association and the Birkbeck - University of London the conference «Policy Implications for Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) and Innovation in Regions in a Globalised Economy on the 14th and 15th of October 2011 in the University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
The main focus of this seminar will be multitasking in the rural world: small firms, technological change and sustainability. The workshop will be targeted at understanding KIBS in rural and other peripheral areas/regions in Europe, with a close up view of the southern Iberian Peninsula.
Call for Papers: http://www.cieo.ualg.pt/downloads/RSA_Faro_Call_for_papers_October2011.pdf

New City Planned For Unlikely Corner of California Desert
Travertine City would house 35,000 residents on the shores of the Salton Sea, California's largest - and most unpleasant - body of water. Developers claim that it will be a model of sustainability. "
Josh Stephens sets the scene:
"With a surface level at 227 feet below sea level and shoreline temperatures often rising past 120 degrees, the Salton Sea could be mistaken for the headwaters of the River Styx. Sometimes, concentrations of salt in the brackish lake, formed by a not-quite-natural overflow of the nearby Colorado River a century ago, asphyxiate resident tilapia fish by the thousands. Currently California's largest lake--larger, even, than Tahoe--the Salton Sea itself may soon dry up, leaving a dust-filled crater."
The proposed new city would:
"cover 5,000 acres along the northwest corner of the Salton Sea, roughly 10 miles from Mecca and 35 miles from Palm Springs. It is designed as a self- contained city, with mixed uses, employment centers, and over 13,000 units of housing for over 35,000 residents. It would also have a marina and other shoreline amenities—assuming, of course, that the Salton Sea does not dry up before the project is completed."
http://www.cp-dr.com/node/2960

UN-HABITAT unveils new Charter of Values
UN-HABITAT this week unveiled a new Charter of Values to underpin the agency's growing relationships with private sector partners around the world.
In a move beyond the UN's Global Compact which provides an overall value framework for business partners of the United Nations, the UN-HABITAT Charter, solicited by the Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos, is aimed at strengthening and improving ties with partners which support the agency's mandate in their quest for better cities.
Nowadays, most of the business community share common objectives of more efficient, productive and inclusive cities with the United Nations.
UN-HABITAT is well aware that the private sector is a vital partner which must be engaged if the world's cities are to achieve sustainability. It is indeed looking for partners able to join hands in delivering better cities with companies committed to its mandate as part of their core business or their corporate social responsibility. That goes from assisting in post-disaster intervention, supporting water and sanitation projects or youth driven initiatives targeted at poor neighbourhoods in countries in need, to cite some key examples.
http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/UN-HABITAT-Charter-ofValues-forPrivateSectorPartners.pdf

The Top 10 Cities Leading the Way on Climate Change
Predictable cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland are in the Top 10, but cities like San Diego and San Jose also hold prominent spots on the list.
Boyd Cohen, CEO of CO2 IMPACT, a carbon origination company based in Vancouver, Canada, breaks down what these cities have done to reduce carbon emissions.
Denver is #5:
"According to a city press release, Denver's Fast Track "is the most ambitious transit initiative in U.S. history… building 119 miles of new light rail"
within just a few years. Along with strong sustainability objectives, Denver is projecting a 37% increase in job growth by 2030, showing that the low carbon
economy is alive and well."
And what is San Diego doing to be included?
"San Diego intends to take advantage of its great climate and abundant sun by adding 50 megawatts of renewable energy by 2013 (much of it being new solar
capacity) while achieving a 50 megawatt reduction in energy use through efficiency and demand side management measures."
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/top-10-climate-ready-cities/

Liveable Cities Forum: Designing Biodiversity Friendly Communities - Register Now!
Elected officials, municipal staff, and others working towards biodiversity management and conservation are invited to gather and exchange experiences at the Liveable Cities Forum: Designing Biodiversity Friendly Communities.
Join your colleagues at the Biosphère - Environment Museum in Montréal, Québec from August 21-22 for an international conference on local biodiversity conservation and management practices. The Forum offers the opportunity to receive the latest information on urban biodiversity and also to attend workshops on useful tools and resources. The Liveable Cities Forum will explore the ways to apply biodiversity conservation measures in local practices. Sessions hosted by leading experts will give delegates the opportunity to examine the importance of urban biodiversity protection and engage in workshops and discussions.
As an official side event to Ecocity, the Forum will compliment and contribute to delegates’ overall experience and involvement in the Ecocity World Summit 2011. Register Now!
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=12084

Old Airport to Become Large Urban Campground
An old disused airport in Brooklyn will be converted into an urban campground, expanding from its current 5 campsites to more than 600.
The former airport is owned by the National Parks Service, which is hoping to provide more wilderness space to city dwellers and offer an affordable alternative to vacationing.
"'We want to make New York the leading example of what we can do around the country with urban parks,' Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said this week.
Floyd Bennett Field, more recently known as the “ghost airport,” has seen increasing pressure by the aviation industry to reactivate, especially due to over -congestion in both JFK and LaGuardia airports. The old airport, however, which was once used by Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes, now belongs to the National Park Service."
http://inhabitat.com/nyc/old-brooklyn-airport-to-be-transformed-into-giant-urban-campground/

ICLEI joins OECD governments at their meeting on Urban Policy
The 34 members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are gathered together on 16 - 17 June 2011 in Paris as the Working Party on Territorial Policy in Urban Areas. The Working Party is discussing issues such as Resilient Cities, Green Growth and greenhouse gas inventories of cities.
ICLEI is the only local government network present at the meeting . It is the first time ICLEI is joining the OECD’s Urban Working Party, showing the realization by the OECD governments and Secretariat as well as by ICLEI and its members that increased exchanges and coordination can be beneficial.
Susanne Salz of ICLEI presented the key outcomes of ICLEI’s Resilient Cities 2011 congress, following a presentation by the Government of Japan on the flooding caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011.

South Korea to Build New Capital for Southern Sudan
The new country of Southern Sudan, officially declaring its independence in July, will have help from the national development arm of South Korea in building a proposed new capital city.
The state-run developer has pledged to serve as the main consultant in the process of building what's proposed to be a brand new city.
"Under the agreement with the government of southern Sudan, LH Corp said it would offer the African country technical support to draw up a master plan.
'Southern Sudan's government, currently based in the southern city of Juba, is considering development of the new capital in line with its new status as an independent state,' LH Corp said in a statement."
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/s-korea-to-help-plan-south-sudan-s-new-capital-1.822352

Green cities for Europe’s growth
EU climate commissioner Hedegaard credits local government for 'green economy' ambitions
Europe’s cities stand ready to deliver ‘green growth’ by fostering jobs and wealth creation while reducing carbon footprints. That was the message of a meeting in Copenhagen today between EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard and mayors of leading EU cities.
Recognised around the world for pioneering climate action, European mayors insist it is both possible and profitable for the EU to meet economic needs while advancing environmental priorities. By concentrating population and providing the critical mass for innovation in resource efficiency, cities offer the most sustainable form of development for the future.
At today’s meeting Frank Jensen, Mayor of Copenhagen and president of EUROCITIES said:
“Europe will never meet targets for climate action and economic growth without smart solutions from cities, citizens and businesses. City mayors are uniquely placed to lead this change in how we live, work and travel. It’s essential that the EU and our national governments support us more strongly in these efforts.”
As of June 2011, the EU’s internationally renowned Covenant of Mayors had attracted some 2,700 signatories, local mayors all committed to cutting CO2 emissions by and beyond 20% by 2020. Referring to the initiative’s success, commissioner Hedegaard said:
“While the international negotiations are moving forward at depressingly slow speed, it is extremely encouraging to observe how much is going on at other levels. Cities have huge potential to involve their citizens and businesses in green growth, to innovate, test new solutions and bring them to the market.”
Across Europe, cities are demonstrating the financial and social gains of sustainable approaches by creating programmes in partnership with universities, technologists and the private sector. Copenhagen’s goal to become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025, for example, is supported by practical plans ranging across transport, health, energy, industry and the service sector.

CEMR meets with Barroso to discuss the EU budget, Europe 2020 and governance in partnership
European local and regional leaders called on European Commission President Barroso to put forward “ambitious EU budget proposals” in order to stimulate the economy and asked that municipalities and regions be given.an active role in the design and implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy.
This call was made two weeks prior to the unveiling of the post-2013 EU financial framework during a meeting held today in Brussels between the presidents of associations representing local and regional authorities, the President of the Committee of the Regions, Mercedes Bresso, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso.
The local and regional leaders stressed that the new EU budget must be “substantial” if it is to respond to the challenges ahead and to support economic recovery. A fair share of the upcoming budget should be dedicated to cohesion policy and could, if needed, be based on own resources.
Local and regional leaders also underlined that the Europe 2020 strategy must create a sense of “ownership” among all levels of government, as a large number of the strategy priorities concern local and regional authorities.
Finally, local and regional leaders stressed that political developments at the EU's external borders are a historical challenge that requires new and effective solutions.
http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=2098

Webinar: Lessons From Leading Resilient Cities
Learn how 4 leading European cities have improved their community resilience to climate change and taken bold steps on mitigation. We'll take you on a virtual tour of their efforts.
Date: Wednesday, June 29, 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. Eastern
How are the most innovative cities improving their community resilience and preparing for climate impacts? Join ICLEI USA and ICLEI Canada for this webinar in which we share what we learned touring four European cities -- Dresden, Rotterdam, Bonn, and Freiburg -- as part of our recent Resilient Cities Study Tour. Staff from local governments in the United States and Canada joined us, and they'll join our webinar to share their perspectives on the leading edge of community resilience.
http://www.icleiusa.org/news-events/webinar-lessons-from-leading-resilient-cities/

Forging our urban future
UN-HABITAT's Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos, joined ESADE Business School Professor Javier Solana, and personalities from a range of cities around the world for a day of talks earlier this month on the implications of a rapidly urbanizing world. For details, http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=9985&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0&AllContent=1.

CEMR questions feasibility of 3% target for annual renovation of public buildings
While the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) welcomes the proposal for a new EU directive on energy efficiency, presented on 22 June 2011, it calls into question the feasibility of the proposed 3% target for the annual renovation of public buildings.
"The target, which would obligate local and regional authorities to renovate 3% of public buildings each year starting 1 January 2014, is currently too ambitious and unrealistic, even for the most advanced municipalities and regions", explains Marie Bullet, CEMR policy officer on energy. "Indeed, local and regional governments require sufficient flexibility as well as a certain amount of time and visibility when it comes to planning and prioritising investments, developing strategies and building competences."
Nowadays, local and regional authorities also face a number of financial constraints and the European Commission's proposal fails to provide sufficient guarantees and solutions when it comes to financing upfront investments for the renovation of public buildings.
Despite this proposed target, CEMR is pleased that the directive puts forward a number of measures relating to local and regional government, which notably recognise their vital role in developing a more energy efficient society and in supporting a radical change in the behaviour of citizens.

ICLEI’s Local Action Counter records cities working towards sustainability
With one year to go to Rio+20 ICLEI has launched an online counter, where individuals can declare their city is working for sustainable development. This global initiative seeks to publicize the vast number of cities already taking action, to show world leaders that cities are key to getting our planet back on track and building a just, sustainable and secure future for all.
ICLEI aims to mobilize citizens across the world to promote and recognize their city’s work by simply entering their details in the counter. When populated, the counter will be one way of reflecting the progress of the Local Agenda 21 movement and provide an inspiring reminder that each small step taken at the local level adds up to something extraordinary globally.
Check which cities have already been added and add your city to the counter.
http://local2012.iclei.org/add-your-city/whos-already-in/

Three Model Cities Seattle Can Learn From
Los Angeles, Cincinnati and San Francisco are tackling major urban problems quickly and effectively. This post argues that Seattle can learn much from these efforts.
As Seattle battles over whether to build a new waterfront tunnel, this post argues that it can learn a lot from three problem-solving cities.
"Is this extreme? Is this harmless? Is Seattle fiddling while its economy and its competitiveness burn? Is there any way to get the important issues (funding highway and transit improvements, job growth for non-tech sectors, re-financing the University of Washington, unfunded liabilities, the impasse over taxes) back in the foreground?
Impossible, you say? Well, consider the tales from three cities and how they are pulling together for impressive action on some big problems. In each case the resources mobilized and the broad political bases are commensurate with solving big challenges. These examples, in turn, may be harbingers of the kind of swing back toward concerted political power that could be heading for this region if the pendulum swings back sharply from the stalemated, insurgency years of Mayor Mike McGinn."
http://crosscut.com/2011/06/02/urban/20973/How-three-cities-are-solving-big-problems/

Park Under Toronto Freeway to Transform City
Construction has begun on a new park beneath a Toronto freeway overpass. The Toronto Star's Christopher Hume says the park will change the city forever.
Known as "Underpass Park", the space is expected to complete construction by the end of the year.
"Though it remains a sea of mud, the land’s enormous potential is easy to see. From a planning perspective, however, the problem is what to do with a series of shadowy overpasses that run through the site, separating one half from the other.
Elevated expressways are right up there on the list of most effective city-killers, but here at least the space beneath Toronto’s infamous raised highways will be transformed into something open, accessible, usable, and even enjoyable.
That’s a lot to ask, but Vancouver landscape architecture firm Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg has devised a program of sports courts, cafes and wooden strips that rise out of the ground to become benches. Not surprisingly, lighting will feature prominently in the new facility, part of an effort to make up for the lack of daylight."
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/997723--hume-underpass-park-will-change-the-city-forever

EUROCITIES 25 years publication: ‘my city – my view’
Over 70 contributions received for EUROCITIES photo book
This year EUROCITIES celebrates 25 years of successful work to promote the urban agenda in Europe. As part of the anniversary activities, EUROCITIES is marking the occasion by publishing a photo book, 'my city - my view', showing how young people in our member cities between 15 and 25 view their city today. In the context of this year's EUROCITIES conference in Genoa, Italy, the photos will illustrate 'people and place': themes like ‘wealth and poverty’, ‘planning for the future’, ‘transformation processes’ or ‘liveable neighbourhoods’ allow a different view of the city from the usual marketing and promotion images.
Over 70 cities have contributed to the photo book and competition, which closed on 1 June. Photos, along with their descriptions, have now been sent to the jury who will pick three equal winners, to be announced after 21 June. All photos will be published in our book, which will be presented at the Genoa 2011 annual conference. All young photographers participating in the competition will also be invited to attend the conference, to meet with politicians, attend the competition awards ceremony and to enjoy a special side programme of activities.

Rebuilding Tsunami-Wrecked Japan As Smart Towns
Panasonic and a group of companies are planning on building a new demonstration "smart town" in Kanagawa Prefecture on a site the tsunami destroyed.
Panasonic says it will rebuild with "next-gen power-generating and power-saving infrastructure from the ground up."
From the press release:
"Specifically, the company plans to preinstall its solar power generation systems and home-use storage battery systems across the town, including homes, various facilities and public zones, which would be the first of its kind in the world."
Panasonic also explains that smart towns could become a very lucrative market for them:
"Global demand for the development of new cities, mainly driven by Asia, is expected to reach 3,100 trillion yen by 2030, prompting numerous projects in cities throughout the world for the development of smart cities and eco cities aimed at achieving low carbon societies."
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-05/panasonic-plans-sustainable-smart-town-japan-2014

Mega-Cities Team Up to Fight Climate Change
The mayors of the world's biggest cities convened in Sao Paolo recently to team up against climate change and sea level rise. Neal Peirce sees much promise in the effort.
As Peirce reports, the organizers behind the international compact are aiming to become the world's leading and most effective environmental organization.
"But the object isn’t to expand C40 membership indefinitely, said Rohit Aggarwalla, the first director of Bloomberg’s “PlaNYC” sustainable investment effort and now a leading figure in launching the new C40. Rather, he said, the new goal is to include each new world “megacity” of 10 million or more inhabitants that appears on the world stage, and in addition to include the globe’s top 25 metros in GDP — places that “punch above their weight economically.”
In a second major move at São Paulo, the World Bank’s president, Robert Zoellick, was on hand to announce his institution was terminating its historic practice of dealing exclusively with national governments. Now, he said, there will be “one-window access” for cities to tap the bank’s climate-related expertise, based on a new C40-bank agreement. Zoellick said the bank’s climate investment funds — which totaled $6.4 billion last year — might now enable cities to attract as much as $50 billion in private capital for their climate projects."
http://citiwire.net/post/2754/

Washington Towns Reimagine Waterfronts
A number of cities in Washington are embarking on waterfront redevelopment projects. The projects range from the relatively small to the complete makeover.
Towns like Bothell, Bellingham, Bremerton, Kirkland, and Port Angeles are all beginning waterfront projects.
"As ambitious as they may be, those plans in Bothell pale in comparison to those of other cities in western Washington.
True, some cities waited too long. Bellevue long ago gave up most of its waterfront to private homeowners and is only now getting a toehold back on a short stretch of Meydenbauer Bay. Kirkland’s modest downtown waterfront park was an early win more than three decades ago, but further expansion and connections to downtown have been stalled in debates over the loss of parking and wavering political will.
But while these relatively well-heeled cities fuss and fume, a number of other cities and towns have made remarkable headway."
http://crosscut.com/2011/06/06/architecture/20982/Remaking-urban-waterfronts:-not-just-in-Seattle/

Stripping back street clutter
Living Streets campaign to rid our streets of unnecessary guard railing, bollards and street signs has once again been given national recognition.
Local Government Minister Grant Shapps has today called for residents to get thinking about how they would make changes to their local streets. Too often, local residents feel powerless to improve their streets. But the Government has emphasised that communities coming together to create a ‘neighbourhood plan’ under new powers in the Localism Bill will be able to set policies to improve their local street environment, for example by getting rid of clutter and improving the quality of signage and street furniture. Local communities are being encouraged to decide how they will use these new powers to make their streets safer, more attractive and more enjoyable.
Excessive street signs, bollards and guard railings have become a menace, turning our streets into unattractive obstacle courses, creating trip hazards for pedestrians and obstructing people with mobility difficulties and parents with children. Living Streets has long called for councils to design and manage streets with direct input from the people who live in an area – the people who know best about what needs to change to improve their local streets and public spaces.
Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets said:
“Too often, guardrails end up penning in pedestrians, bollards are installed without thought to the effects on people in wheelchairs or parents with pushchairs, and advertising boards and big wheely bins are left blocking the pavement.
“Community powers, stronger guidance from central government and a coordinated approach from local councils are all vital in making our streets safe, attractive and clutter free. Councils in particular should see this announcement as a clear signal that they can and should remove unnecessary clutter without fear. This is an opportunity to save money and deliver positive action for communities by ensuring that decluttering is prioritised and championed across all departments.
“Through our own audits with local communities and councils, we have found that stripping back street clutter transforms our streets from obstacle courses to enjoyable open spaces where people want to walk. We welcome steps towards cutting the clutter.”

Local Planning Offices Eliminated
Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee has slashed 58 jobs from the Department of Economic and Community Development -- including the entire local planning assistance division.
Duane Marsteller explains that the cuts reflect the move away from standard economic development tactics like recruiting out-of-state companies and into fostering the growth of local, existing businesses:
"The division's pending demise comes as Haywood County, for instance, is depending upon state planners for guidance in revising its growth plans and urban growth boundaries for the cities of Brownsville and Stanton, County Mayor A. Franklin Smith said."
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110607/BUSINESS/306070050/TN-Economic-Community-Development-cut-58-jobs?odyssey=mod|newswell

Explaining Induced Traffic
Eric Jaffe at The Infrastructurist explains the non-intuitive reason why often removing freeways means less traffic.
Jaffe turns to a study by two economists from the University of Toronto, Gilles Duranton and Matthew Turner:
"Duranton and Turner analyzed loads of data on traffic, infrastructure, and travel behavior from metropolitan regions across the United States and found that 'vehicle-kilometers traveled … increases proportionately to roadway lane kilometers for interstate highways.' For those who don't care for either academic abstracts or the metric system, the authors then parse their conclusion in pithier terms: 'roads cause traffic.' The basis for this confusing reality, write Duranton and Turner, is a three-pronged 'fundamental law of highway congestion' that explains why road construction can never keep pace with road congestion..."
http://www.infrastructurist.com/2011/06/06/why-building-roads-creates-traffic/

Five cities are named finalists in tap water taste competition
Five cities were selected today as finalists in The U.S. Conference of Mayors 2011 Best Tasting City Water in America contest following the preliminary round of competition held at the USCM headquarters in Washington, D.C. The five cities are: Albany, NY; Denton, TX; Racine, WI; Rochester, NY; and, Pembroke Pines, FL.
The finalist cities will advance onto The U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Baltimore from June 17-20.
Mayors attending the annual meeting will serve as judges for the final round of competition, and the winning city will be announced on the morning of Monday, June 20.
In addition to receiving the bragging rights of “Best Tasting City Water in America” as determined by their mayoral peers from around the nation, the winning city will receive a cash award of $15,000, which can be used to publicize the outstanding quality of their water to the public and the successful efforts of that city’s water department to produce it.

Innovative Designs for Car Parks
Donovan Gillman writes that since most of us can't simply get by without cars, we need "more livable and likable places to park them." His post at Sustainable Cities Collective includes photos of some interesting car parks.
Donovan Gillman, a landscape architect, believes that "utilitarian spaces, such as car parks, present architects and designers with a unique opportunity to bring beauty and harmony to the everyday functional spaces that are normally ignored by great design minds."
From post at Sustainable Cities Collective:
"Modern design is all about "experience" and these car parks pictured acknowledge that one's experience of a private or public place begins the minute they pull up in their car. Innovative developers and designers are recognizing just how crucial this is – it's almost too late by the time the consumer arrives at the front door. The "experience" of good design starts well before that."
http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/urban-choreography/25836/no-more-boring-labyrinthine-car-parks

Companions in French public transportation
The French ‘Les Compagnons du voyage’ (the transportation companion), created in 1993, offers an aid service in public transportation for children, elderly- or disabled people. The idea behind this practice is that it helps to acquire or maintain independence.
Description: Making life easier in cities for anyone in need of support during their travel
Les Compagnons du voyage strives to make life easier in cities for any person in need of support during their travel. The service is offered regularly and companions are required to be on time. They are trained to work as a companion, they know about first aid, and they go about with a positive attitude towards the traveller in need. Informed about various disabilities the ‘compagnons’ learn sign language or techniques to guide visually impaired people. They also know the main effects of Alzheimer's disease. In short travel companions are taught a good sense of service.
Method: available 7 days a week
Travellers in need of aid in public transportation can reach Les Compagnons du voyage via telephone, email or via mail service. Thus travellers can reach out for help in various ways assuring them of service 7 days a week. There are more than 100 active companion who can choose to help out part-time or fulltime. The service costs are between 15 and 25 euros an hour but travellers can get part of these costs back from the government. Many have made use of this service since its opening, making it popular in France. Not only are children, elderly- and disabled people helped with this service, but it also creates job opportunity for the companions.

New Google App: "Mapnificent"
A new google app, dubbed Mapnificent, allows you to choose a starting location and then see all the places that you can reach by public transportation within a specified amount of time.
From post by Andrew Price at Good Magazine:
"Mapnificent is a Google Maps application that provides a brilliant new way of looking at your local geography... [it] lets you pick an apartment, restaurant, or bar based on the amount of travel time you can tolerate."
http://www.good.is/post/an-app-that-organizes-your-city-by-travel-time/

IWA World Water Congress Call for proposals
Making a presentation at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition in Busan is a valuable and unique opportunity for you to meet other members of the community of world-leading water professionals. It will not only enhance your professional reputation and demonstrate that you are an expert in your field but allow you to exchange ideas, explore the state of the art and debate the key issues underlying the science and practice of water away from the pressures of your day-to-day routine. The call for proposals closes on 15 August 2011. Start constructing your proposal now so that you don’t miss the deadline.
http://www.iwa2012busan.org/programme/submit-a-proposal/

Argentina Gets Its First Bus Rapid Transit
Mauricio Macri, the mayor of Buenos Aires, inaugurated Argentina’s first bus rapid transit system today, marking its first day of operation. The system’s fruition is the result of a collaboration between the Institute of Transportation Policy and Development (ITDP), the W.J. Clinton Foundation, and the city of Buenos Aires. Government officials and the public witnessed Macri introduce the 12km (7.5 miles) corridor and speak of the tremendous impact this transit system will have in improving people’s lives.
“The implementation of Metrobus in Buenos Aires, the first BRT corridor in Argentina, represents significant progress in the development of urban transportation, allowing for an increased quality of life of more than 100,000 people,” said Macri. “Our main goal, as those responsible for urban planning, is to restore the quality of public transportation, for which the support of the W.J. Clinton Foundation and ITDP has been crucial in the process of development and implementation of a world-class BRT system. In the coming years, based on the success of this first phase, we plan to continue the expansion of the BRT network in the City of Buenos Aires.”
http://thecityfix.com/blog/argentina-gets-its-first-bus-rapid-transit/

Le Corbusier Buildings Rejected From World Heritage List
A consultant has recommended to UNESCO that they reject a proposal to include 19 buildings designed by French architect Le Corbusier on their list of world heritage sites.
The buildings up for recognition are located in 6 countries, and includes the National Museum of Western Art in Japan.
The International Council Of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) says its recommendation to reject the Le Corbusiers is based on their opinion that they fail to "demonstrate remarkable universal significance of the modern architectural movement," according to the Daily Yomiyuri Online.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110528002670.htm

Launch event of the World Bank - Austria Urban Partnership Programme and Symposium
On 25 May 2011, the World Bank Institute and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance officially launched the World Bank - Austria Urban Partnership Programme. The launch event was held in the Coat-of-Arms Hall at Vienna’s City Hall and simultaneously marked the opening of the symposium on “Innovative and Sustainable Cities”, which took place on the following two days as part of the programme. TINA VIENNA worked on behalf of the World Bank and provided the World Bank Institute with organisational and technical support in the planning and hosting of the events.
http://tinavienna.at/launch-of-austria-world-bank-urban-partnership-program-in-vienna/

Groundbreaking Climate Change Plan
Once a bastion of sprawl, the San Diego region is now embracing one of the most significant regional planning efforts in the nation's history. It is the first region in California to draft a Sustainable Communities Strategy, as mandated by SB 375.
SANDAG (The San Diego regional planning agency) is behind the strategy, which is currently open for public comment before being approved. The goal of the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) is to reduce the region's per capita emissions by 7% by 2020 and 13% by 2035.
Josh Stephens reports:
"By now, the methods for reaching such targets have become well accepted throughout the state. Regions are encouraging compact development, beefing up public transit plans, and allocating new housing—according to Regional Housing Needs Assessments—in locations that enable residents to drive less, rather than by spreading housing evenly around a region. San Diego especially is investing in transportation demand management (TDM) strategies such as high-occupancy toll lanes on its freeways.
A combination of all of these tactics, officials say, will enable the region to meet, or even exceed, its SB 375 targets. Moreover, SANDAG is going beyond 2035 and actually is planning for growth through 2050."http://www.cp-dr.com/node/2955

Presentations on “smart city Wien”
According to the EU’s initial expectations, the “Smart Cities & Communities” industrial initiative of the EU’s SET plan (one of 8 industrial initiatives contained in the SET plan) will trigger European investments amounting to about 12 billion euro in the next ten years, which will be supported by EU and national funding schemes. In the context of the “smart city Wien” project, the City of Vienna will take advantage of the opportunity to play a leading role in European research and technology development when meeting global challenges. Both at the REAL CORP 2011 in Essen and at the Smart City Conference in Sofia, the initiative and the project of the City of Vienna were presented, among others, by TINA VIENNA Managing Director Alexandra Vogl.
http://tinavienna.at/project-smart-city-wien

Envisioning a Lush Mexico City
Two architects submit a plan to Mexico City planners that includes bringing the Río Piedad back to life and revitalizing the city with green public spaces along its waters.
Damien Cave reports on the visionary plans of architects Delfín Montañana and Elías Cattan.
Their proposal would "restore at least three rivers, replacing busy roads with a ring of water and parks around the city center. A few lanes for cars would be allowed on the outer edges, but walking, bicycling and mass transit would take precedence. There would be fish and birds living in the river, and driving across to the urban core would mean paying a congestion tax.
"It's urban surgery," Mr. Cattan said. "It's not acupuncture."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/01/world/americas/01mexico.html?_r=3&src=rechp

Cities for Children: Vital that children learn to use media technology responsibly and independently
“In today's world of fast-changing media and social media developments, it is vital that children and adolescents learn how to use modern media technology responsibly, independently and safely,” declared Frédéric Vallier,.secretary general of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)at the occasion of the Cities for Children conference held in Stuttgart, Germany on 6 and 7 June, 2011.
This year's edition of the conference focused on “media competence” and the impact of media on children in urban areas. Participants were thus given the opportunity to exchange and develop progressive concepts on how to promote the well-being of children, young people and parents.
“I would also like to highlight that all children, irrespective of their social or cultural background, should have the opportunity to develop their potential,” continued Vallier, “all the more so when considering the effects the economic and financial crisis has on our societies' more vulnerable groups. In these cases, the repercussions on children can often be dramatic, which is why it is necessary that we find innovative ways in which to help these families.”
The European network of Cities for Children, created in 2007, includes 68 cities from 32 European countries which actively take part in the network's activities.

C40 and ICLEI to establish Global Standard on Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Cities
Standard approach for accounting and reporting greenhouse gas emissions will boost cities ability to access funding and implement actions
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, announced at the C40 Cities Mayors Summit in Sao Paulo that the two organizations will establish a global standard for accounting and reporting community-scale greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that can be used across multiple platforms. This common approach will help local governments to accelerate their emission reduction activities whilst meeting the needs of climate financing, national monitoring and reporting requirements. The standard will be released in time for UNFCCC COP 17 in November (Durban, South Africa).
The standard, once developed, will result in consistent, robust and comparable city inventories. It will also allow for accurate monitoring of progress against emissions targets, facilitate robust climate action planning, and provide standard guidance as local governments pursue environmental review, inventory certification and other relevant policy making processes in their day-to-day operations.

Evidence That Smart Growth Strategies Curb Emissions
A new report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute says that new evidence shows that smart growth policies can have a significant effect on vehicle miles traveled and thus reduce emissions.
Robert Steuteville of the New Urban Network delves into the report, which is written by frequent Planetizen contributor Todd Litman. Litman writes that "smart growth can provide large cumulative impacts":
"In automobile-dependent, sprawled locations virtually every adult resident owns an automobile and uses it for most travel, and average trip lengths are relatively long. In multi-modal, smart growth locations residents tend to own fewer vehicles, drive fewer annual miles, and rely more on alternative modes."
Steuteville focuses on real-world evidence of this from the report from Portland, Oregon:
"Neighborhoods with good transit and mixed use average 9.8 VMT/household/day. Neighborhoods with good transit but no mix of uses average 13.3 VMT/household/day. The rest of the region, with no mix of uses or good transit — mostly characterized by suburban sprawl — averages 21.8 VMT/household/day.
This difference — 55 percent less automobile use in mixed-use, transit-served neighborhoods compared to sprawl — is dramatic."
http://newurbannetwork.com/news-opinion/blogs/robert-steuteville/14788/does-smart-growth-reduce-carbon-emissions-bet-house-it

Value for money: CEMR calls for real reform of EU public procurement
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) calls on the European institutions to lead a real reform of the EU public procurement regime, bringing the policy back to its original objective of “value for money”.
In its call,* CEMR asks that the European Commission put forward a “light” procurement regime, with a special focus on the principles of equality, transparency and non-discrimination put forward in the Treaty on the EU. Moreover, CEMR asks that the Commission allow for more flexibility when it comes to negotiations in all procurement procedures, as they have become too complex, leading to costly and burdensome administrative procedures, especially for local and regional authorities.
In an effort to simplify procurement policy, CEMR also calls on the European Commission to increase the threshold levels from which a European public procurement procedure becomes applicable, so as to achieve a balance between the procedure and result. Indeed, CEMR advocates for a “freedom to procure”, in line with the principle of local and regional self-government.
The use of information technology could notably play a major role in simplifying the public procurement regime as well as reduce administration and costs. Thus, CEMR calls for the alignment of e-procurement initiatives with the modernisation of public procurement policy.
Finally, CEMR advocates that public-public cooperation and service concessions should continue to be excluded from the application of the public procurement directives.

ICLEI’s Local Action Counter showcases cities working towards sustainability
With one year to go to Rio+20 ICLEI has launched an online counter, where individuals can declare their city is working for sustainable development. This global initiative seeks to publicise the vast number of cities already taking action, to show world leaders that cities are key to getting our planet back on track and building a just, sustainable and secure future for all.
Register your city now: www.iclei.org/local2012
The UN Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20, will take place from 4 – 6 June 2012 and marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Earth Summit, an extraordinary milestone in the global sustainability process and the birthplace of the Local Agenda 21 movement. With the Local Agenda 21 movement now almost 20 years old, it’s time to evaluate what local sustainability has achieved. ICLEI, as the initiator of the movement, is strongly involved in the Rio+20 preparatory processes, leading the Local Sustainability 2012 global study, participating in the official UN Rio+20 preparatory meetings and coordinating the input from local authorities.
How do you know if your city or town is working for sustainable development? The most popular definition of sustainable development says that it is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. At the local level, it is about saving environmental resources, providing good quality of life for all and developing a healthy economy.
Local governments can contribute to sustainable development in many different ways, from building cycle paths to saving energy and using renewable energy sources. ICLEI aims to mobilise citizens across the world to promote and recognise their city’s work by simply entering their details in the counter. When populated, the counter will be one way of reflecting the progress of the Local Agenda 21 movement and provide an inspiring reminder that each small step taken at the local level adds up to something extraordinary globally.

UN-HABITAT at OECD transport summit
UN-HABITAT was one of the participant institutions at the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) organized International Transport Forums' (ITF) 2011 annual summit held here last week.
Top on the agenda of the meeting was finding solutions on how transport can better serve its users and through this creating more livable and sustainable societies.
The summit served as a platform for vibrant exchange of ideas about recent developments and the future of transport among transport ministers, business leaders, mayors of major cities, top researchers from Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America and Australia. This year, the debate focused on the theme "Transport for Society".
"Meeting People's Needs in Policy and Planning", one of the key sessions, focused on how to maximize the benefits of transport for society, now and in the future. Keynote speaker Jeffery Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute of Columbia University cautioned participants not to underestimate the environmental load caused by mass urbanization in the developing world and the resultant transport needs.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=9932&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0&AllContent=1

Oldenburg (Germany): a city where all the citizens participate in crime prevention
“Watch out! Speak out! Do something!”. In the German city of Oldenburg, situated in Lower Saxony (160,000 inhabitants), all the citizens are invited to participate in crime prevention. Indeed, the motto of the city’s prevention council is: “Let’s all do prevention“.
Founded in 1997, Oldenburg’s Crime Prevention Council (Präventionsrat Oldenburg, “PRO”) includes today some 30 organisations coordinated by the city’s town hall: police, justice, university, associations, clubs etc. Indeed, local authorities consider that crime prevention is a key-element of the overall management of the city, not only to fight crime but also to create a feeling of security among the population. The missions of the Crime Prevention Council are quite broad, as it is in charge of identifying the causes of crime, developing local solutions, and defining and overseeing specific projects.
Oldenburg’s Crime Prevention Council is keen to foster citizens’ participation and is open to all sorts of initiatives: giving ideas, providing resources for a project, supporting the work of the Council, making its work known… Among its partners is the association of the “friends of Oldenburg’s Crime Prevention Council”, and it is supported by various private sponsors.
Members work in eight different areas, through various thematic working groups and by overseeing specific projects. Among the main themes of work are mediation in schools, moral courage, elderly people, child protection, graffiti, night mediation, addictions, the house of youth justice, and new media.
http://www.efus.eu/en/policies/national/germany/public/2118/

Project ISIS – a world first from Cape Town, South Africa
The City of Cape Town, South Africa, has developed a new exclusively developed integrated property data management system, a world first and a remarkable achievement for the city. The Integrated Spatial Information System (ISIS) promises to speed up service delivery by better capturing and managing property data.
Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt, Mayoral Committee Member for Planning and Environment, is in charge of the ISIS Project. She said that in her opinion, “Cape Town would be the only municipality in the world to have such a seamless transition of property data into financial data available on a single system”.
ISIS is an internationally developed system that will be used to solve the challenges faced by the City in managing a number of municipalities, all of which use different data and GIS management systems.
It will streamline the various systems that are currently used to capture all property information in Cape Town, by integrating the City’s records management and property data into one system. Alderman Nieuwoudt expects the ISIS system to become operational this year.
http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/Pages/CTscoresworldfirstwithProjectISIS.aspx

Chinese province holds exhibition on human settlements
The Chinese province of Zhejiang on Thursday unveiled an exhibition on human settlements development at the United Nations Office at Nairobi in Gigiri.
The exhibition has pictures depicting various aspects of life in Zhejiang, including countryside images, historical edifices as well as architectural and engineering masterpieces. Also being exhibited are books on Chinese history, culture, language, arts, architecture, environment and urban development. The books will be donated to UN-HABITAT at the end of the exhibition.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=9928&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0&AllContent=1

What went on during HerO Final Conference?
The URBACT 'HerO - Heritage as Opportunity' project held its Final Conference in the German Lead Partner city Regensburg on 13th and 14th April 2011. HerO project was looking for joint, effective and sustainable solutions in the field of cultural heritage and urban development. The aim of this event was to present the HerO network’s findings to a wider international audience
http://urbact.eu/en/header-main/news-and-events/view-one/urbact-news/?entryId=5065

Funding for adaptation needs to be bottom-up
To cover the shortfall of finance for urban adaptation, there needs to be a change in global financing systems from the current top-down approach to a locally orientated demand-driven approach. In short, an inversion of global adaptation financing is needed.
At the current level of commitments from governments 200 billion US dollars will be available for climate change adaptation funding over the next 20 years. However, according to UNFCCC estimates up to 67 billion US dollars will be needed annually by 2030.
To cover the lack of adaptation funding there needs to be a change in global financing mechanisms and acknowledgement that the majority of the costs of adaptation will be borne by urban areas.
In short, an inversion of global adaptation financing is needed. The current top-down approach in funding needs to be replaced by a locally orientated demand-driven approach.
A white paper on ‘Financing the Resilient City’, was launched today at ICLEI’s Resilient Cities 2011 congress in Bonn, Germany. It identifies shortfalls in the global funding structures for adaptation, and sets out innovative ways to overcome them.
Jeb Brugmann, author of the white paper, says: “What is needed is to build on local expertise and institutions and fund what is needed locally, rather than conventional global financing mechanisms determining what local action is eligible for funding.”
Mexico City’s Mayor Marcelo Ebrard underlines: “The architecture that is available now is not working, why, because it is not designed to help the cities; it is designed to work with the national governments.” Communities should be involved in the decision making and delivery of local adaptation action as well, argues Mayor Didas Massaburi of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
“The challenge for the international architecture is to let go of the command and control wish over climate funds”, confirms Paul Clements-Hunt, Head of the UNEP Finance Initiative.
The white paper also puts forward the idea that financing mechanisms have to be broadened to allow for more private investments in addition to existing global climate funds. Andrew Steer, the World Bank’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, supports this idea: “We have got to be more imaginative in our environmental financing, managing to make things more comfortable for investors, and maximizing returns”.

Launched! ICLEI white paper 'Financing the Resilient City'
The ICLEI white paper on 'Financing the Resilient City' has just been launched at the Resilient Cities 2011 world congress in Bonn, Germany. Download a copy for more information http://iclei.org/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Global/Publications/Report-Financing_Resilient_City-Final.pdf

How to Get People to Ride Transit
With car companies spending billions to promote their products, transit advocates have a lot to compete with. A new report from EMBARQ looks at how transit can rebrand and be sexy.
The report looks at how branding and marketing techniques can be employed by government agencies to increase ridership:
"To create a successful brand, then, a public transport system should start by defining its core values. Most public transport systems strive for a brand that clearly presents their services as modern, efficient, rapid, reliable, convenient, comfortable and safe. In many cases, extensive market research about current and potential passengers will reveal any other values that need to be incorporated in a successful brand."
http://www.wri.org/stories/2011/05/here-there-creative-guide-making-public-transport-way-go

Value for money: CEMR calls for real reform of EU public procurement
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) calls on the European institutions to lead a real reform of the EU public procurement regime, bringing the policy back to its original objective of “value for money”.
In its call,* CEMR asks that the European Commission put forward a “light” procurement regime, with a special focus on the principles of equality, transparency and non-discrimination put forward in the Treaty on the EU. Moreover, CEMR asks that the Commission allow for more flexibility when it comes to negotiations in all procurement procedures, as they have become too complex, leading to costly and burdensome administrative procedures, especially for local and regional authorities.
In an effort to simplify procurement policy, CEMR also calls on the European Commission to increase the threshold levels from which a European public procurement procedure becomes applicable, so as to achieve a balance between the procedure and result. Indeed, CEMR advocates for a “freedom to procure”, in line with the principle of local and regional self-government.
The use of information technology could notably play a major role in simplifying the public procurement regime as well as reduce administration and costs. Thus, CEMR calls for the alignment of e-procurement initiatives with the modernisation of public procurement policy.
Finally, CEMR advocates that public-public cooperation and service concessions should continue to be excluded from the application of the public procurement directives.

Treasure hunt on Barcelona's public transport
For the 23rd year the Barcelona metropolitan transport authority organises a treasure hunt on its transport system. This initiative aims at promoting public transport use among teenagers. It is a competition in which participants travel through the city on public transport solving questions and overcoming obstacles.
Each spring a new treasure hunt is realised in Barcelona, which is open to everybody, but mostly attended by teenagers. In the 23rd edition, up to 1000 teams are allowed to take part, each team consisting of 4 members. At the start the teams get instructions on the route and clues on the obstacles they will have to overcome and the items they will have to find. The better they perform the more points they get. Additional points can be gained by dressing up according to the predetermined leitmotiv, which this year is “piece of art”, i.e. a symbolic scene or a scene from history, or mythology. The teams get free tickets for travelling on all TMB public transport and are allowed to have a back-up team, provided they do not use cars or motorbikes during the competition.

An Olympic Ghost Town in Rio de Janeiro
Preparations for the World Cup and Olympics are displacing hundreds of families in Rio de Janeiro. One neighborhood next to a major stadium has been turned into a ghost town.
Few families remain in this favela, where hundreds of families have been forced to move out to allow for preparations for the sporting events.
"Since February, nearly all of the buildings surrounding Freitas's home have been levelled as part of work to revamp the city's infrastructure before the World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.
Redbrick shacks have been cracked open by earth-diggers. Streets are covered in a thick carpet of rubble, litter and twisted metal. By night, crack addicts squat in abandoned shacks, filling sitting rooms with empty bottles, filthy mattresses and crack pipes improvised from plastic cups. The stench of human excrement hangs in the air.
'It looks like you are in Iraq or Libya,' Freitas said, wading across mounds of debris that now encircle his home. 'I don't have any neighbours left. It's a ghost town.'"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/26/favela-ghost-town-rio-world-cup

ICLEI Africa Signs MoU with cewas
The role of local governments and key stakeholders at the local level in the sustainable management of sanitation and water has been further strengthened by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between cewas, the International Centre for Water Management Services, and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability – Africa. The MOU was signed during the inauguration ceremony of cewas in Willisau, Switzerland on 18 May 2011.
cewas is a Swiss-based international centre of competence in the field of sustainable sanitation and water resources management and was established as an association based on Swiss-law in 2010. cewas is organised into four business domains (a Start-Up Centre, a Think-Tank, a Training Centre and a Business Platform).
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4636&tx_ttnews[backPid]=983&cHash=d2722ba96f

Downtown Winnipeg's Comeback
Once the site of neglected and abandoned buildings, Winnipeg's downtown is now seeing a host of construction and renovation projects, thanks to its redevelopment corporation, new incentives, a mixed use zoning bylaw -- and a change in perceptions.
Winnipeg has joined other North American cities in trying to reverse its suburban expansion by targeting its downtown with new residential and mixed-use developments. With numerous new projects underway -- including a new national museum -- the investments appear to be paying off. Whether Winnipeggers will embrace downtown living in sufficient numbers remains to be seen. According to the Globe and Mail,
"A rush to the suburbs in the 1970s gutted the inner city and crippled downtown retail. Heritage buildings that would be hot commodities elsewhere have sat unoccupied for years, and parking lots seem to occasionally outnumber the cars that use them. Now, the city is desperately trying to realign itself, drawing life back to its centre as a way to sustain its economic core. [Winnipeg's Mayor Sam] Katz hopes to bring about at least 3,000 people [to live in] the downtown core over the next few years. It may not sound like a lot, but it requires a change of mindset as well as changing laws.
It was only in 2004 that [the] new zoning bylaw was introduced, allowing mixed-use development and truly accommodating private-sector investment in downtown living. Programs like the city’s arms-length Centre Venture Development Corp. and the Portage Avenue Action Strategy were created to promote a new downtown vibe. The city is also hoping to develop some of the 154 surface parking lots spread across Winnipeg – valuable real estate that sits empty outside of business hours – and has offered a tax credit to homeowners who buy new infill-housing in established residential neighbourhoods."

A new roadmap for Iraq’s local government
Key representatives of the Iraqi government including Mr. Istebraq al-Shauk, Senior Deputy Minister for Construction and Housing, Mr. Kamil Chadirchi, Deputy Minister for Administrative Affairs, and Mr. Ayad al Safy, Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs, were in Amman recently to attend a high-level conference to determine the future of Iraqi governance.
"This conference represents the extent of cooperation, and of joint and serious action between the Iraqi Government and United Nations Agencies to concentrate the concept of decentralized government in Iraq," said Deputy Minister Mr. al-Shauk in his opening address.
The conference 8-10 May, organized by the UN-HABITAT Iraq office in Amman, brought together eminent speakers from the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and United Nations agencies together with experienced practitioners in the field of local governance, to set out a roadmap that will enable Iraq to move towards a system of effective decentralized local government.
All 18 provinces, or governorates, were represented at the Iraq conference 8-10 May in Amman Jordan by members of the Iraqi Local Government Association.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=9924&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0&AllContent=1

Loved Cities Prosper
When people love a city, it succeeds. That's the semi-obvious conclusion of a recent survey. So why aren't we working hard to make cities people will love?
Author Peter Kageyama 2008's Gallup Soul of the Community survey, found strong correlations between peoples' emotional attachment to the communities they lived in and higher levels of local GDP:
"These results should not be surprising — we all recognize that when children, pets, plants or even objects are loved, they thrive (yes objects – just look at the car of someone who loves it). So this emotional dimension to infrastructure should not be seen as superfluous." writes Kageyama.
Kageyama wonders why cities don't build more dog parks and public art that kids can play on, which are both high on the 'love' scale.
http://www.infrastructurist.com/2011/05/17/why-arent-we-building-emotionally-connected-cities-a-guest-post/#more-17384

New Smart Cities and Communities initiative
Focus should remain with EU's largest urban areas, says EUROCITIES
EUROCITIES has responded to a stakeholder consultation on the European Commission's new Smart Cities and Communities initiative to be launched on 21 June in Brussels.
This new campaign is intended to support cities and regions in setting up ambitious, large-scale actions that combine technical change with economic and organisational innovation and increase energy efficiency across all dimensions of urban life.
http://www.eurocities.eu/include/lib/sql_news_card.php?id=1909

Building Green Cities: Public Policies Manual for Sustainable Construction
The PoliCS project was launched in 2008, under the guidance of ICLEI, with the cities of Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Montevideo, Uruguay, as pilot local governments, and the cities of São Paulo and Porto Alegre, Brazil, as participating local governments.
The project, which was sponsored by the British Government’s Strategic Programmes Fund (SPF), aimed to encourage public administrations to develop and implement new laws and regulations to influence the construction sector to reduce its environmental impact and use innovative new techniques, technologies and materials that emit less CO2 in order to decrease energy consumption and illegal logging.
The 'Constructing Green Cities' manual brings together the results of the PoliCS governments, making available the methodology developed by ICLEI in order to facilitate the replication of the experience in other cities.
The publication aims to be an introductory tool, available to policy makers in urban planning, housing and environmental departments, who wish to learn more about sustainable construction and implement it in their cities. Its main objectives are to educate, inform and facilitate the implementation of local policies for sustainable building.
The guide is aimed primarily at governmental decision-making authorities and
technical staff, as well as public associations in the areas of construction and the private sector.
If you would like a copy of the manual, which is available in Spanish or Portuguese, please email the ICLEI Latin America and Caribbean Secretariat at iclei-brasil@iclei.org

Chicago Plans for a Warmer Future
Climate scientists have warned Chicago's planners that the City will be significantly warmer and wetter by the end of theentury. And from street trees to building standards, that message is infiltrating Chicago's planning and design.
Climate scientists say Chicago may feel like Baton Rouge by the end of the Century, so the City's planners are already implementing changes to prepare for a warmer, wetter future.
The City has banned the Illinois state tree (the white oak) from city planting lists, replacing it with southern swamp oaks and sweet gums. City thermal hotspots are getting vegetated roofs and pavement removal. Bike lanes are getting permeable pavement and intersections are getting flood control devices.
Mayor Richard Daley began this process back in 2006, when scientific models and risk assessments showed that projected changes in temperature and weather patterns could have drastic consequences for Chicago - from deaths to property damage to liability and insurance. But if the City began to act quickly and implement changes with the greatest cost savings and benefits, it would be possible to adapt to a changing climate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/science/earth/23adaptation.html?_r=2&hp

Clos hails new course on Millennium Development Goals
UN-HABITAT's Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos has congratulated the Sapienza Universita' di Roma for introducing a high-level course on Sustainable Development and the Millennium Development Goals. The course is the product of a partnership between UN-HABITAT and one of Europe's oldest and largest universities. For details, see: http://w3.uniroma1.it/sapienzamillenniumcourse/

Density is Good for Cities, But is it Healthy for Kids?
Yes, people walk around more, less obesity, etc. But a report shows that city kids are less frequently allowed outside to play for safety concerns.
Phil McDermott looks at research from New Zealand that suggests that city life offers significantly fewer opportunities for children to get physical exercise, light and fresh air. The report comes from Penelope Carroll and Karen Witten of Massey University.
McDermott summarizes:
"Witten and Carroll suggest that traffic volumes, strangers on the street, and lack of outdoor play space mean that children in central city environments are likely to be confined indoors. And that raises the disadvantages of high density dwellings: insufficient space, internal noise, lack of natural light, lack of privacy, inadequate parking, inadequate indoor play space, and the potentially hazardous nature of balconies. Poor health outcomes is a major concern."
http://www.newgeography.com/content/002243-where-do-children-play

May 2011 News.