Paris embraces the ’15-minute city’ concept

Helena Horton writes on the Guardian website about the urbanist Carlos Moreno on how his concept is transforming French life and what is hindering change across the Channel in the UK. Why has the ‘15-minute city’ taken off in Paris but become a toxic idea in UK? The “15-minute city” has become a toxic … Continue reading Paris embraces the ’15-minute city’ concept →

One year out from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic and Paralympic games, the clean-up of the Seine shows there is public interest in clean, swimmable waterways for our health, wellbeing and pleasure

Gary Osmond from The University of Queensland and Rebecca Olive from RMIT University write on The Conversation website discuss the plans to use the River Seine for Olympic swimming and how important this initiative is for our environmental wellbeing. Olympic swimming in the Seine highlights efforts to clean up city rivers worldwide One year … Continue reading One year out from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic and Paralympic games, the clean-up of the Seine shows there is public interest in clean, swimmable waterways for our health, wellbeing and pleasure →

One local authority’s launch of a retrofit academy to create jobs address skill shortages

Martin Guttridge-Hewitt writes on the Environmental Journal website about the initiative of Essex County Council in England to develop a training pipeline in order to plug a skill shortage in the region. They were faced with 68% of the local homes with an EPC rating of D or below and they seriously needed an upgrading. … Continue reading One local authority’s launch of a retrofit academy to create jobs address skill shortages →

For Europe’s mayors it’s the Green Deal or bust, and it’s time everyone put their cards on the table

Burkhard Jung, president of Eurocities and mayor of Leipzig, Germany, in an article on the Politico website, explains the important role cities are playing in the implementation of the EU European Green Deal. Europe’s mayors are looking forward to a sustainable future, but, as Mr Jung explains, some governments seem ready to backtrack and there … Continue reading For Europe’s mayors it’s the Green Deal or bust, and it’s time everyone put their cards on the table →

Amsterdam and the circular economy

Suzanne Bearne writes on the BBC News website about some of the effort being made to be a circular economy. Is this happening in your city or region? Can Amsterdam make the circular economy work? At United Repair Centre (URC), located next to the popular indoor food market Foodhallen in Amsterdam, Bakri Zaitoun is … Continue reading Amsterdam and the circular economy →

Greening from the bottom up

High-level solutions and grand designs will not fix climate change. Christof Brandtner, Assistant professor in organisational and economic sociology at EM Lyon Business School argues in an article on The Conversation website that the bulk of the action will have to take place at the interfaces between local governments and the organised citizenry. What are … Continue reading Greening from the bottom up →

Blog from Jane Marsh: Bringing Low-Cost Solar to Rural Communities

Many people believe that solar power is the future of energy production. However, implementing it is not always as straightforward as it may seem at first. More specifically, if people live in rural areas and can only afford low-cost solar installations, they typically have fewer overall options to consider. However, that’s starting to change, thanks … Continue reading Blog from Jane Marsh: Bringing Low-Cost Solar to Rural Communities →

New EEA study on urban sustainability

There is a unique opportunity for European cities to better align their the post-COVID-19 recoveries with efforts to make them more sustainable and tackle the impacts of climate change all at the same time. A key legacy of the pandemic is that our cities are a lot more flexible and open to change when it … Continue reading New EEA study on urban sustainability →

Over recent years, Paris has implemented an array of measures to prioritize pedestrians, cyclists and transit while bringing car use screeching to a halt

The share of journeys made by car in the city has fallen by nearly half, and the trend is only accelerating. Peter Yeung discusses the trend in Paris in an article on the Reasons to be Cheerful website. Cars Are Vanishing from Paris Bright parasols, wooden sun loungers and expanses of golden sand suddenly … Continue reading Over recent years, Paris has implemented an array of measures to prioritize pedestrians, cyclists and transit while bringing car use screeching to a halt →

Move to electric vehicles in California hailed as ‘monumental’

Dani Angulano writes The Guardian about new plans in California to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. For years, as California has moved ahead with ambitious clean-air regulations, the state has had to prod the auto industry to go along. Now, in the push to electrify the nation’s car fleet, it is … Continue reading Move to electric vehicles in California hailed as ‘monumental’ →