A board game challenges players to decarbonise New York City

A board game give players a quick grounding in what solving climate change actually means, in a physical and social sense, based on demand of energy and the types of renewable or carbon neutral generation that can supply 8 million New Yorkers. Alyson Krueger describes the game in an article on the New York Times … Continue reading A board game challenges players to decarbonise New York City →

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 →

Trees, trees and yet more trees can help make Europe’s cities more comfortable

Jon Henley writes on The Guardian website about the importance of trees in urban settings. Sadly, many EU cities are less green than they were a century ago. ‘We need trees’: green vision struggles to take root in Europe’s cities From Madrid to Berlin and Paris to Budapest, scientists and planners agree, trees, trees … Continue reading Trees, trees and yet more trees can help make Europe’s cities more comfortable →

A strategy to unleash the green energy potential of vacant space in towns and cities should begin – and not end – with car parks

Dylan Ryan, Lecturer in Mechanical & Energy Engineering at Edinburgh Napier University writes on The Conversation website about the benefits of a wider programme to see solar panels installed not only on parking lots but also on derelict or vacant lots. What do you think? France’s plan for solar panels on all car parks … Continue reading A strategy to unleash the green energy potential of vacant space in towns and cities should begin – and not end – with car parks →

With the current architecture for climate finance, cities are being left out

The current architecture of the institutions and funds that provide climate finance is, however, not designed to work at a sub-national level. Therefore across the globe, cities are being left out. This situation is even more pertinent for African cities as Africa is both the fastest urbanising continent in the world and among the most … Continue reading With the current architecture for climate finance, cities are being left out →

New EEA briefing on urban prosumption

Europe’s urban centres offer opportunities for citizens to produce renewable energy as prosumers according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published this week. Cities can play a key role in Europe’s shift to a low-carbon future. Facilitating urban prosumption can help accelerate this process. Cities can offer new opportunities for prosumers of renewable … Continue reading New EEA briefing on urban prosumption →

The transition to “smart cities”

Europe is making good progress in getting urban areas into the digital age. A survey in 10 EU member states found that 88% of cities have started their digital transformation and that 69% were planning to invest in tech solutions in the next three years. Molly Killeen discusses latest developments in an article on the … Continue reading The transition to “smart cities” →

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 →

The city of Copenhagen, often celebrated as one of the world’s greenest for its cycling culture and other initiatives, recently defaulted on its pledge to become carbon-neutral by 2025

Since 2012, when Copenhagen launched its plan to become the first carbon-neutral city in the world by 2025, the city has enjoyed international recognition and a significant branding boost. The early failure in the global race to net zero emissions (a balance between CO₂ emitted and absorbed) may foreshadow backtracking by other target-setters. In an … Continue reading The city of Copenhagen, often celebrated as one of the world’s greenest for its cycling culture and other initiatives, recently defaulted on its pledge to become carbon-neutral by 2025 →