On October 13, 2023, the capital staged a full-scale crisis exercise to deal with the future heatwaves that await us. "Paris 50°": this is the name of the crisis exercise that the capital launched. Faced with global warming and heatwaves that are likely to multiply and intensify in the coming years, the City of Paris … Continue reading Paris 50 degrees: a full-scale exercise in the 13th and 19th arrondissements
Category: urban policies
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
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
The role of heat monitoring to help cities adapt to climate change
Satellite images reveal how green spaces, white roads and water features are helping keep cities cool during deadly heatwaves. Lucy Sherriff discusses how cities can adapt in an article on the BBC website. The simple ways cities can adapt to heatwaves Ribbons of blue snake through the bird's eye view of Prague, a cool … Continue reading The role of heat monitoring to help cities adapt to climate change
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
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
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 