Blog

Unique insights into what is happening in cities worldwide.

The Connected Mobility Initiative: Public-Private Partnerships to Help People Move

Nov 15, 2016

Public transit systems in the world’s cities are falling behind as cities are getting bigger and more crowded, often plagued with crippling traffic. This is one of the key findings in the recent report, Now Arriving: A Connected Mobility Roadmap for Public Transport. The private sector, including Toyota, has embraced new technologies to address urban…

Cars of the Future: Driven by Policy or Technology?

Nov 14, 2016

Imagine a scenario in the not too distant future where a car, hurtling down a road, is about to collide with a family stepping onto a pedestrian crossing. There are two choices: the car can swerve off the road to avoid a collision, crashing over a cliff and killing its occupants, or it can go…

A Contract for Public Good: Urban Data in the Digital Age

Nov 10, 2016

I confess: I am a data enthusiast. An evangelist even. Urban data is the currency of the 21st century. A catalyst for creating more livable, sustainable and equitable cities in an age of rapid urbanization. Working from within local government, I have seen first-hand how having a good handle on data can transform public services…

Creating the Best Public-Private Mobility as a Service Mix

Nov 08, 2016

When we ran the first fully integrated Mobility-as-a-Service pilot three years ago, it wasn’t called MaaS yet. Nevertheless, 70 households paid UbiGo to take care of their everyday travel. They were so happy with the service that they wanted it to continue and, yes, their personal car use significantly decreased as a result. But could…

Evolutionary Transportation and Mobility Marketplaces

Nov 03, 2016

The year 2012 was a torrid time for public transport in Singapore: train breakdowns, overcrowded buses and bus driver strikes were all rather new for the commuters of the young, modern city-state. I had a front row seat as the head of a team at the Land Transport Authority of Singapore responsible for public transport…

S3MaaSing Traffic and Pollution in Urban Environments

Nov 03, 2016

Smart, Shared, Sustainable Mobility as a Service The technology available today, as well as the scale of the problems facing the planet, means that it has never been more possible or more essential for us to make a difference and change the world. Where better for the solutions to the world’s problems to come from…

Tweet Chat Recap: Cities on the Move

Nov 03, 2016

Where is mobility headed next? To find out, we hosted a Tweet Chat on November 2, 2016 and were joined by transport stakeholders from across the globe. Over the course of one hour, we unpacked the transport transformation happening in our cities focusing on sustainability, innovation, affordability and accessibility. Cities on the Move: Tweet Chat…

A New Approach for Public Transport

Nov 01, 2016

Public Transport has continued to adjust and adapt to social and technological changes since the advent of the omnibus more than two centuries ago. It was said that stagecoaches, at the time an innovative mode of transportation that could be used by both the upper class as well as the ordinary citizen, started to run…

Up in the Air: Urban Cable and the Future of Mobility

Oct 31, 2016

From autonomous vehicles to mobility as a service, there has been an explosion in new technologies that will redefine how we move through cities. In the mix of these more digital innovations sits the more mechanical technology of urban cable. Urban cable is the modernization of the gondola. Not the canal faring boats of Venice,…

How Habitat III can Shape our Cities in the Years Ahead

Oct 26, 2016

Urgent action is needed for securing a sustainable urban future around the globe. That was the driver for Habitat III – the major conference on the future of cities – held in Quito, Ecuador last week. The atmosphere, however, was not one of panic or deluge. Rather, participants shared a sense of clarity – and…

Where do Master-planned Cities Fit in the New Urban Agenda?

Oct 14, 2016

The creation of new master-planned cities is not a new development strategy – from Alexandria, to Brasilia, to Tianjin Eco-City, they have been prioritized by ambitious groups throughout history. New cities are proving grounds for experimenting with new technologies, planning approaches and economic strategies, and represent the desire to design new ways of living. A…

The 3 Word Innovation Addressing a Global Challenge

Oct 12, 2016

An address is something we take for granted. Yet, more than half of the world’s city dwellers lack a reliable addressing system. No house numbers or street names. No access to civic services. For those who have an address, it is hard to imagine how much is out of reach for those who do not.…