May 15, 2015
One cold night in San Francisco, I was walking downtown and passed a woman sleeping on the street with only a thin blanket protecting her from the cold, hard ground. I felt totally helpless and wondered why, in a city with so much wealth and innovation, where I can press a button to order a…
May 13, 2015
In India, an anonymous volunteer community is leading a city street cleanup initiative. Over in Finland, a city-inspired educational system aims to educate the leaders and entrepreneurs of the future. In Peru, a university-led project is creating drinkable water from greenhouses installed under billboards. These proactive solutions are examples of how we can tackle major…
May 06, 2015
A century ago, less than 10 per cent of the world’s population lived in cities. The next three decades will see the largest increase in the world’s urban population in human history. By the middle of this century, 6.5 billion people will live in cities, up from 4 billion today. By 2050, two out of…
May 04, 2015
Action on mobility and climate need to be taken now. As one of the most congested cities in the world, Jakarta encapsulates the urgent need to find innovative solutions for mobility and climate change. Ahead of the New Cities Summit in Jakarta, we are calling upon Indonesia-based innovators to enter the Jakarta Urban Challenge to…
Apr 30, 2015
Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia with a total area of 661.52 km², home to 12.4 million people during daytime and 9,9 million at night. This number is almost four times that of other major cities in Indonesia such as Bandung, Surabaya, and Medan. The city of Jakarta is surrounded by other, smaller cities, such…
Apr 23, 2015
We can’t assume that infrastructure or cars will be the same in the future, but we need to work towards a healthy #sustainable commute – Charbel Aoun, Senior Vice President – Smart Cities at Schneider Electric, @CJAoun Cities around the world are either praised or criticized for their traffic management and transport solutions. Catch our…
Apr 15, 2015
I just returned from a trip to Iskandar Malaysia to chair a roundtable for developers and leaders of the world’s largest and boldest new cities. The meeting was part of Cityquest, our community of builders of large-scale new city projects and their partners around the world. Representatives from four new cities joined us to discuss…
Apr 10, 2015
Today, most of the world’s population lives in cities, and the number of people moving into urban centers is rapidly increasing. This is exacerbating issues such as air pollution, traffic congestion and a shortage of affordable housing. On top of this, 67 per cent of the total global energy consumption is disproportionally concentrated within cities.…
Apr 07, 2015
According to a United Nations report, cities will become responsible for 75 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. However, local governments have the opportunity to play a major role in curbing this trend and combatting climate change. Certain cities around the world are already demonstrating positive action in this realm. The establishment of…
Apr 01, 2015
New Cities Need Living Communities What is a city? Is it an economic entity, a critical mass of people or a spectrum of employment opportunities? A density of towers and ambitious infrastructure does not always translate to an urban condition. A city is defined as much by its built environment as it is by its…
Mar 30, 2015
Developments in high-speed rail (HSR) have had a great deal of exposure in recent months – from the launch of the California High Speed Rail system to the possibility of the world’s longest HSR line between Beijing and Moscow. Cities, regions, and countries around the world are considering HSR as a viable option for passenger…
Mar 27, 2015
Cities have capability of providing something for everybody when they are created by everybody. Public space is where this happens – Global Cultural Districts Network – @GCDNet On March 25, we hosted our second Tweet chat in the run-up to our New Cities Summit in Jakarta. The topic this month was Animating our Public Spaces.…
