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Urbanization is increasing, placing pressure on resources and infrastructure like never before. There’s no stemming the tide, so city leaders need to build resilience in order to cope. Work on a new International Standard for urban resilience... Read more
In Jeff Speck’s excellent new book, Walkable City, he suggests that there are ten keys to creating walkability. Most of them also have something to do with redressing the deleterious effects caused by our allowing cars to dominate urban spaces for decades.
1. PUT CARS IN THEIR PLACE.
(“Traffic studies are bullshit.”) Startling quote, no? Jeff believes, that a car-first approach has hurt... Read more
Cities are vital to limit global warming because they are home to more than half the world's population and generate three-quarters of carbon emissions
BARCELONA - With efforts to make buildings, transport, energy and waste management greener, cities could cut their planet-warming emissions nearly 90% by 2050, producing close to $24 trillion in returns, a coalition of 50 organisations said on... Read more
We are entering a new transportation age, one in which new modes; from scooters to ride hailing apps to autonomous vehicles, are disrupting transportation traditions. the Internet of Things (IoT) is gradually connecting everyone to everything, and new data sets are emerging too fast to be properly analyzed or effectively integrated with other data.
To understand how this transition is unfolding... Read more
Tokyo may be the most ‘overworked’ city – but there are ways to measure how hard a city works other than simply totting up the overtime
In July 2013, 31-year-old Miwa Sado, a reporter for Japan’s national broadcaster NHK, was found dead in her Tokyo apartment. She had died from heart failure. It was later revealed that Sado had logged 159 hours and 37 minutes of overtime at work in the month... Read more
How can we accelerate action on sustainable development?
Global leaders are set to take stock of the 17 goals they’ve set themselves at a meeting on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit (SDIS) on September 23-24 brings together hundreds of leaders from government, business and civil society to help find... Read more
Building the Climate Resilience of the Urban Poor, a new initiative coordinated by UN-Habitat, will be presented at the upcoming Climate Action Summit on 23 September in New York. The summit will show what strong leadership and action looks like, offering solutions to meet the Paris Agreement. Climate change is already causing huge damage. Without urgent action and much greater ambition, it will... Read more
Ms. Sharif will be joining world leaders at United Nations headquarters in New York next week at the Climate Action Summit convened by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
UN-Habitat is supporting one of the nine action tracks designated by the Secretary-General “Infrastructure, Cities and Local Action” under the leadership of the Governments of Kenya and Turkey.
UN News asked the UN-... Read more
The phaseout of controlled uses of ozone-depleting substances has not only helped replenish the protective layer for future generations but is also helping guard human health by filtering harmful rays from reaching Earth, said UNEP shared in a statement.
The recognition of this success comes on World Ozone Day, marked 16 September. This year celebrates “32 Years and Healing”; a commemoration of... Read more
Imagine a drug that could lower the rates of heart disease, anxiety, stress and depression, prolong lifespan, strengthen social cohesion, encourage more physical activity and promote recovery from surgery and strokes.
Such a wonder drug would be the most prescribed remedy in the world. Of course, there is no such magical cure, but you could get the same effects simply by planting a tree.... Read more
From hurricanes to devastating floods and heat waves, the headlines about recent weather events make it hard to ignore the reality of climate change. To tackle the growing climate crisis, leaders from government, the private sector, and civil society will gather at the United Nations Climate Action Summit on September 23, 2019 to coordinate and scale up efforts toward a low-carbon future.
This... Read more