Tag: cities

Impact Lab > cities
Big Problems, Economy, government, Science & Technology News

Look to cities, not nation-states, to solve our biggest challenges

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Los Angeles’ economy is bigger than that of many nation states.

This article is part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

The world in 2020 is looking more turbulent and uncertain than ever. Powerful economic, demographic and technological forces are rewiring international politics. According to the World Economic Forum’s new Global Risks Report, structural shifts are encouraging nation-states to adopt more transactional and unilateral postures. Some nations are abandoning old alliances, questioning the value of multilateralism and retreating to narrowly defined national interests. Amid continued downward pressure on the global economy, citizens are growing restless and frustrated with their national politicians.

Maybe they’re onto something. Perhaps nation-states are part of the problem.

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City Planning, Economy, Engineering, Future

The future of cities

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Cities may occupy just 2 per cent of the earth’s land surface, but they are home to more than half of the world’s population and generate 80 per cent of all economic output. And their dominance is growing: by 2045, an extra 2 billion people will live in urban areas.

At Pictet, we think it will put pressure on infrastructure, resources and the environment.

Encouragingly, those responsible for planning and building the urban centres of the future are up to the challenge. Worldwide, authorities are working ever more closely with the private sector in an effort to make our cities safer, more sustainable and better connected.

That’s good news for the planet.

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Analysis, Architecture, Business, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Cities using innovation and imagination in their infrastructure

louisville bridge

Louisville’s Big Four Bridge, built in 1895 and later known as “The Bridge to Nowhere,” reopened to pedestrian and bicycle traffic after a $30 million-plus renovation.

Ron Littlefield: Recently, I visited two cohort communities of the City Accelerator, a program sponsored in part by Governing, sister publication to Government Technology: Louisville and Nashville. I expect to be in the third city, Philadelphia, before the end of the year. The purpose of these visits is to meet face to face with the mayors and their principal innovation staff, to experience how their innovation efforts fit within the context of the community and to see how the City Accelerator project is affecting the overall climate for innovation. In simple terms, I want to sense the air of change and creativity in each place.

 

 

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Analysis, Architecture, Business, Latest Trend

Why rent is so expensive in cities: Parking spaces

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Underground parking is extremely expensive to build.

Many factors contribute to drive up the price of rents, but parking is among the most significant, according to University of California Los Angeles professor and renowned parking guru Donald Shoup. During the CityLab 2014 conference in Los Angeles last week BuzzFeed News sat down with Shoup to talk about how parking makes housing more expensive. His point: “It’s unfair to have cities where parking is free for cars and housing is expensive for people.”

 

 

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Analysis, Architecture, Great Videos, Science & Technology News

Biodesign will have an impact on the future of cities

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The Genetic Barcelona Project plans to inject jellyfish genes into trees to make them glow, creating a sustainable alternative to streetlights.

In the morning, you get out of bed and open the curtains. The grey light of dawn is mingling with the glow of the trees, which have been injected with luminescent jellyfish genes. (Video)

 

 

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Architecture, Breakthrough Thinking, Photo Perspectives, Science & Technology News

7 fantastic futurist cities that could define the world of tomorrow

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Bridge cities of Italy

Futuristic cities hold a strong appeal in our imaginations. The idea that some of the most outlandish cities from science fiction might be within our technical reach tomorrow is exciting. Here is a collection of some very interesting, fascinating, and exciting futuristic city concepts. (Photos)

 

 

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Analysis, Latest Trend

Two different types of migrations are driving population growth in U.S. cities

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America’s largest metro areas are currently gaining population at impressive rates. This trend is driving much of the population growth across the nation. But that growth is the result of two very different migrations – one coming from the location choices of Americans themselves, the other shaped by where new immigrants from outside the United States are heading.

 

 

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Analysis, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Connected cities of the future are starting to emerge

connected cities

Three-quarters of people will live in cities by 2050.

It’s fashionable to attach the ‘smart’ tag to any technological trend today and this is particularly true of our cities. But, digging beyond the hype, what actually is a smart city and what progress are we as a society making towards that vision?

 

 

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Analysis, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

‘Natural cities’ emerge from location-based social media

Natural cities

A city is a large, permanent human settlement. But try and define it more carefully and you’ll soon run into trouble. A settlement that qualifies as a city in Sweden may not qualify in China, for example. And the reasons why one settlement is classified as a town while another as a city can sometimes seem almost arbitrary.

 

 

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Analysis, Business, Latest Trend, Money Talk

U.S. cities with the biggest (and smallest) paychecks

Number 1 on the list – San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.

Do you want to make more money? It’s easy, just move to San Jose, Houston, or Washington D.C. Well, maybe it’s not really so easy. Of course there’s no guarantee that you’ll earn a bigger paycheck in these cities—but it is more likely, as they’re among the highest-paying metro areas in the country.

 

 

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