“

Bikes are pretty cool, but if American cities really want to learn something from Copenhagen, it’s how to build a city for young families. Those young people pouring into your cities are going to leave just as fast if you don’t build the city for the families they’ll soon have.

Here’s a good rule: no more stadiums, TIF districts, or tax breaks until crime is under control and urban schools meet basic standards. City officials: Those shiny corporate headquarters won’t mean jack if no one wants to live in your city because your schools are worthless. And don’t you dare claim you don’t have money to focus on people like that, you’re blowing plenty more trying to attract Fortune 500’s.

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Kasey Klimes (via Twitter)

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plantedcity:

surp:

The Nature of Cities explores both the nature in are own backyards - Austin and San Diego and the possibilities in projects of cities of the future - Malmo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Freiburg, Amsterdam and Paris.

The film features Sustainable Communities professor Timothy Beatley as he tours these places with City Planners, Landscape Architects, Ecologists and Residents.

Commentary by Richard Louv (Last Child in the Woods) and Dr. Stephen Kellert (Biophilic Design) provide the background for looking at the living possibilities of how we can be in an urban environment integrated with the nature around us.

60 minutes

Produced by Throughline Productions

There is a review here

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“From the freeways of Los Angeles to the canals of Amsterdam, cities are taking the lead in the fight to reduce carbon output. As world leaders squabble over how to cut greenhouse gases, city hall is becoming the best hope for climate action. Given their smaller jurisdictions, local officials can green-light eco-projects faster than nationwide schemes can be implemented. “We’re not going to wait for national politicians, we’re acting right now,” says Toronto Mayor David Miller, who plans to invest more than $1 billion in public transport and eco-friendly air-conditioning systems for buildings by 2017.”

Fighting Carbon Emissions: Cities Take the Lead - BusinessWeek

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Hub Culture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Hub Culture Zeitgeist Ranking is a city ranking produced annually since 2007. The most recent rankings were released in January 2010: 1. São Paulo 2009 Rank 7 2. Berlin 2009 Rank 2 3. San Francisco  2008 Rank: 12 4. Los Angeles 2009 Rank: 3 5. Shanghai 2009 Rank: 10 6. Zürich (New) 7. Sydney 2009 Rank: 5 8. New York 2009 Rank: 9 9. London 2009 Rank: 10 10. Hong Kong 2009 Rank: 8 11. Beijing 2009 Rank: 3 12. Washington DC 2009 Rank: 1 13. Cape Town (New) 14. Singapore 2009 Rank: 14 15. Tokyo 2009 Rank: 5 16. Copenhagen 2009 Rank: 20 17. Mexico D.F. 2009 Rank 19 18. Istanbul 2009 Rank: 18 19. Buenos Aires 2009 Rank: 14 20. Abu Dhabi (New)

Hub Culture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Hub Culture Zeitgeist Ranking is a city ranking produced annually since 2007. The most recent rankings were released in January 2010:

1. São Paulo 2009 Rank 7

2. Berlin 2009 Rank 2

3. San Francisco  2008 Rank: 12

4. Los Angeles 2009 Rank: 3

5. Shanghai 2009 Rank: 10

6. Zürich (New)

7. Sydney 2009 Rank: 5

8. New York 2009 Rank: 9

9. London 2009 Rank: 10

10. Hong Kong 2009 Rank: 8

11. Beijing 2009 Rank: 3

12. Washington DC 2009 Rank: 1

13. Cape Town (New)

14. Singapore 2009 Rank: 14

15. Tokyo 2009 Rank: 5

16. Copenhagen 2009 Rank: 20

17. Mexico D.F. 2009 Rank 19

18. Istanbul 2009 Rank: 18

19. Buenos Aires 2009 Rank: 14

20. Abu Dhabi (New)

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Maya Lin - Unchopping a Tree (via unchopatree)

www.whatismissing.net

Unchopping a Tree, part of Maya Lin’s last memorial entitled What is Missing?, debuted at COP15 during the Support REDD+ events sponsored by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations rainforestcoalition.org/eng/.

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In Copenhagen, 14 of World’s Biggest Cities Commit to EVs : Gas 2.0 Fourteen of the world’s largest cities agreed to take steps over the coming year to make their cities more electric vehicle-friendly. The announcement was made at the ‘Climate Summit for Mayors’, which is being held alongside the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Half the world’s population lives in cities that account for more than two-thirds of carbon emissions. And as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made the case in Copenhagen on Tuesday at the Climate Summit for Mayors during the UN COP15 climate summit cities and other sub-national units of government will play a critical role in implementing the kind of innovative solutions necessary to clean up our transportation infrastructure in a carbon-constrained world. In that vein, a group of fourteen of the world’s largest cities took a step in that direction in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

In Copenhagen, 14 of World’s Biggest Cities Commit to EVs : Gas 2.0

Fourteen of the world’s largest cities agreed to take steps over the coming year to make their cities more electric vehicle-friendly. The announcement was made at the ‘Climate Summit for Mayors’, which is being held alongside the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Half the world’s population lives in cities that account for more than two-thirds of carbon emissions. And as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made the case in Copenhagen on Tuesday at the Climate Summit for Mayors during the UN COP15 climate summit cities and other sub-national units of government will play a critical role in implementing the kind of innovative solutions necessary to clean up our transportation infrastructure in a carbon-constrained world. In that vein, a group of fourteen of the world’s largest cities took a step in that direction in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

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Worldchanging: Letter from Copenhagen - Cities and Citizenship, Alex Steffen “I love Copenhagen. It’s beautiful and unbelievably livable and human-scaled. People are friendly, the food is good, it’s downright pleasant to walk around. Forget Denmark’s climate leadership, its wind-powered economy or the stunning fact that Copenhagen is aiming to increase the percentage of total trips taken by bicycle from its current 37% to 50%: the Danes just know how to live.”

Worldchanging: Letter from Copenhagen - Cities and Citizenship, Alex Steffen

“I love Copenhagen. It’s beautiful and unbelievably livable and human-scaled. People are friendly, the food is good, it’s downright pleasant to walk around. Forget Denmark’s climate leadership, its wind-powered economy or the stunning fact that Copenhagen is aiming to increase the percentage of total trips taken by bicycle from its current 37% to 50%: the Danes just know how to live.”

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