Shortly before the explosion of a global crisis generated by the COVID-19, in the well-known "2020 Consumers Electronics Show" (CES), Akio Toyoda, C.E.O. of the automotive giant Toyota, unveiled his plans to build the "City of the Future" near the mystical Mount Fuji, in an area of approximately 70 hectares, in a factory due for closure. The initiative is called "Woven City" in … [Read more...] about Cities of the Future: Between Dreams and Nightmares about Ideal Urban Planning
cities
Redesigning cities on a human scale in the post-pandemic new normal
Of all the projections about the new normal in the aftermath of Covid-19, perhaps the one gaining greatest consensus concerns the need to design cities on a human scale. To help recover from this pandemic, cities around the world are changing. How they conceive of public space and public safety, mobility and livability is being reconstructed. And how they stay competitive at … [Read more...] about Redesigning cities on a human scale in the post-pandemic new normal
DATUM: a resource center for participatory urban transit mapping — The case of Santiago de los Caballeros
Growing urban populations in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) cities put an enormous pressure on transport systems, especially in sprawling cities with increasingly far-flung residents. In this context it is essential to facilitate the design of public infrastructure in an efficient and participatory way. Community mapping of urban infrastructure can play a central role. In … [Read more...] about DATUM: a resource center for participatory urban transit mapping — The case of Santiago de los Caballeros
Are Cities like Boiling Frogs?
Heat waves and floods have frequently hit the headlines in the news in 2018-19, and there is no indication that this will end soon but might get a lot worse. Climate change has increased the strength and frequency of both extreme heat and extreme precipitation worldwide, but still surprisingly little is being done about it considering the social and physical impact caused by … [Read more...] about Are Cities like Boiling Frogs?
The day of what? Cities, a concept with many definitions
What is a city? Have you ever asked yourself that question? We have all been in a city and we know how to distinguish one when we see it. A city is New York. A city is Bogotá. A city is Rio de Janeiro. But these are only examples and not a definition in itself. What makes these places 'cities'? What elements present in them are those that we associate with the concept of a … [Read more...] about The day of what? Cities, a concept with many definitions