Our cities are too often built around cars, especially in the US where each public or private building must make sure to have a parking to host visitors. But all those “free” parking spots have a price. You pay nothing when parking your car, but you still…
Among other natural elements, water surely is one of the most appreciated in cities – or even a symbol, as the famous “Jet d’Eau” (water-jet) in Geneva. The activity of swimming in urban waterways was something common in the early decades of the 20th…
In a near future, driverless cars may reshape our daily mobility – and even the design of our streets. The company Blank Space partnered with the city of New York to launch the Driverless Future Challenge. Competitors were invited to imagine the impact of…
How to involve your community into a planning project, when residents don’t have time to attend never-ending traditional meetings? New York decided to solve this issue with a new tool deployed during the planning of the Brownsville neighbourhood, one of…
After the creation of dedicated accelerators for tourism, logistics and mobility start-ups, Paris pursues its ambitious program for innovation with FAIRE, a whole new incubator dedicated to innovative urban projects. Created in January 2017, the structure…
According to the recent report of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, one in three US households will include at least one 65 or older member by 2035. If developed countries generally tend to grow older, the trend is particularly visible in…
The past decades have been a period of rapid urbanisation throughout the world. Thanks to the Google Timelapse feature, it is now possible to observe this evolution via satellite imagery.You can choose any location in the world, and the Timelapse feature…
As it becomes more and more difficult to find an affordable place to live in big cities, two German architects have developed a smart housing solution: tiny houses located on unused rooftops.By the end of 2016, Berlin's rooftops will be the first to greet…
And it is a global trend. In his speech, the director of LSE Cities Ricky Burdett reminds us of the preoccupying situation of urban growth. By 2050, an expected 2.5 billion people around the world will be moving into cities, climate change refugees not…
This Focus, second component of a trilogy dedicated to the innovative ways through which citizens can directly take action to change their cities, will look at crowdsourcing as a powerful tool to empower citizens, enhance mobility and create better…
An old Russian proverb says: "There are only two problems in Russia: fools and roads". If we know little about Russian fools, the second statement seems to be very true: there is an unhealthy passion for roads in Moscow, the Russian capital city.Danish…
Though cities are depicted as lively places bustling with human activity, things become more ambivalent when you look closer. Economic crisis, bad urban planning or urban pauperization are some of the many reasons explaining the proliferation of derelict…
In Asturias, the church of Santa Barbara in Llanera was abandoned for years. Red Bull, the energy drink brand that sponsors various extreme and urban sports events helped the collective "Church Brigade" to salvage the church through a fundraising campaign…
We often think about Spain when we talk about ghost cities, due to the general interruption of the construction projects after the bursting of the real estate bubble.But China is also witnessing an unprecedented rise of empty cities, due the frenetic…
In a context of fast growing urbanization, cities are facing issues such as congestion and lack of space for new buildings and infrastructures. Based on this observation, architects and urban planners are more and more interested in the unexploited…
American Architects NBBJ might have found a solution to the lack of light in the streets of neighborhoods with many skyscrapers.The agency's latest project is a concept of towers whose facades are designed so that the buildings cast 60 percent less shadow…
As part of a tender launched by the City of Paris about the future of its climate-energy plan, Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut and French engineering group Setec presented a study called "2050 Paris Smart City". This project aims at meeting two major…
American shoe brand Vans launched its latest project in the famous Old Vic Tunnels, right under Waterloo Station in London. The tunnels were abandoned for many years and now restored for this particular project. "House of Vans" is London’s…
As part of a competition organized by Copenhagen Port and City Development, JAJA Architects imagined a car park concept with a plant-covered facade to hide vehicles.The "Park 'n' Play" project will also include giant external staircases, inspired by Paris…
According to a report published by the United Nations, nine of the ten most populated cities in the world in 2030 will be located in Asia and Africa. Whereas the top 3 will remain unchanged compared to 2014 (Tokyo, Delhi and Shanghai, with 37.2, 36.1 and…