EngagingCities

From Hawaii to the Netherlands and France to South Korea readers have shared their reactions to recent record temperatures

The Indonesian capital of Jakarta is home to 10 million people but it is also one of the fastest-sinking cities in the world. If this goes unchecked, parts of the megacity could be entirely submerged by 2050, say researchers. Is it too late?

While there is no one park or town square that can accommodate 22.5 million people, which is the global refugee population according to recent UN estimates, public spaces can still play a key role in addressing today’s global refugee crisis. In a time where more and more people are being forced out of their homes, many are fighting displacement with place. As a source of stability and social interaction in a new city, public spaces are where healing and connection often happen for refugees and recent immigrants.

It is imperative upon our industry to develop new tools and planning approaches to help manage uncertainty and leverage technology to design communities that stand the test of time while delivering multiple benefits.

The growth, challenges and splintering of a Facebook group about urbanism and public transportation is the story of us all.

There’s a crackle of anticipation when the group of civic hackers from Taiwan push the door buzzer to enter the Civic Hall working space in New York City’s Flatiron district. They enter the building…

The fight against Google’s smart city

Public art can be a tool mayors use to build strong communities.
That’s the premise behind the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, an initiative designed to support cities undertaking temporary art projects that address pressing civic issues. Last month, 14 U.S. cities learned that they’re finalists in the Challenge, with a chance at receiving up to $1 million to carry out their ideas.

Apolitical presents their 2018 list of the world’s 100 most influential people in digital government. It’s the first of its kind to show the international spread of the field, and includes individuals from every continent.

If it isn’t already there, augmented reality is coming to a device near you. Cities need to work to ensure that AR makes the leap from “cool experience,” to a technology that improves residents’ lives.

Ms. Xumei Chen works as one of the key research fellows in the China Urban Sustainable Transportation Research Center (CUSTReC), an international think tank on urban transport under Ministry of Transportation, China. In early July, Meeting of the Minds Consultant and Writer Kate O’Brien connected with Ms. Chen to learn about her research and policy work focused on public transport systems in her rapidly urbanizing country.

Our ideas of playful public spaces have long been restricted to playgrounds and parks. Due to the notions of adulthood that have been perpetuated, we fail to even expect playful environments around…

I just spent a fascinating few days at the Code for America summit where we had the opportunity to learn about many projects occurring at the intersection of technopole and civitas: the conceptual…

It is the experiences of real people that should guide our planning efforts. Their actions are the data we should be collecting, not their stated preferences.

You’re Not Stuck In Traffic You Are Traffic - This started with a drivetime conversation about contemporary design with Joi Ito. We were stuck in traffic, and in our conversation, a question emerged about designers: This new generation of designers that work with complex adaptive systems. Why are they so much more humble than their predecessors who designed, you know, stuff?

New book challenges biking advocates and racial justice advocates to expand their imaginations around biking.

Drones will transform cities, revolutionising how people travel, how goods are delivered and how buildings look and are constructed, according to a film by Dezeen

For the country dwellers of the past, moving from whichever rural hamlet they lived in to the big city was a way to escape a life on the farm. But nowadays, if you move to the city, you might end up on the farm regardless. On the rooftops of tower blocks, floating on waterways or even underground in former air raid shelters, urbanites ar

A new generation of inexpensive, portable air-quality sensors is making it easier for citizen groups and individuals to monitor the air around them.

Climate change will sink cities, but first it will make them expensive

If you ask the average person on the street about ‘civic tech’, it’s very likely they won’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve tried it and most people I’ve questioned, young or old, won’t even…

No-cost app development and rampant replication sounds like a civic tech pipe dream, but one organization is making it a reality.

Benjamin Franklin’s belief in the power of citizens to improve themselves and their communities has impacted many

A growing movement sees community foundations invest in local financial institutions and development projects, empowering entrepreneurship in the underserved communities that need it most.

There is a little extra green space for people to enjoy in the heart of the city this summer, thanks to a Downtown Winnipeg BIZ pop-up park pilot project.