Urban acupuncture consists of pinpricks of urban change. In this article, I look at Jaime Lerner’s book on this topic and discuss the participatory potential of urban acupuncture. — In our December 2020 book club read with the Urbanism Book Club, we enjoyed “Urban Acupuncture” by Curitiba’s former mayor, Jaime Lerner. The architect and politician has become one of the main voices advocating for “pinpricks” of urban change that, according to him, can heal whole districts or even cities…

In order to reach SDG 11 by 2030, we need to understand what our cities are doing to achieve the goal and to analyse how progress is being measured. This article presents three different tools and identifies gaps and opportunities in data collection. — Sustainable Development Goal 11 aims at making cities and human settlements “inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable”. 10 targets and countless indicators are intended to make the goal more measurable. UN Habitat’s website is a pool of information on the general progress towards the Goal.

Inspired by Jane Jacobs’ book “Death and Life of Great American Cities”, I analyse my own neighbourhood based on her four conditions for a vibrant and diverse neighbourhood. — This month in the Urbanism Book Club, we read “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” by Jane Jacobs. She has been my heroine for quite some time, but this was the first time I actually read all of the book in one go. …

Covid-19 has not just changed our everyday life, but also impacted urban planning. By transforming cities, for example through pop-up bike lanes, and by stopping in-person participation and community engagement, the virus is creating new parameters for cities. In this article, I’ll present some options for continued community engagement despite…

We got an extension this year due to Covid-19 lockdowns, but that is no reason to be complacent. — The Annual Earth Overshoot Day is intended to visualise how many resources we humans use every year. The date shows from which day on we live on credit because we have used all resources and polluted all the environment that the earth can produce and clean in 365 days. By…

Using the examples of New York City and Porto, this article looks into city branding and city identities. — Each city needs a brand identity that can represent it properly. However, many cities only use tourist-focused campaigns or outdated brands, which is why the topic is more important than ever. Ideally, city branding should be oriented towards the future direction of the city. …

Join the Urbanism Book Club on Instagram to discuss classic books about urban planning, urban design, architecture, and more! I started a book club! It’s something I have been wanting to do for a long time and since I am still in lockdown, I finally had some time to sit down and think it through. We will be reading classics of urbanism, urban planning, city design and related topics…

“Tactical urbanism” is a popular buzzword among urban planners. But what does it mean? According to Mike Lydon, public space expert at Street Plans, tactical urbanism is short-term action for a long-term change. A good example for that are the popular pop-up bike lanes coming up in many cities during…

Written in collaboration with Dennis Gastelum Cities:Skylines is a popular PC game in which you can build your own city. Along other city-building simulators, such as SimCity, CityVille or City Island, Cities:Skylines offers a reduced-stress environment to develop a city, providing quality of life for citizens and problem-solving as infrastructure…