Climate change will soon dominate every single news story. Learn how to write in an engaging, colourful, solutions-oriented manner about the biggest challenge of our time. “It’s now or never if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 C”. This is the urgent warning of the recent IPCC report on the state of climate change. The landmark report is the last instalment of the three-part sixth assessment, focusing on tools such as renewable energies, electric…

Out of more than 3,500 TED talks, there are many gems about cities and urban planning. Learn more with these 8 particularly good talks centred on Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities). One of the best ways to familiarise yourself with a topic is watching a TED talk about it. These engaging, 10 to 20 minute-long talks are freely available and feature the brightest minds who present their key ideas and visions.

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…