Scenarios — Reader on Urban Mobility
This is part of a Reader on Urban Mobility to help people get into the topic, what is being observed and discussed around the world. I thought I share this as I go and hope for feedback, comments and suggestions.
In praise of the tram: Britain’s lost network and the future of transport
The UK once had an extensive tram network, now reduced to just eight cities. Would resurrecting the historical network solve Britain’s transport woes? asks this article.
To Confront Climate Change, the Modern Automobile Must Die
Germany was supposed to be a model for solving global warming. So far, Germany has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 27.7 percent. But the country “is likely to fall short of its goals for reducing harmful carbon-dioxide emissions,” Bloomberg News reported. And the reason for that may come down to: cars. Changing the way we power our homes and businesses is certainly important. But as Germany’s shortfall shows, the only way to achieve these necessary, aggressive emissions reductions to combat global warming is to overhaul the gas-powered automobile and the culture that surrounds it. The only question left is how to do it.
https://www.wired.com/story/germany-proves-cars-must-die/amp?__twitter_impression=true
Denmark is building a town where you’ll kayak to the grocery store
As nations race to reach ambitious climate goals to lower carbon emissions, many cities are looking to urban designs that help residents cut energy use, boost social well-being and cohesion, and cope with rising heat and flooding. Copenhagen has such a project: Live in Copenhagen’s North Harbour and a car should be obsolete. That, at least, is the aim of architect Rita Justesen. Since 2007 she has been tasked with transforming the former industrial harbour in Denmark’s capital into a brand-new neighbourhood, and ensuring its 3.5 million square metres of residential and commercial floor space is financially viable and climate-smart.
Shell boss says mass reforestation needed to limit temperature rises to 1.5C
Ben van Beurden says it would be a major challenge to limit temperature rises to 1.5C which the UN said will be necessary to avoid dangerous warming: “You can get to 1.5C, but not by just by pulling the same levers a little bit harder […]. What we think can be done is massive reforestation. Think of another Brazil in terms of rainforest.”
“It’s not what some people sometimes think: we’ll just do a little bit more solar, a bit more wind and we’ll get there,” he added.
This is part of a Reader on Urban Mobility to help people get into the topic, what is being observed and discussed around the world. I thought I share this as I go and hope for feedback, comments and suggestions.
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