How EU rules are getting in the way of progressive public policy – and how cities are fighting back
Over recent years there’s been a surge in European cities that, via public tendering, are using their spending power far more pro-actively and strategically to promote social justice and environmental goals. Leading this trend are city governments that define themselves as municipalist and are committed…
In Grenoble, local government and civil society organizations address the issue of the right to the city and the ecological transition
From 7 to 12 March 2017, the Biennale des Villes en Transition (Biennale of Cities in Transition) took place in Grenoble, organized by its City Council. Issues such as the Right to Housing, the management of common goods and public spaces as well as the…
Getting privatisation undone puts centre-left in good shape in Hamburg
In September 2013, 51% of the electorate voted to “re-municipalise” the local electricity and district heating networks, as proposed by grassroots initiative “Our Hamburg Our Grid”. And while the energy debate has only played a minor role in this year’s election campaign, it has increased…
Indigenous technologies “could change the way we design cities” says environmentalist Julia Watson
Indigenous communities are pioneers of technologies that offer solutions to climate change, according to designer and environmentalist Julia Watson. In her new book Watson argues that tribal communities, seen by many as primitive, are highly advanced when it comes to creating systems in symbiosis with…
The future is public: Special report from Amsterdam
Laura Flanders reports from Amsterdam at The Future is Public, a conference that brings together hundreds of organizers, scholars, and government officials who are working to democratize their municipal and national economies. Photo: rompalli harish
In the fight against climate change, cities need not be hotbeds of environmental degradation
Instead of thinking of cities as pressure points for the global environment, we need to see them as innovation hubs for solutions to address climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Compact, green, inclusive urban centres are a critical weapon in our quest to keep the…
As climate risk grows, cities test a tough strategy: Saying ‘No’ to developers
Last year Virginia Beach became one of a small but growing number of communities willing to say no to developers when it rejected a proposal to build a few dozen homes on this soggy parcel of 50 acres. A judge recently ruled that the city…
Without cities there will be no Green Deal
In order to tackle such an ambitious climate agenda as that which the European Union proposes with its Green Deal, cities must be taken into account. It would not be realistic to go ahead with the plan for zero emissions by 2050 without including cities….
Study: Global megacities to experience significant climate change
Major cities such as Amsterdam, Bangkok and Nairobi, Kenya, could experience major climate change impacts by 2050, according to a new study. Photo: Mumtahina Rahman