Time Magazine recently described their top 100 people in 2010. And who was in it? None other than Jaime Lerner, 3 time visionary mayor of Curitiba, Brazil. I’ve written previously about the transformation Jaime Lerner led in Curitiba; turning the it from a city for cars to a city for people.

But why did Time Magazine nominate Jaime Lerner for one of their top 100 people of 2010? (more…)

London is England’s capital city, one of the planet’s great cities and a city for people. But can a global city like London ever be sustainable?

Well, London’s history has shown it can sustain much – the coming and going of Romans. Marauding Vikings. Plague. Fire. The Blitz. Pea Soup Fogs.

And I think London has as good a chance as any city to be a sustainable city for the future.

Why? Because London is trying, and trying hard. Below are 4 steps London are taking towards the sustainable city, which I think any city could take. Would any of the steps succeed in your city? (more…)

Last week I wrote how the ancient cities of Iraq thrived and fell for not dissimilar reasons as cities today. But what of the ancient Chinese civilizations? What message do they have for us? (more…)

Creativity, Wealth Creation, Defence, Environmental Degradation – four key lessons that I take from the planet’s earliest cities, which were located in southern Mesopotamia. The place we today call Iraq.

Let me explain why I think Creativity, Wealth Creation, Defence and Environmental Degradation were important to southern Mesopotmia. (more…)

I’ve just read Michael Wood’s fascinating book, In Search of the First Civilizations, where he briefly outlines how civilization started in ancient Iraq, India, China, Egypt and Mexico.

Great cities rose, lasted for millennia, then declined. Cities like Babylon, Xian and Tikal.

Why?

And can you and I learn from this ancient history, helping our cities be great and be great for longer? (more…)

“To me, with two young boys, I feel like I am living in one of the most accessible places on earth”, writes Bree Galbraith about Vancouver. Bree lives in the beautiful False Creek area of the city and kindly contributed to the latest story on Cities for People.

Do you wonder why Vancouver is described as the most Liveable City in the World and the most Sustainable City in Canada? You can find some reasons from Bree on the new Vancouver page.

What do you think of Vancouver? Please let us know below.

And if you have a story about another city you want to see on Cities for People, please contact me.

“The spirit of city making…is more like jazz than chamber music”, writes city expert Charles Landry in his excellent book The Art of City Making.  I could not agree more.

“Why?”, you may ask.

Before we answer that, let’s look at the music. (more…)

London, England. One of the great cities. But is it a city for people?

Like any big city, London has its good and bad side. A recent visit helped me discover 5 great things about London – Walking, Parks, Capitalism, Food and Culture. (more…)

How hard is it to make a city more sustainable? Would you like to try?

Now you can. You can take total control of a city’s energy, transport and waste investments and see what the outcome is.

Sound too good to be true? Well ok, you can’t literally do it. But you can try the excellent SymbioCity Scenarios simulation. (more…)

Newcastle has been ranked as Britain’s most Sustainable City 2009 by Forum for the Future, a UK based sustainable development organisation.

Newcastle?! In the heart of the industrial North East? Home to the expression Selling Coal to Newcastle? Can it be true?

I’m doubtful…let’s look at why Forum for the Future rank Newcastle first. (more…)