I wrote earlier about the World’s Happiest Places, and how I think cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Malmo are key. Well Forbes have now released a new survey on the top 10 World’s Happiest Cities.  So what are they and why are they? (more…)

Have you read the Melbourne Principles for Sustainable Cities? They are a set of 10 principles that “Guide thinking and provide a strategic framework….allow cities to develop sustainable solutions…bring together citizens and decision-makers”.

I like them. For example, principle 7 is to “Empower people and foster participation” – a noble aspiration for any city.

But I do have one small criticism. (more…)

What does Barack Obama think of cities?  Does he wish to make our cities for people and less for cars? Does President Obama believe that sustainable city development is priority, given the magnitude of the other tasks that lie in wait for him?

Well, I think the initial signs are good. (more…)

What can we learn from Freiburg’s sustainable city development?

In my last post, I wrote about how I think trams, pedestrianised streets and solar energy all contribute towards making Freiburg an outstanding city for people.  Freiburg’s presentation to the EU Green Capital competition lists success factors Freiburg think helped make the city what it is.

Here is Freiburg’s list of sustainable city success factors: (more…)

Said the German poet Johann Peter Hebel many years ago. But why?

I don’t know, but I do know that Johann would probably say exactly the same thing today. Freiburg gets called Green City Freiburg, Solar City Freiburg and Sustainable City Freiburg by many commentators.

Freiburg – A City for People

What makes Freiburg a city for people? (more…)

Malmo in Sweden is, in my opinion, one of the best examples for the world to follow when it comes to sustainable city development (I wrote about the Western Harbour in Malmo earlier). In 2007, a conference was held in Malmo on Sustainable City development and Malmo invited experts from around the world to discuss issues such as sustainable architecture, renewable energy and sustainable education. The overall theme was “How do we make sustainability attractive”?

So what did they learn? (more…)