Myth Debunk the myth that Covid-19 will make people abandon cities. Expect a short exodus to the countryside, then the city will lure the best back. Past plagues prove 2 things: we have short memories & cities are tenacious. 2018: 55% of the world’s population lived in cities. Expected to rise to 68% by 2050. …
Tag: city
White elephant When it arose, Canary Wharf was called a white elephant. But in 2012, it overtook the City of London as an employer of bankers & 120,000 people now work there. New challenge: how to remain king of the jungle & adapt its fortress-like towers to the open, flexible workspace now in vogue? Guessed…
Noiseless Electric vehicles are noiseless – & that’s a problem. A Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians (VSP) is needed so we step out of the way. EU & US rules require new electric cars to emit an audible sound at <18.6 mph. At higher speeds, the car’s low-pitched whistle (from cutting through the air) & tyre-on-road…
Evaporate Traffic “evaporates” as vehicle drivers go on holiday or choose other ways to make their trips. Walking, cycling or a ride on the top deck of a bus brings an air of freedom & relaxation – enjoy summer in the city! Guessed the Word? Series 46 (2/4) …
Rivers Settlements have risen by rivers from earliest times. In 50 AD, the Romans built Londinium near Walbrook, where the Thames was still tidal. By the 18th c, their wharves & 1st London Bridge enabled trade within Britain & around the globe, & made London the world’s busiest port. The river’s economic, leisure & inspiration…
Weaponisation How to make cities safe against the weaponisation of vehicles? Easy – the measures that make a city better also make it safer. Walk & cycle, rather than drive. City walls. Buildings with moats. Tight streets that resist traffic. Collapsible pavements that can’t bear heavy weights. The weaponization of vehicles shows we’re better off…
Gentrify Better to gentrify an area, or not gentrify? Affluent professionals moving into poor areas are blamed for rising house prices, forcing others to re-locate & changing the city’s character. But their money brings more jobs, better schools & less crime. Ruth Glass’s 1960’s term ‘gentrification’ outlined the gentry’s move into London as it evolved…
Urban More than 1/2 the world’s population now lives in urban areas. Will rise to 2/3rds by 2050. But cities won’t achieve their economic potential unless they solve air pollution, navigation, housing shortage & noise. In city-life utopia, robots sit in traffic, rents are low & electric motor whirrs are the loudest sound Guessed the Word?…