NonA Weekly: CITY DEVELOPMENT
Image by @francisconegrello
Dear readers and friends,
For our last newsletter dedicated to the theme of mobility, this week is dedicated to Smart Cities, Smart roads & Smart vehicles, Urban regeneration through mobility nodes, and Multimodal travel: multiple transportation modes in one trip.
Cities are important because that’s where the majority of the world’s population lives and an even bigger share of the global economy resides. How people move around their city is a big deal. It affects productivity, security, health and global warming, among other things.
Cities are complex and contain just about anything or concept ever invented by humans. How the city is built, its topography and how close you live to your work and a grocery store affect your mobility.
1. RETELLING URBAN MOBILITY
Urban mobility is complex to communicate. Experts agree that urban mobility needs to be multi-modal. And every city needs a mix that caters to its climate, topography, infrastructure etc. So it is very difficult just to copy another city’s TRANSPORT system and scale. Walkability – and maybe cyclability – seem to be the only constants. But saying that transport must always be locally adapted doesn’t say much.
2. MOBILITY HUBS
Mobility Hubs provide a focal point in the transportation NETWORK that seamlessly integrates different modes of transportation, multi-modal supportive infrastructure, and place-making strategies to create activity centres that maximize first–mile last-mile connectivity.
3. HOW BETTER TRANSPORTATION CAN REINVIGORATE A CITY
In some of today’s rapidly expanding urban areas, the swift spread of slums tends to disconnect rather than connect, to the detriment of the overall health of a city. Antonella Mei-Pochtler believes TRANSPORTATION systems are the best way to re-engineer and reconnect. She gives examples of how the world can affordably reinvigorate the sprawling city, reestablishing “connectivity for many, not speed for few.”
4. HOW TO SOLVE TRAFFIC JAMS
It’s an unfortunate reality in nearly every major city – ROAD congestion, especially during rush hours. Jonas Eliasson reveals how subtly nudging just a small percentage of drivers to stay off major roads can make traffic jams a thing of the past.
5. CHANGING THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY WITH PASSENGER DRONES
The conceptualization of passenger drones or flying CARS is no longer a new trend, as development in this area was started way back in the 1980s. Since then, several companies have launched different prototypes that are capable of Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL).
6. DRONES AND NEW MOBILITY BETWEEN CHALLENGES AND LEGISLATION
From infrastructure control to the transportation of medical equipment, goods and (soon) also people. The future is now, and DRONES – while constantly evolving due to the considerable experimentation underway.
Stay creative and see you all next week!
Daniela
