Blog

Unique insights into what is happening in cities worldwide.

What Do Venice, Cape Town, Santa Barbara and Paris Have in Common?

Apr 10, 2018

All four cities are suffering water problems in 2018. The problems are not the same, but the search for solutions – changes in land use, planning and governance – are remarkably similar. Progress on this front has been slow, and is likely to lag behind events. Paris did not take the risk of flooding seriously…

We CAN Solve America’s Traffic Nightmare

Mar 05, 2018

It’s simple economics. If you’ve stood in an endlessly long line for a free doughnut or burrito during a fast-food promotion, you get it. If you’ve avoided that kind of scene, you get it, too. What on a normal day would be a manageable wait time turns into a queue down the block. What’s happening…

Tomorrow’s Mobility will be P.A.C.E.

Mar 05, 2018

Since the middle of the twentieth century, private cars have been regarded as the symbol of freedom. As a social marker and a symbol of a rapidly developing consumer society, cars have made urban planning and a new way of life necessary: major multi-lane roads, large concrete-built areas, and suburban sprawl with excessive parking lots.…

Strengthening Urban Mobility Planning in Brazil

Mar 01, 2018

One of the biggest challenges faced by cities around the world is the improvement and expansion of urban mobility systems. Municipalities must provide transportation services and infrastructure at the scale and rate needed to close existing demand gaps, meet urban population growth, foster economic development and meet climate change targets. In Brazil, one of the…

User-Experience & the Future of Public Transit

Mar 01, 2018

At Metro we recognize that the future of transportation is being shaped by customers and driven by their choices and preferences. More than ever before, customers want to be in control. They want to plan their trips, select their payment methods and get the service they want, when and where they want it. As a…

How To Raise A Wise Generation For New Cities

Feb 07, 2018

Imagine the future where Hyperloops take people between cities, clothing gives us superhuman skills, virtual reality is the new textbook, machines start thinking as humans and smartphones are redundant.  The Internet of Things, mobile applications and various other digital tools are weaved into our daily life and almost practically every sector and industry.  For instance,…

For Thriving Cities, People vs. Nature Is a False Choice

Jan 28, 2018

Municipal leaders face hundreds of difficult choices every day. With so many needs and worthy programs, how does one choose where to invest limited funding? In the face of pressing human needs, cities too often decide that funding for environmental programs will have to wait. But pitting people against nature in this way offers a…

Resilience and Globalization: Don’t Lose Sight of the Benefits

Nov 27, 2017

If the future holds out the prospect of more floods and severe storms, of droughts and fresh water shortages, we need more globalization, not less. Why? Because globalization is the key both to greater resilience when disaster hits, and to the changes in lifestyle and technology which will enable us to reduce vulnerability and make…

Building a Mobility Ecosystem From Scratch

Nov 06, 2017

In a new town in Southwest Florida, we are all about to discover what happens when you build an entire 21st Century Mobility Ecosystem from scratch. And the results could shape how people access transit services for decades to come. This month in the solar-powered, sustainable community of Babcock Ranch, Transdev will begin operating the…

Transit at Your Front Door: A First/Last Mile Solution

Nov 06, 2017

The first/last mile problem has plagued public transit agencies for decades. What is, truly, the best way to connect people who are a little too far to walk to a bus stop—or to work from a bus stop—to their destination? If we can solve this problem, we can bring new opportunities to boost ridership, provide…

Why Plant Trees in Cities? Because They Protect Our Most Vulnerable Residents

Sep 22, 2017

Climate change has been an important and trending topic of late, but it grabbed the headlines in a new way this summer with tarmac-melting heat in Phoenix, Arizona and a heatwave in Europe dubbed “Lucifer.” And less you think this is press-driven hyperbole, this summer also saw the release of new research that climate change…

Making New Cities Out of Old

Sep 19, 2017

When catastrophic disaster hits a city – or even a small town – people want to rebuild as soon as possible, so that they can return to their homes, jobs, and schools. Normalcy – it seems at once reasonable and compassionate as an objective. But it can conflict with another impulse triggered by the disaster,…