Climate KIC’s Post

How city planners in the 1960's believed Amsterdam would look in the year 2000 🤓 Thankfully, this couldn't be farther from the truth - nowadays Amsterdam is known as one of the most pedestrian- and bike-friendly cities in the world. By rebuilding its city infrastructure with a people-first mindset, Amsterdam has become more comfortable to live in and world-famous for its bike-friendliness 🚲 Bolt has done a lot of research to show how other cities have transformed to be people first as well - check out more examples here: https://lnkd.in/d_GHbjuW #citiesforpeople #urbanplanning #sustainability #cityplanning #amsterdam

🌍 Last week, I had the pleasure of attending Urban Transitions 2024, a conference focused on promoting healthy urban development through interdisciplinary collaboration. It was a fantastic opportunity to share ideas and engage in discussions on urban planning, freight, and mobility. I presented our work on "Scaling up Freight Curbside Pilots to Long-Term Policy Implementations", developed alongside my colleagues Ivan Sanchez Diaz and Juan Pablo Castrellon from Chalmers University of Technology. Our research investigates the factors that support or hinder the scaling of freight curbside pilots into sustainable, long-term policies. By analyzing case studies from cities around the world that have implemented technology-driven solutions to manage freight curbside space, we offer practical recommendations to help design pilots that can inform lasting policies to resolve freight-related street space challenges. The conference featured many interesting sessions, particularly the 15-Minute City discussion organized by Ahmadreza Faghih Imani, which explored rethinking urban mobility and accessibility. Special kudos to Oriol Marquet for providing valuable insights into the resistance to the 15-Minute City model—an important perspective as we work towards co-creating solutions for both freight and passenger transport. Excited to continue exploring Urban Freight Logistics for Net Zero Emissions through innovative solutions! 🚛💚 City Logistics Freight Lab - Luxembourg Centre for Logistics & Supply Chain Management - University of Luxembourg #UrbanTransitions2024 #SustainableCities #UrbanFreight #NetZero #15MinuteCity #SustainableTransport #Innovation

🌟 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! 🚶♀️🌿 Brussels has been making waves in urban planning by transforming its city center into a pedestrian-friendly space. Let me give some data about it.   𝗣𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: - Pedestrian area expansion: The pedestrian zone in Brussels, known as the "Pentagon," spans 50 hectares (about 123 acres) of car-free space!✨ This includes the bustling Boulevard Anspach, now a lively promenade full of cafes, shops, and street performances. 🍽️ - Car-free streets: Brussels boasts 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of streets that are completely closed off to cars, encouraging walking, cycling, and public transport. 🚴♂️🚶♀️🚌   𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: - Foot traffic increase: Since pedestrianizing the city center, foot traffic has increased by an impressive 30%! More people are enjoying the vibrant atmosphere, boosting local businesses and fostering community interactions. 🛍️👫 - Air quality improvement: Air pollution levels have dropped by up to 20%, thanks to reduced car emissions. 🌬️🌿 The city is breathing easier, and residents are experiencing a healthier environment. 🍃💪 - Green spaces: Over 10,000 square meters of new green spaces have been added, including parks, gardens, and tree-lined boulevards. 🌳 These areas provide a refreshing escape from the urban hustle and bustle, promoting relaxation and biodiversity. 🦋🌺   𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 & 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: - Brussels' pedestrianization project has been recognized internationally, winning awards for sustainable urban development and innovation in city planning. 🏆🌟   𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀: - Extended car-free zones: Brussels is planning to extend its car-free zones even further, aiming to create a network of pedestrian-friendly spaces that connect neighborhoods and promote eco-friendly transportation. 🌐🚶♂️ - Public transport Improvements: The city is investing in public transport infrastructure, with plans to increase tram and bus services by 25% by 2025, making it easier than ever to navigate the city without a car. 🚋🚌 Picture source: JL Deru / Greisch   #Brussels #Pedestrianization #UrbanRenewal #SustainableCity #GreenSpaces #PublicTransport #UrbanPlanning

🌍 setec News: Transforming Congestion into a Green City Square! 🌍 Porte de Montreuil, one of Paris' busiest junctions, is getting a major makeover—and it’s going green! 🌱 What was once a congested, eight-lane road will soon become a peaceful, pedestrian-friendly urban square, linking Paris and Montreuil with ease. 🚲 setec is leading the way in prioritising cyclists and pedestrians, creating safe, spacious lanes and green spaces that will manage rainwater and provide cooling during heatwaves. This is Paris' bold vision of a car-free, green future—and setec is proud to be part of it. 🌍 Want to learn more about setec's innovative projects? Visit the UK subsidiary to see how we're shaping sustainable urban spaces across the globe: https://lnkd.in/ejGBBp7c #UrbanTransformation #GreenSpaces #FutureCity #setec #SustainableDevelopment #setecUK #GreenCities

Curious about urban logistics and how to better understand the stakeholder involved in your city and there needs? Follow our work as part of the Gleam NSR｜Interreg North Sea Region project below! 🙌

Join us next week on Thursday 17 October for the event “Closer - The City of Proximity” - an afternoon about the 15-minute-city and the urbanisation of station areas, organised in collaboration with De Zwarte Hond. The event brings together examples from Paris and the Netherlands. Speakers include Mike Emmerik (Independent School for the City), Daan Zandbelt (De Zwarte Hond), Patricia Pelloux (Apur - Atelier parisien d'urbanisme) and Tako Postma (City Architect Delft) Driven by ideals about proximity and sustainable mobility, densification is a major focus in urban planning today, especially around stations and transportation hubs. Research shows that as cities become denser, with more housing, jobs, and amenities, people's mobility patterns shift. Walking and cycling becomes more common, and car use and ownership decreases, which means less space is needed for moving and parked cars. The repurposed space can be used for green and blue areas that help cities handle extreme weather, increase biodiversity, and create more pleasant living environments. Densification also attracts new investments, supporting transitions like building heat networks, creating climate-adaptive spaces, enhancing the housing market, and expanding mobility options. Doors open at 16:00, events starts at 16:30. Tickets are available for 5 euro here https://lnkd.in/esq_gmyu . Find more info on our website https://lnkd.in/eSq7kbca

316 Bee Stops in Utrecht, Netherlands 👇 In an innovative push towards urban sustainability, Utrecht has transformed 316 bus stops into vibrant bee-friendly gardens, known as "bee stops." This large-scale initiative showcases how urban spaces can be reimagined for environmental and social benefits. Each bus stop features sedum plants, small shrubs, and grasses. 🌱 Benefits of such an initiative? It improves local air quality and enhances the aesthetic value of public transport facilities, making them points of interest rather than just transit stops. It also makes the cityscape more beautiful and supports local biodiversity by attracting honeybees and pollinators. 🐝 By integrating green roofs into everyday structures, Utrecht is setting a precedent for cities worldwide, proving that small changes in urban infrastructure can have significant ecological impacts. This commitment to green urban planning fosters a stronger connection between city dwellers and their environment, promoting a more sustainable and livable urban future. 🌿 Green up the roofs, the cities, the world! 💚🌎 ___ #greenroofs #urbandevelopment #sustainability #environment #netherlands

During my recent visit to #OurJacobs Glasgow and Edinburgh offices I was lucky enough to hear a number of colleagues talk about current or recent projects. I am not a #transportplanner so I learnt a lot! and I love hearing people talk with passiona and pride about their work. Here is the first of a small series of posts on these great projects. #EdinburghCirculationPlan Our Future Streets (Circulation Plan) is a strategic approach to allocate space on the City’s transport network through a rational and transparent decision-making process. Using the specially developed Streetspace Allocation Framework and Decision Workflow to support the delivery of the City Mobility Plan and its Climate Ready Edinburgh Plan, the project team developed an evidence based and methodologically consistent Future Network for Edinburgh’s streets. Along with the Future Network, Our Future Streets provides a set of investment priorities that will guide the development of transport and placemaking in the coming years. In the City Centre, the Plan takes the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation (2019-2030) further. By proposing ambitious measures to make Edinburgh more people focussed and put placemaking, walking and wheeling at the heart of street design, Our Future Streets paves the way towards a more sustainable and inclusive future for Edinburgh. The Jacobs project team included Grant Davidson Andrew Kelly Kyle Chesney Lewis Murray Paul Cronin Daniel Saunders Michael Meritt and Hans Dyckerhoff #placemaking #transportplanning #Climateready #Inclusiveplaces

Collaboration in Action: Cool Neighbourhoods Meets Cool Cities 🌱 Last week, the Cool Neighbourhoods project was proud to participate in the Interreg North Sea Programme Cool Cities partner meeting and conference in Gothenburg. This inspiring event brought together stakeholders committed to reducing urban heat stress and enhancing climate resilience. Representing Cool Neighbourhoods, Tiny Maenhout (Municipality of Middelburg) presented the Cool Towns Intervention Catalogue, showcasing innovative solutions to urban heat challenges. Meanwhile, Sabine COUROUBLE (CAPSO) shared a powerful testimonial on how Saint-Omer, a smaller city, is successfully integrating measures to combat heat stress. The Cool Cities project, where Middelburg and CAPSO are also partners, focuses on creating networks of "cool routes" and "cool spaces" to address heat stress, particularly for vulnerable groups, in cities across the Interreg North Sea Programme Sea Region. 💡 Highlights from the three-day event ➡ Day 1: Explored innovative mapping techniques to identify vulnerabilities and prioritise actions, alongside insightful presentations on urban heat stress management strategies. ➡ Day 2: A dynamic conference brought together stakeholders from local governments, private sectors, Gothenburg’s regional climate adaptation network, and representatives from Malmö. The day included a visit to Maskinparken, an exemplary climate-adaptive urban design project with smart water management systems that address flooding risks. ➡ Day 3: Hosted at Gothenburg City Hall, discussions focused on the final outcomes of the Cool Cities initiative, with a collaborative exchange of ideas driving shared goals forward. Special thanks go to all our partners, especially Göteborgs Stad, for organising such an inspiring event. Together, Cool Neighbourhoods and Cool Cities are paving the way towards cooler, more resilient cities, through dynamic collaborations. Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) Gemeente Middelburg Interreg North Sea Programme Cool Cities GreenDense Except Integrated Sustainability Communauté d'Agglomération du Pays de Saint-Omer Provincie Antwerpen University of Antwerp HZ University of Applied Sciences Ville de Saint-Omer Ville de Differdange Sioen Industries Gemeente Goes COMMUNE DE WIMEREUX Eranda Janku, PhD Benny Pycke, PhD Carolien Eijkelenboom Yann Logelin Caroline RICOUART Sacha Oberweis Gaelle Tavernier #Liveability #ClimateAdaptation #UrbanResilience #GreenInfrastructure #Sustainability #HeatStress #Biodiversity #Collaboration #GreenCities Sabine COUROUBLE Presenting the Cool Neighbourhoods partner Ville de Saint-Omer and their innovative pilot.

👀 How we perceive our neighbouring countries can sometimes surprise us when we actually meet! During last week’s EMERGE workshop, 15 representatives from the built environment sector in Hamburg and Copenhagen explored the theme: 'Partnerships for Healthy and Sustainable Buildings.’ And, a visit to a pilot project in Kanalbyen in Fredericia revealed a surprising twist: while Germany is known for its regulations, the Danish project met even stricter requirements on fire safety, sound insulation, and brick weight limits. This underscores the value of cross-border dialogue and knowledge sharing  —taking the time to understand our neighbours’ challenges and how they solve them, can really give us valuable insights, and in the end, better solutions for sustainable and healthy buildings in our cities. Proximity doesn’t mean we’ve learned it all—there’s always more to discover together. A big thank-you to all participants for your contributions to the workshop. We look forward to seeing rewarding cross-national partnerships emerge in the future! 🤝 Christian Thing, Christian Dahl, Erik Martiny, Stefanie Weidner (Dr.-Ing.), Sophie Brauer, Lisa Heinen, Joerg Knieling, Michael Fredsted, Lina Boysen, Kay Gätgens, Marcus Hedman, Andreas Fuchs, Andreas Wenzel, Gesche Lohmann and Kristine Munkgård Pedersen #BuiltEnvironment #urbantransformation #SustainableCities #Livability #sustainableinfrastructure #PartnerforTyskland #PartnerinDaenemark