Highlighted Reads about Cities…

I have been remiss in writing blogs over the last few months, but have still found time to read, watch, and listen to some great material from some of my favorite sources on cities. I started collecting a few of late that align with the mission and purpose of Equitable Cities Consulting - which I’d like to share with all of my fellow city lovers... 

See my picks below:

The Future of Cities: 18-minute YouTube video produced by filmmaker Oscar Boyson. 

It all started when Boyson blasted a quick YouTube video soliciting suggestions for places and projects to answer the question “Is future urbanization going to be a good thing or a bad thing?”. To his surprise, his effort generated 1,500 responses across 75 countries. So what did he do? He bought a round-the-world plane ticket and went to New York to Santiago, Auckland, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Mumbai, London, Copenhagen, and Venice, Detroit, L.A., and Boston. He spoke to real people (not actors) about what cities are doing to innovate and solve problems, from the ground up. Such a fun video. Can I make the sequel please?

Bloomberg City Lab: Car-Clogged Paris Avenue Gets a Pedestrian Makeover (June 26,2023)

Mayor Hidalgo of Paris is making countless infrastructural changes to Paris to promote sustainability, quality of life, and an active lifestyle. I never tire of reading about her initiatives. In this article, we learn about how she is converting Avenue de la Grande Armée - one of the busiest, most polluted thoroughfares - to be more pedestrian and bike-orientated. Check out this video… the bikes, the greenery. It's totally enviable. And, this is on top of making the Seine swimmable! I am packing my bags, people.

Bloomberg City Lab: Temasek Subsidiary May Back $150 Billion Plan to Build 123 New Cities in Africa (June 8, 2023)

Ok, pay attention. Cape Town-based Africa123, envisages the construction of 123 new cities over the next two decades at a cost of as much as $150 billion. Why? Because the World Bank predicts that 216 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa will live in shanty towns by 2063. According to the World Urban Forum, there are more than 10,000 cities across the globe, but still… 123 new cities is a lot of cities!! Thankfully, according to the article, “Africa123 plans to incorporate designs that include sustainable energy and water supplies as well as transport, education and health infrastructure and employment opportunities.” We need to be paying attention to the urbanization that is taking place in Africa and figuring out how we ensure that Africans can enjoy livable, affordable, equitable cities into the future. The next article addresses this topic further…..   

The Washington Post: AFRICA’S RISING CITIES: How Africa will become the center of the world’s urban future (November 19, 2021)

This article has left an imprint on my brain since I read it. The images and graphics are riveting and the information shared is simply jaw-dropping. It starts with this statement: “Several recent studies project that by the end of this century, Africa will be the only continent experiencing population growth. Thirteen of the world’s 20 biggest urban areas will be in Africa — up from just two today — as will more than a third of the world’s population.” For urbanlogists (yes, I did sort of make that word up), this should prompt huge alarm bells. We’re used to the most populated cities being in Asia, many of which are cities with thriving economies, but this growing crop of cities may not have the same benefit of economic vibrancy. For those who are interested, these are the cities expected to have the highest population by 2100:

• Lagos, Nigeria- 80M 

• Khartoum, Sudan- 28M

• Kinshasa, Congo- 60M

• Mombasa, Kenya- 11M

• Abidjan, Ivory Coast - 19M

While the African continent has seen tremendous economic growth over the last decade, urbanization of this scale could signify that a large percentage of Africa’s population will live in overcrowded cities, likely to be marked by poverty and economic inequalities. 2100 may seem far off, but a perilous future could quickly become a reality if local planners, policy-makers, and urban developers do not start thinking about these potential ills now.   

Bloomberg City Lab:Mumbai Finds an Underground Solution to Its Above-Ground Chaos (June 18, 2023)

Mumbai, a city with a population over 22M, is adding a fourth Metro line, called the Aqua Line. “The 14-line, 360-kilometer (224 miles) network is expected to reverse a three-decade decline in public transport’s share of travel in Mumbai. The Aqua Line alone is projected to draw 85% of its commuters away from road travel.” 85% of commuters is huge! In an era where the cost (the Aqua Line is estimated to cost $4.5B) and complexity of adding underground subway lines often dissuades urban planners and governments from proceeding, let’s hope this will be a shining example to learn from. One thing that is for certain, Mumbai will need to think carefully about how to ensure that the Dharavi slum - which will soon be connected to five business districts, state government headquarters and two airport terminals - actually benefits from this development, rather than being pushed elsewhere or left further behind. If done right, however, this project promises to be a huge win for the city from an economic and sustainability perspective. 

Ok two more, and these are both the work of friends and colleagues!

The New Urban Order, a blog by Diana Lind 

I have been a huge fan of Diana Lind’s since she was Executive Director at Next City more than a decade ago. Since those days, she published a book - Brave New Home: Our Future in Smarter, Simpler, Happier Housing (Bold Type Books, 2020) - and she also publishes this poignantly thoughtful blog on a weekly basis. Of course I am a paid subscriber. You should be too.

The DNA of Cities, podcast by Prof. Greg Clark and Caitlin Morrissey

First of all, Greg Clark is one of my dearest mentors and this work product fully demonstrates his brilliance, along with that of his co-producer. Second is a spoiler alert that you might hear my voice (and that of a few other fabulous Philadelphians like Eleanor Sharp, Lauren Swartz, and Prof. David Brownlee) on the Philadelphia podcast! And third, you need to check these wonderful podcasts out to learn about the genetic make-up of some particularly wonderful cities such as London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Philadelphia, New York, and more. 

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Well, that’s it for today. I’m certain to amass a new list in the near future so stay tuned…..