Europe | This Big City

May

The DIY Disaster Plan

Categories: Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Planning, Urban Scale, USA and Canada

by Next City

As cities around the world grapple with rising sea levels and strengthening storms, governments are responding with an array of infrastructural solutions. But there’s a growing awareness that combating disasters with hard infrastructure alone ignores half the equation. Read more

Apr

The Ancient Antagonism Between Street Artists and Governments

Categories: Arts and Culture, Europe, Governance, People

Tags: Barcelona, cc

Comments: No

by Ian Currie

If you have ever found yourself growing bored of walking around the city, you should love Street Art. Imagine you find a beautifully crafted artwork that stops you in your tracks, makes you laugh, think and feel inspired - you would appreciate it, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, this is not the case in many cities. Read more

Mar

Cycling Challenges and Opportunities in Timisoara

Categories: Bikes, Europe, Transport

Tags: cc, Timisoara

Comments: No

by Dana Fatol

Almost overnight in 2008, 10 km of cycle paths appeared freshly painted on the sidewalks in Timisoara. This was pretty confusing: neither pedestrians nor cyclists respected the limits of the paint at first. Since then, the city has created an additional 50 km of routes. Read more

Mar

Pop Urbanism: Using Music to Develop a Creative City Image

Categories: Arts and Culture, Europe, People

Tags: cc, Mannheim

Comments: No

by Silvie Jacobi

Mannheim, Germany, has become an influential centre for music business in Germany. However, the city's 'image regeneration' was not the work of municipal government, it was led by a small network of local musicians opening up the potential for investment. Read more

Mar

It’s a Love/Hate Thing: The Protest to Preserve the Berlin Wall

Categories: Europe, Placemaking, Planning

Tags: Berlin, cc

Comments: No

by Marian Swain

“Don’t tear down this wall!” This phrase may sound shocking to Berliners who lived for decades in a divided city, but it is the rallying cry of the current protest in Berlin to preserve the East Side Gallery, a 1.3 kilometer section of the Berlin Wall in the Friedrichshain neighborhood. Read more

Feb

‘Bioconcrete’ Uses Bacteria to Heal Itself

Categories: Buildings, Components, Europe, UK

Tags: delft

Comments: 1

by Forum for the Future

No product evokes a sense of solidity and sturdiness the way concrete does. However, the tiniest of cracks will inevitably lead to structural degradation, leakages and costly repairs. It is precisely this problem that two Dutch researchers from Delft Technical University have been working on. Read more

Feb

Five Urban Vending Machines with a Difference

Categories: Asia and the Pacific, Energy and Services, Europe, Latin America, Planning

Tags: cc

Comments: 13

by Joe Peach

If you think a vending machine is something you put money in and get a drink or snack in return, think again. These five vending machines from cities across the globe offer very different returns. Read more

Jan

A Year in the Life of a Helsinki Street

Categories: Europe, Placemaking, Planning

Tags: Helsinki

Comments: No

by This Big City

The beginning of a new year is traditionally the time for introspection and looking back on the year that was. And also more more than often it is about making a list of the best “long play records” that was released that year. But that’s not how we roll. Instead we asked a street how it felt about last year. Read more

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