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  • Copenhagen Mastermind Jan Gehl Isn't Sold on 'Smart' Cities

    Copenhagen is a highly livable city, thanks to policies that focus on making streets safe and convenient to walk. The bigger the city, the worse it is to design urban spaces only with cars in mind, says planner and architect Jan Gehl. His top advice is to gather data about people and their movements, making pedestrians as visible in city planning as automobile traffic.

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  • The Amazon's solar-powered river bus

    The isolated Achuar peoples in Kapawi village in Ecuador live in an area without roads, and they'd like to keep it that way. As a way of proving they can function without them while still allowing for public transport, the village has implemented a solar powered canoe that can transport villagers up a network of interconnected navigable rivers.

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  • Get To Work

    Transportation is one of the biggest barriers to employment in Philadelphia. Despite having a public transit system, many people do not own cars, so they cannot access higher-paying jobs in the suburbs. The Commuter Options program, funded by a Department of Transportation grant and supported by the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, provides a way for workers to carpool to jobs that share a similar schedule and location. Though it is only one part of the solution, the program is helping 65 people access jobs outside of the city.

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  • Is this the future of Seattle transit? A look at Vancouver, B.C. — a city that figured it out years ago

    The mantra of public transit officials in Vancouver is: “The best transportation plan is a good land-use plan.” Their ideology, clearly manifested in public transit development over the last several decades, has led to construction that is intentionally centered around transit stops. By making public transit stops convenient along with providing a world-class transit system, it is easy for residents to use it. Seattle, with similar demographics and severe traffic challenges, can learn from this model.

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  • Motorbike-sharing app helps tackle Nepal's transport woes

    Motorbike sharing apps provide an alternative to traffic congestion and crowded public transportation in Nepal. The tech startup, Tootle, connects users to motorbike drivers with its ride-sharing app. Motorbikes offer a cheaper alternative to taxis and a less-crowded alternative to public transportation—a feature particularly lauded by female users. The startup has also received a grant from the United Nations Capital Development Fund to expand the services it offers.

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  • Why good policies go wrong: Seattle's botched bikeshare model

    Traffic for both everyday commuters and tourists in big cities has increasingly become more of a hassle across nations. Various cities like Portland, Oregon have found success with bikeshare models. Seattle, however, found failure with this approach first. By learning from what didn't work, the city has been able to pilot new bikeshare models that so far are showing more potential than limitations.

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  • In Medellin, cable cars transformed slums—in Rio, they made them worse

    In the 20th century, Colombia’s city of Medellin was a center for drugs and violence. Then the city developed a cable car system that enabled cheap transportation for people to find employment. The cable car system revitalized the economy of the city and made it much safer. However, other cities have tried cable cars for revitalization and found less success, even failure.

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  • How Medellín went from murder capital to hipster holiday destination

    Medellín is a hub of growth and innovation, re-born after years of devastating violence. Building a metro system was an early step in the city’s transformation. “It was the first positive thing that had happened in this city for decades,” says Julian, a local guide. “With this metro, we suddenly realized things could be different, that progress and change were possible.”

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  • How to Get Wheelchairs on Planes

    When you step on an airplane, you might not be thinking about people who use wheelchairs, neither are airlines. People who need to use wheelchairs have faced a number of challenges on airplanes, like lost and damaged wheelchairs, not being able to use the restroom, and feeling dehumanized. Some people, are taking matters into their own hands.

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  • Uber, but for Grandma

    The way cities are built in the United States makes getting around without driving a car difficult. This means that, for an increasingly aging population, mobility can be a significant issue, leading to challenges such as missed medical appointments and loneliness that can actually decrease lifespan. But in the age of the sharing economy, ride services such as Lyft and Uber reach out to the demographic that arguably needs them most, partnering with medical centers and hospice providers to get smartphone technology - or more "old school" alternatives such as hotlines - into the hands of senior citizens.

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