They Built 335 Miles Of Bike Lanes In 24 Months

Caltrain's $2.4 billion electrification of 51 miles of track replaced diesel trains with faster electric ones, resulting in ridership increases (it doubled on weekends) and shorter trips. This also led to an 89% reduction in riders' exposure to toxic pollution and an estimated 250,000 metric tons of annual carbon emissions reductions.

Kansas City is the largest U.S. city to adopt a zero-fare policy since its public bus system stopped charging riders in 2020. This policy change gives riders more financial flexibility and improves social and physical health outcomes as residents are walking more to get to bus stops and are also more connected to the community through increased access to transportation.

The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept that encourages planners to develop neighborhoods that are easily accessible within a 15-minute walk, bike or public transit ride. The 15-minute city idea promotes health and wellness by encouraging residents to walk and bike more, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and fosters a sense of community among locals.

Rapid bus system TransMilenio offers locals an extensive bus network of 12 bus lines covering 71 miles. While rapid buses aren’t as fast as a metro, and TransMilenio’s design has its share of issues, this system managed to get up and running in a fraction of the time a metro system takes, and at a significantly lower cost. TransMilenio is crucial in connecting those in underserved districts to the heart of the city and serves about two million riders each day.

The Open Streets program encourages students to walk and bike to school in an effort to get people out of their cars. Opting for a form of “active transport,” like walking and biking, helps get people moving, offers more social connection and is better for the environment.

Inside Safe addresses the significant homelessness crisis in the city by traveling to encampments and offering people hotel rooms to stay in where they are connected with permanent housing and other necessary resources, like mental health care. Hotel rooms provide people with a safe space to heal and rest while working with a case worker to find housing. The initiative has so far moved 1,373 people into hotel rooms and 77 of them have moved into permanent housing.

The Nomad Alliance bus is a warming center on wheels that provides people experiencing homelessness a safe place to stay. The bus accepts anyone who needs help, so long as they help keep the bus clean, and can take in about 20 people at a time.

In the heart of one of Europe’s fastest growing capitals, cars are rapidly disappearing. To reduce pollution and build a people-first city center, Oslo has promised to ban all cars in downtown by 2019. The multi-pronged effort includes making public transportation services more efficient, building 60 kilometers of new bike lanes, and transforming parking spaces into pedestrian-friendly areas.

Several California cities have adopted a new approach to clearing homeless encampments that prioritizes housing over displacement, called Inside Safe. The model involves spending 6-8 weeks getting to know each encampment resident individually, matching them with appropriate housing, moving people gradually and minimizing police involvement. Los Angeles's Inside Safe program has moved 5,200 people indoors over three years, with approximately 25% securing permanent housing.

The Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona is a key part of the city’s growing climate shelter network, which has expanded from 70 locations in 2020 to 368 last summer. The climate centers are integrated into the city’s public infrastructure — libraries, parks, museums, etc. — and have expanded to the point where 98% of the population is within a 10-minute walk from a shelter.