Turning Paris's underground car parks into mushrooms farms

Though Calgary already goes further than some cities in the public transportation sphere by offering a free-fare downtown zone, other cities that offer free transportation -- often through added taxes -- have seen drastic decreases in carbon emissions and cars on the city streets. One of these cities, Tallinn, Estonia, saw a 10% reduction in cars in the city center after introducing a free public transit system.

After successful reports from countries around the world about the positive effects of congestion pricing, New York City looks to charge drivers in the most congested areas of the city in order to reduce traffic and environmental impact. The revenue from congestion pricing, which acts as a barrier for drivers in crowded city limits, is funneled back into the city's public transportation budget.

Los Angeles has faced deepening issues of severe traffic and extreme smog pollution in the past several decades, but for years intentions and promises to broadly improve transportation have fallen flat. At long last, the most congested city in the world - once home to the most extensive urban rail network on the planet - is reviving rail lines and trains as a solution to both issues. Robust public transport has proven to have multi-layered economic, cultural, environmental, and social benefits to communities.

New York City suffered from fires that erupted in overcrowded, run-down apartments. Then the city sleuthed through residential records and found that landlords who foreclosed let their properties fall apart and ignored safety-code violations. Greater Toronto wants to expand upon New York City’s method by using transportation surveys, census data and computer data to build transit lines.

Singapore's Vehicle Quota System (VQS) requires prospective car owners to bid in government auctions for a Certificate of Entitlement (COE), which grants a 10-year right to own a vehicle. The VQS has successfully reduced car ownership growth and prevented many issues related to urban traffic, but it's been at the cost of making cars unaffordable for most residents and generating significant public resentment.

The city of Lancaster invested nearly $12 million to create a walkable mixed-use development area along a main thoroughfare, with nine blocks of businesses and community spaces such as a library and a museum. The development has generated more than $270 million in economic output and residents say the area is now welcoming and encourages a sense of community.

Data-driven transport can improve access and efficiency if properly implemented. In Shanghai, China, users benefit from customized bus routes designed by artificial intelligence software. Other countries, however, have discontinued pilots of programs similar to the one implemented in China. Elsewhere, in Innisfil, Ontario, a different kind of program helps to fill the gap in public transport--namely, subsidized Uber rides.

Though they started at similar points, the London Underground has become one of the most successful models of public transportation, while the New York Metro has declared a state of crisis. The reason? The London Underground learned from early financial and marketing failures and took advantage of financial incentives in expanding business into the transportation industry by renewing old infrastructure.

In an age of congestion and bumper-to-bumper traffic along the Pacific Northwest I-5 corridor, Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver, BC look to the success of high-speed trains in Europe for inspiration. The international phenomenon of cross-country bullet trains - some reaching up to 250mph - has reduced transport time and competes with short-term flights that expend massive amounts of fuel. Now, the Pacific Northwest cities discuss plans to overhaul their current lagging transportation in exchange for a new high-speed railway.

Although Paris public transportation ridership is booming - a goal of the city's to make a positive impact on "green" development - city officials are now looking to expand the metro lines to be able to fit the demand of residents and tourists. Developers have broken ground on a metro project that aims to encircle the city, making it easier for suburb dwellers to get around the region without having to enter Paris itself.