Parents in Japan regularly send their kids out into the world at a very young age, even six or seven years old, CityLab reports.
By giving them this freedom, Japanese parents place significant trust in their kids, and in the whole community.
One stepmother said she wouldn’t let a child ride the subway alone in London or New York – just in Tokyo, where any member of the community can be asked for help thanks to a greater sense of social responsibility in shared spaces.
A popular television show, My First Errand, follows kids as young as two or three as they buy groceries by themselves for the first time. The show has been running for more than 25 years.
Small-scaled urban spaces and a culture of walking and transit use also foster safety. Read more.
Google is making its Maps feature more useful for a group that often gets overlooked in the world of urban innovation – people with mobility challenges, writes CityLab.
The company will crowdsource data from its 30 million Local Guides worldwide, who contribute tips and photos about neighbourhood establishments in exchange for points and small prizes like extra digital storage space.
Guides will answer five simple questions when they submit a review for a location relating to accessibility, such as whether a building has accessible entrances or bathrooms.
The initiative comes on the heels of a viral Change.org petition, started by 19-year-old Londoner Belinda Bradley, whose mother switches between crutches and a wheelchair to get around the city.
“We want disabled users to have the exact same service, mapping of routes and availability as any of user,” says Bradley.
Successful products are often followed by copycats. Over the past year we have become aware of an increase in reproductions of the Linea range attempting to create a similar aesthetic at a lower price. This can compromise the overall durability and environmental credentials of projects being delivered, affect ongoing maintenance requirements, and in some instances pose a risk of injury to the public. The design of Linea is deceptively simple while delivering exceptional attention to detail. Details matter not only for beauty, but also for providing durability, and safety, that will last decades. Linea strictly uses the highest quality and sustainable materials, has passed rigorous strength tests, and is designed for longevity, with easily replaceable parts. The product range is the result of hundreds of hours of research and development …
Street Furniture Australia’s entire product range and manufacturing operation has received carbon neutral certification through Climate Active™. Achieving carbon neutral certification marks a significant milestone in our operation and the culmination of a four year long process of detailed measurement and analysis. Climate Active™ is the only Australian government-backed carbon neutral certification programme for businesses to measure, reduce, and offsets their carbon emissions. It is one of the most rigorous carbon-neutral programs in the world. An approved Emissions Reduction Strategy (ERS) is central to achieving certification through Climate Active. Street Furniture Australia has elected to use SBTi validated science-based targets to ensure their ERS is meaningful and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. For those emissions that can’t be …
Our Presentation Specialists bring a fun, interactive and informative workshop about our carbon neutral journey and latest products to your office. In 30 minutes (plus Q&A) you will explore materials and finishes, touch and feel samples, and bond with your colleagues over delicious treats in the comfort of your office. There will also be a mystery prize for a lucky winner (optional). ‘The presentation content was informative, engaging, interactive and relevant. Genuinely one of the better supplier workshops! It was efficient yet insightful. The interactive nature of it enhanced engagement with the team,’ Sam Westlake, Senior Associate, Hassell, Sydney. ‘Possibly our favourite product presentation to date! Engaging, great content and appreciated the physical samples and prototypes,’ Alexa Ongoco, Senior Landscape Architect, TCL, Brisbane. ‘Thorough presentation with actual product to see and …
CityTree: intelligent air purifier A German-based start-up, Green City Solutions (GCS), has developed an intelligent natural air purifier, CityTree, that uses moss to trap pollutant particles. With the environmental benefit of up to 275 normal urban trees, the compact and mobile unit improves the air, cools it and protects the environment from noise. “We’re building a climate infrastructure,” says GCS co-founder Zhengliang Wu. The moss-covered air purifier, with inbuilt timber bench seats, harnesses the ability of moss cultures to filter pollutants out of the air, bind them to the leaf surface and integrate them permanently into their own biomass. The technological design of CityTree ensures the survival of the moss through an adequate supply of shade, water and nutrients; at the same time, the filter performance and the plants’ requirements …
Public art and its economic value: Public art not only enlivens urban spaces, supports local artists and sparks conversation, it’s a relatively cheap way for cities to attract both visitors and money. Events such as Vivid Sydney and MONA in Hobart have proven to have a significant impact on the local economy, in terms of the increased revenue generated from more visitors, better productivity and free publicity that unique cultural events create. As Meg Bartholomew reports in the Guardian, city planners and property developers are taking notice of the potential that lies in an ‘experience-based economy’. Art that makes people feel good makes them linger – and spend. Aside from the economic benefits, public art helps to define a city’s identity (hello, Melbourne), enhances a city’s reputation, and can even …
Soft cities for biodiversity: The idea that city-dwellers live in ‘concrete jungles’ no longer holds true. According to a recent study, 30% of Australia’s threatened plant and animal species exist within urban landscapes. So what does this mean? Urban ecosystems aren’t an easy place for biodiversity to exist. But if we design our cities to manage biodiversity, argues urban ecologist Amy K Hahs, we all stand to benefit. To build innovative, ecologically-designed ‘soft’ cities – cities that are healthier and more sustainable for both people and biodiversity – we have a lot of rethinking to do. Read more about designing for urban biodiversity on Foreground. Image: Moonee Valley Urban Ecology Park Scenario, Zoe Metherell. The prophecies of Jane Jacobs: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, …
