As I mentioned a while back, I look forward to the weekly email from Travel and Leisure. It provides some of the most intriguing lists (such as strangest foods in the world), but more so I often find fodder for posts that I would not otherwise. This week’s email contains a list of the world’s most “visionary” cities. Some of the cities, like Cleveland, Ohio, may not come across as innovative on the surface, but there are some unique developments happening in seemingly mundane places.
Travel and Leisure’s list is not ordered (i.e. there is no number one ranking). The list is as follows:
- Urban farming in Cleveland
- Public internet in Tallinn, Estonia, while this might not seem to be a sustainability issue, free, unfettered access to information is important to “leveling the playing field”
- Masdar City, Abu Dhabi (which we’ve written about previously, including one of our first posts)
- Dezhou, China: Energy Grid, solar energy has become a prominent component of China’s energy portfolio. According to the article, “The city is so committed to sun power that more than 80 percent of buildings have solar water heaters (Dezhou is the world’s largest producer of the devices), streets are lit by solar lights, and luxury apartments—eco-friendly, of course—are outfitted with solar-heated pools.”
- Sochi, Russia: Sports Stadium for the 2014 Olympics designed to be a sustainable structure
- Seoul: Public Bridge containing a solar-powered span and “gardens (sprinkled with harnessed rainwater)”
- Hangzhou, China: Bike-Share Program, much like the program in Denver that we’ve written about, “More than 50,000 bright-red bikes, equipped with baskets and bells, have been placed at numerous rental stations around Hangzhou”
- Paris: Public Housing, “the drab 17-story Tour Bois le Prêtre was retrofitted with balconies, and apartments were enlarged to maximize natural light”
- Curitiba, Brazil: Public Transportation, “In the 1960s, city planners examined their growing town and, to curtail congestion, implemented a comprehensive public-transportation scheme: Bus Rapid Transit. To speed up loading of the long, centipede-like buses, passengers—more than 80 percent of the population—pay low-cost fares beforehand (about 40 cents a ride, with unlimited transfers). The frequently arriving fleet speeds down dedicated streets unimpeded. It’s often cited as the ideal public transport system.”
[Image source]
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