The Great Smog of 1952, the humanitarian disaster that changed the world
On December 5, 1952, London found itself engulfed in a dense polluting ‘smog’, which took four days to dissipate and killed 4,000 people and over 150,000 were hospitalized. The total number of deaths rose to 12,000 after a few months. That was the Great Smog of London, a phenomenon that changed the way we looked at pollution and cities and changed environmental laws forever.
These are the five largest public parks in the world (and their interesting features)
When we think of cities with the largest public parks in the world, we immediately think of London or New York. However, despite the popularity of these parks, the largest public parks in the world are not located in these cities. And some cities are home to absolute nature reserves that are open to the public.
ThoughtLab | Building a Future-Ready City
ThoughtLab has collaborated with a global coalition of business, government, and academic leaders to provide city decision-makers with an evidence-based roadmap. This research initiative explores how 200 cities use innovation, partnerships, and other drivers of change to build their future. It also examines the changing expectations and behaviors of 2,000 citizens in 20 cities, and how these citizens view the efforts of their urban leaders.
How do we teach the city?
When we talk about education and cities, we normally think about how municipalities can facilitate a higher access and quality of the learning processes. But what if we looked at this topic the other way around? How could better education on how cities work and their complexity, bring future generations of students and citizens closer to understanding the true complexity of cities, their challenges, and opportunities? In an increasingly challenging future, adequately teaching the city can direct towards better prospects.
Diego Fernández, Buenos Aires | The Self-Sovereign Digital City
The Secretary of Innovation and Digital Transformation of Buenos Aires City Government, Diego Fernández, shares all the details of QuarkID, the self-sovereign digital identity protocol anchored on blockchain technology that seeks to function as public infrastructure and give people back the control over their information, ensuring privacy.
Enabling Safer Cities through Digital Infrastructure
The use of data collected by new technologies for the benefit of cities is increasingly discussed. This data can even understand behaviors, and detect suspicious activities and violence, but are citizens still reluctant? How do manage data, security, and privacy? What are the efforts to include these technologies in the urban sphere gaining the trust of citizens? This session will explore what data is capable of, while mitigating the concerns about data privacy and transparency.
Mitigating Energy Poverty through Affordable Cities
Europe is facing an unprecedented energy crisis that requires an emergency response to protect households from energy poverty and save small businesses from closing. Apart from saving energy at home, more measures are needed at a local and national level to survive this winter and speed up the process into a sustainable and secured energy system. Which actions can be done to mitigate energy poverty and accelerate the energy transition?
Communities Achieving a Net-Zero World
What are cities doing towards the SDGs and carbon neutrality? Communities are key players as they are the first in line when it comes to sustainable actions. Education, knowledge, awareness towards emissions and resilience are some of the ways citizens engage to become net-zero.
6 technical solutions to reduce noise pollution
Noise pollution is one of the biggest health risks, on a par with chemical pollution. Are there any technical solutions to reduce noise? What innovations or tools are available to reduce noise pollution?
What is the Zero Waste Cities Certification?
Zero Waste Cities is a program designed to assist cities and communities in achieving zero waste generation, not just by reducing residues, but also by boosting the circular economy. But is there a clear roadmap towards that goal?