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Cities are central to our future – they have the power to make, or break, society’s advances

Cities are central to our future – they have the power to make, or break, society’s advances

WE live in tumultuous times. In the space of just a few years, we have witnessed a surge in populist politics across the world, a global pandemic, a spike in environmental disasters and a fraying of geopolitical relations demonstrated by the tragic war in Ukraine and escalating tensions over Taiwan. That has all occurred against a backdrop of dramatic technological changes that are fundamentally altering the way we work and relate to one another. Our future is in the balance. Cities will be central to our fate, for two reasons. IAN GOLDIN, Professor of Globalisation and Development; Director of the…
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People living in African urban settings do a lot of walking: but their cities aren’t walkable

People living in African urban settings do a lot of walking: but their cities aren’t walkable

WALKING remains the main mode of transport in many sub-Saharan African cities, especially among low-income residents in informal settlements. Yet, it is well acknowledged that walking conditions in African cities are precarious and unsafe. This is partly due to the prioritisation of local urban design for auto-mobility. Under the right physical and social conditions of the urban built environment, walking offers major benefits. But in most cities across Africa, poor planning and pedestrian infrastructure makes walking a serious challenge. Authors SETH ASARE OKYERE, Osaka University;DANIEL OVIEDO, UCL;LOUIS KUSI FRIMPONG, University of Environment and Sustainable Development ;MARIAJOSE NIETO, UCLMICHIHIRO KITA, Osaka…
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Cities reboot: Urban life in the age of COVID-19

Cities reboot: Urban life in the age of COVID-19

DOWNTOWN is deserted and happy hour is history - the pandemic has upended urban life for billions and futurologists expect a changed cityscape to emerge in the post-viral world. From home to office, park to pub - all corners of city life have undergone some sort of reboot during COVID-19. More than 43 million people have been infected by the virus and the death toll tops 1.1 million, according to a global tally by Johns Hopkins University.  After months in lockdown, second waves of the novel coronavirus have forced new travel curbs and a messy mosaic of lockdown laws from Madrid to Melbourne.    Experts…
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