The past decade was a troubled one: global financial crises, terrorist attacks and civil wars logically made a lot of cities unsafe places for business travellers and expats, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, which measures the average…
We have all come across many pedestrian crossings that looked the same, no matter the city nor the country we were walking around. What if pedestrian crossings could be transformed into a piece of art, something special in our streets? The city of…
Cities are growing faster than the economy in many countries, which often results in large slums at the outskirts of cities because the authorities cannot meet economic and social needs, faced with accelerated urban development. It is estimated that 900…
Trapped between hills and the ocean, the compact city of Hong Kong is facing a concerning waste issue. Its 7.4 million inhabitants produce about 15,000 tons of trash every day, and the city hasn’t yet set up any recycling plan. The only existing option is…
Among other natural elements, water surely is one of the most appreciated in cities – or even a symbol, as the famous “Jet d’Eau” (water-jet) in Geneva. The activity of swimming in urban waterways was something common in the early decades of the 20th…
In a near future, driverless cars may reshape our daily mobility – and even the design of our streets. The company Blank Space partnered with the city of New York to launch the Driverless Future Challenge. Competitors were invited to imagine the impact of…
How to involve your community into a planning project, when residents don’t have time to attend never-ending traditional meetings? New York decided to solve this issue with a new tool deployed during the planning of the Brownsville neighbourhood, one of…
After the creation of dedicated accelerators for tourism, logistics and mobility start-ups, Paris pursues its ambitious program for innovation with FAIRE, a whole new incubator dedicated to innovative urban projects. Created in January 2017, the structure…
Being happy is one of everyone’s main life goals. Buf if the pursuit of happiness is an individual quest, more and more experts highlight the importance of happy places and joyful cities. A science of happiness is even emerging throughout the world as a…
Once upon a time, people had a lifetime job with one single employer. The majority of jobs were full-time ones in structured companies, and manufacturing jobs were a significant part of the job market. But things are changing pretty quickly. According to…
With the Notre Dame cathedral, the Ile de la Cité is a must-see destination mentioned in every Paris tour guide. If the island is visited by millions of tourists every year, Parisians generally avoid the place. Its limited access and the massive…
According to the recent report of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, one in three US households will include at least one 65 or older member by 2035. If developed countries generally tend to grow older, the trend is particularly visible in…
The State of Florida stands to be a pretty dangerous place for those who dare to use their feet to move around the city. The annual "Dangerous by design" study led by the Smart Growth America’s National Complete Streets Coalition, reports that, out of the…
Last 21st and 22nd of November was held the second edition of Cities for Life. JCDecaux was a partner of this Global Summit on inclusive, smart and resilient cities. Following the results of Habitat III, this international mobilization was the first…
In Guatapé, a little town in the Antioquia Department of Colombia, colours are kind of a religion. All buildings are entirely covered with vivid paintings that have various meanings. Some of them indicate local businesses, or the beliefs of residents…
This Focus, third and last - but not least - component of a trilogy dedicated to the innovative ways through which citizens can directly take action to change their cities, focuses on these small urban interventions that make our cities better places…
The annual "Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2017" rankings have just been released, with a surprising winner in the "City" category: the French city of Bordeaux. The "Sleeping Beauty", as people often call it, was chosen thanks to its future LGV Sud-Ouest…
The Earth Awaits is a search engine that tells you where you could afford to live, depending on your savings. The site's creator, a Silicon Valley engineer with a personal blog about thrifty travelling, was inspired by the numerous questions of the…
As we mentioned in a previous Focus, neglected urban spaces represent great potential for the creation of vibrant public spaces. Sao Paulo decided to take this opportunity by turning a derelict, hostile space under a highway into a giant hanging garden,…
Each year, Ikea releases its annual report Life at Home, the result of intensive research about what people have in their homes, and how they use it. To apprehend this second dimension, Ikea researchers interviewed more than 12,000 people around the world…