Fix the schools - and you'll fix the city. Meanwhile, Paris has now 300 "rue aux écoles". These are school street where walking, playing, relaxing and cycling is allowed, and driving is forbidden. Around 50% of all public nursery and elementary schools in Paris now have a school street in front.

A traffic jam is a thousand people who were each promised freedom.

What happens when you move 1,000 trees around the city? 🌳 Space is not an issue, nor is technology. Our streets have the potential to be much more than just a means of transportation. They can be vibrant spaces for ourselves, our community, and the planet. Project by Arcadia, Friesland, NL

"I think they should close down all gyms where people work out." Louis Theroux said this recently on the brilliant SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma. He nailed one of the absolute biggest failures of modern city planning. [Source: SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma.]

Europe is Burning. But we can cool it down. Our cities are currently built to trap heat. But we can change it. Here are 7 actionable things cities can do today to cool down:

Japan's Automated Bike Garage 🚲 Capacity: Up to 204 bicycles per single underground vault. ⏱️ Speed: Average retrieval time of just 13 seconds. 📏 Depth: Extends roughly 11.5 meters deep into the ground. 🛞 Diameter: The subterranean cylinder is 8.5 meters wide.

The bus terminal that every city should have. When cities respect public transportation users, they get more people leaving their cars at home and using public transit. This station in Heerlen, NL 🇳🇱, is a prime example of treating residents well. Design: Michel Huisman 📸 ANP / Peter Hilz

The bicycle offers the perfect harmony of human energy and spatial efficiency. Critical Mass, Rimini, Italy 🇮🇹 Velo City 2026

Better street = better local economy! In 2010, Lancaster, a city in California, invested $11.5 million to revamp its unattractive five-lane street into a greener, more inviting main thoroughfare. This transformation gave a substantial lift to the local economy, boosting it by $280 million!

Can all children in Amsterdam reach a playground within 5 minutes? The GIF shows which areas of Amsterdam have playgrounds within 100, 200, 300, and 400 meters (5-6 minutes from home). Data from OpenStreetMaps

Same space, different impacts. This satellite view of the area near Eindhoven's main train station illustrates a stark reality. The bicycle lot accommodates hundreds of people, while the car park, of approximately the same size, serves only 50 cars.

A smart city has nothing to do with artificial intelligence or sensors. A city is smart when children can walk and cycle freely and safely. Technology is only a bonus. 📸 Picture by @dutchcycling.nl

"If you plan a city for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places" - Fred Kent Again and again, projects around the world prove these wise words. Take a look at this project from London, stretching from Euston Road to Shaftesbury Avenue

We are not stuck in traffic. We are stuck in old decisions. And decisions can be remade. 📍Vienna, before and after

Park a 2-ton private SUV on public space? No problem. 🚗 Suggest a bike lane on that exact same space? All hell breaks loose. 🚲 As our cities work tirelessly to build safe bicycle lanes and create better streets, the automotive industry is actively working against us by supersizing vehicles.

The ultimate metric of a successful neighborhood is simple: how many playgrounds can a five-year-old safely reach without holding an adult's hand?

A primary school gate shouldn't open directly into a chaotic mix of parked cars and fast-moving traffic. It's frankly insane. So we claimed the street back. Last week, we replaced parking spots outside a primary school in Utrecht with a pop-up park. 🌳 Kids need safe streets, not fast cars!

Happy Birthday, Jane Jacobs! There are not many people who’ve contributed to human-centered urbanism more than Jane Jacobs.

Every extra centimeter of hood height is another blind spot. This isn’t an accident. It’s a design choice. Stop manufacturing, selling, and buying these machines. Image by @cleancitiescampaign.org & @transportenvironment.org

Jane Jacobs was right. Happy to share that we’ve officially launched our webshop! Whether you’re an urbanist or just someone who loves a good sidewalk, these pieces were made for you. Join the movement and get your Human & Kind gear here: www.humankind.city/shop

Green urbanism transforms communities. 🌳 Imagine the value that green brings: better well-being, improved health, safer streets, more biodiversity, climate adaptation, enjoyable walking experiences, higher property values, reduced urban "heat island" effect, and more. Location: Rotterdam

Smart city has nothing to do with artificial intelligence or sensors. A city is smart when children can walk and cycle freely and safely. Technology is only a bonus

Why do you cycle? Why not. When Arjen Robben, one of the greatest Dutch footballers of all time, moved to play for London's Chelsea, he was asked why he rode his bike to training. Considering his teammates arrived in Ferraris and Lamborghinis, his answer was surprising yet pretty simple: "Why not?"

The future of transportation isn't flying cars but cycling children. 📍 Eindhoven, the Netherlands 📸 @dutchcycling.nl

There’s only one green way to deliver presents to all the children in the city 🚲 Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Is it Amsterdam? Copenhagen? No, it's Paris! In the last few years, the French capital has done so much to make cycling a great and efficient way to move around the city. And now they have one of the best problems a city can have: bicycle congestion.

We build parking lots for machines, and then wonder why we feel disconnected. Let's build parks for people. A great example from Melbourne. The project 'A Park Close to Home' aims to create and improve access to open space in areas of Merri-bek, in areas without parks within walking distance.

Give people dignified alternatives to driving, and they'll surprise you. 📍 Utrecht, the Netherlands 📸 Great image by @filmendefietser.bsky.social

A new study reveals the impact of cycling on urban spatial structure and welfare. Using a quantitative spatial model, the researchers Tijl Hendrich & Nicole Loumeau explored how the Netherlands would look if cycling was no longer an option. The findings are striking: / 1

A smart city plants parks where children play, not parking where cars can lay

Justin Timberlake joined the #BikeBus movement in Portland! We need more role models promoting active mobility! What is a bike bus? It is a group of people who cycle together, mostly to school, with designated stops along the way. Video via @coachbalto.bsky.social 🎶 I can't stop the feeling! 🎶

Want to see the power of mass transit? Watch this one! Look at the efficiency of Bus Rapid Transit next to the waste of personal vehicles. 🇨🇴 The TransMilenio in Bogotá has 2.4 million daily riders 🇮🇩 The TransJakarta in Jakarta has 1 million riders Just imagine if all of them decided to buy a car!

It's possible to bring the city back to people. Look at Washington Square Park in New York City.

This is cool. Modifying AI-generated images in real-time using a MIDI controller. Video by Johannes Stelzer on X

How many people cycle to work per city? Source: is European Cyclists’ Federation Via Constantin Vermoere

Interesting invention! A solar-powered electric cargo scooter. It has two large solar panels that can extend its range by 3 miles (~5 km) for every hour it’s left in the sun. Under the panels, there’s storage for cargo. By Otherlab.

Same space, different impacts. This satellite view of the area near Eindhoven's main train station illustrates a stark reality. The bicycle lot accommodates hundreds of people, while the car park, of approximately the same size, serves only 50 cars.

A city that moves at the pace of its people, rather than its cars, is a city that truly understands progress.

Utrecht has transformed its bus stops into bee stops with green roofs. But does it actually work? 🚏🌼🐝 According to a study from the university, the number of bees visiting the green-roofed bus shelters varied across the city. Video by BrightVibes

When it comes to bicycle paths, it doesn't get much better than this. Protected with a wide green strip and trees that will provide shade in a few years, this bike path creates a sense of safety and comfort for those traveling down the street. 📍The Hague, the Netherlands

25 seconds from Zwolle, NL. Population 129,000. It’s so quiet. We’ve forgotten how loud cars make our cities. Wonderful to hear the sound of bicycles, people chatting & laughing 🎶

There is only one green way to deliver presents to all the children in the city. 🚲 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

A great example of how smart* bicycle infrastructure can save lives. * Smart is not about new technologies. It's just common sense and friendly urban design. By @nacto.bsky.social's Don't Give Up at the Intersection guide.

Bus terminals can be green. 🍃 Look at this station in Heerlen, the Netherlands. Imagine how nice it is to wait for the bus there. Beautifully captured by Peter Thurman: www.linkedin.com/posts/peter-...

Better street = better local economy! In 2010, Lancaster, a city in California, invested $11.5 million to revamp its unattractive five-lane street into a greener, more inviting main thoroughfare. This transformation gave a substantial lift to the local economy, boosting it by $280 million!

When a city street stops being hostile to humans and the environment, you get a place where communities bond, businesses flourish, and culture thrives. This visual WATG and Wimberly Interiors is one of my favorite street transformation proposals.

A fun game to play while riding the Amsterdam tram. No AI, no applications, just a low-tech "augmented reality" game. Designed by Daniel Disselkoen for GVB: danieldisselkoen.nl/man-eater

One of the greatest achievements of the car industry is convincing business owners that parking spaces lead to more revenue. Visual by Urbis

Love this online street game! 😍 You tap cars to clear space, then get to reimagine the street's design. It's eye-opening to see the sheer amount of space dedicated to car storage. Play here: 12m2.org/utapia/ Project by @katjadiehl.bsky.social , Jan Kamensky, Fynn Feistauer & Ana Amil.