This is a masterclass in great urbanism. Mixed-use development, tons of green, wonderful bike infrastructure, and even some space for the car. It's a shame that so many developments are mediocre when such beautiful examples exist. 📍Little C, Rotterdam

A little bit of green can make a big change. Observe the contrast on the same street. The asphalt road registered 33 degrees Celsius, while the newly installed semi-hardened parking lots showed a considerably lower temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. 📸 Gina Kranendonk, Rotterdam 🇳🇱

Here’s a study that will change the way you look at public space. Literally. Researchers from Brigham Young University asked participants to imagine walking through different nighttime environments and click on what drew their attention. The results?

Stop building for only 5 days a month. Big stadiums are often designed around a fatal flaw: a massive sea of parking that wastes space for 320+ days of the year. Here's an alternative.

We designed cities for cars, and we wonder why nobody walks anymore. It’s like draining the lake and wondering where the fish went.

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.]

I think they should close down all gyms where people work out!! @LouisTheroux #funny #gym #london

YouTube video by SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma

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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!