From the 8 80 Blog: Youth Creating Change in the City
8 80 Cities was a proud sponsor of this year´s 1UP Youth City Builders Conference (co-founded by our very own Ryan Lo, Project Coordinator), the light was shining upon young, innovative and forward-thinking youth looking to impact their communities. Four groups of high school students presented projects that they have been developing during the last year, including glow-in-the-dark trails, pop-up crosswalks, interactive bus-stops and spaces that support students´ mental health. Ten new student leaders will be selected to be part of next year's program.
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The City where Six-Year-Olds Find Independence in Interdependency
There are few cities where one can confidently send a young child to the shop on their own without needing the company of an adult – one of those is Tokyo. Contrary to popular belief, this is not solely due to an unusual degree of independence, but a reliance on the community as a whole. Japanese children learn early that any member of society can be called upon for help, while simultaneously learning in schools the responsibility that each citizen has to contribute to the community.
Photo Credit: Cory Denton, Creative Commons.
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The World´s Most Valuable and Underappreciated Gems: The Elderly
Nearly 6 million Canadians are senior citizens, and given that women tend to live longer than men, a higher percentage of these are females, however, we are forgetting how valuable they truly are. Sharon Butala speaks about her personal experience as a 67-year-old woman feeling like a burden to society, while realizing that older adults can and should be celebrated as “agents for change” in society, working hand in hand with young charismatic counterparts to create better communities for all!
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We Can Do Better. We Have the Right to Walk
Transportation that is immediate, carbon-free and free of charge is priceless! Streetfilms has created this short video that demonstrates that decision-makers don’t often prioritize walking, although it is the most accessible form of transportation. Half of the 1.3 million people killed in road accidents each year are pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists, more than 90% occurring in low and middle-income countries despite the fact that they only have 48% of the world´s vehicles.
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A City Fit for Children is a City Fit for All
Currently, more than 50% of the world´s children live in cities, and by 2050 this number will increase to 75%. As a result, UNICEF Child´s Friendly Cities (CFCI) has created the UNICEF Child-Friendly Cities and Communities Handbook and the new CFCI website.
Both tools provide resources and examples to help local governments, and other stakeholders including civil society, the private sector, media, and academia, build better cities and communities realizing children’s rights.
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From Complete Streets to Thriving Communities
In an interview with Tucson´s Pedaling the Pueblo, Gil Penalosa, founder and Chair of 8 80 Cities, talks about how Frederick Olmsted´s vision of Central Park conceived as a space for people to meet as individuals inspired him to expand Ciclovia - the world´s largest pop up park that opens streets to people and closes them to cars every Sunday and Holiday for walking, biking, dancing, and other activities that promote movement in Bogotá, Colombia. With 1/3 of all city space being streets, we must take advantage of this public space and explore alternative uses to it that promote mental and physical health, cleaner air, community engagement, recreation and more!
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Advise from an Urban Designer: Nothing is Ever in Isolation, Let's look for the Connections!
Ken Greenberg (Toronto-based urban designer and former Director of Urban Design and Architecture for the City of Toronto) brings a light of encouragement to decision makers to move away from beliefs from post-World War II paradigms and look towards some of the innovative work being done in Colombia, Amsterdam, Tokyo and more!
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The Happiness of Immigrant Populations is Almost the Same as that of Rest of the Population, says 2018 World Happiness Report
The World Happiness Report of 2018 comparatively analyzes the happiness of 156 countries and the happiness of the immigrants in 117 countries. With an ever so globalized world, this report brings light to the importance of quality of life that immigrants receive in their new home, whether it is a different country, city or neighborhood and the importance of creative, inclusive spaces for all.
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