Copenhagen's leadership in urban sustainability gives them more than just a shining reputation. Bruce Katz considers how cities can cash in on environmental innovation.
Quick – what's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Copenhagen? If you answered "bicycles," you're not alone. But the Danish capital is about more than just two-wheelers; it's blazing trails in every aspect of urban sustainability, from energy efficiency to environmental governance.
And it's not just about Mother Earth. "Growing green is obviously an environmental imperative," writes Katz. "Yet the Copenhagen experience shows that it can be a market proposition as well, with a diverse set of economic and fiscal benefits."
That is to say, Copenhagen's red-blooded green economy has been a real boon for the city, according to a recent report from Scandinavian thinktank Monday Morning. "Copenhagen's clean sector has been a critical contributor to the region's economy in the past decade, with green exports outpacing all other sectors by growing at an astounding 77% between 2004 and 2009" – not to mention the $380 million in annual healthcare savings brought on by the city's countless bicycle commuters.
And there are ample opportunities for American cities to follow suit. Perhaps not surprisingly, Portland already has, with "business formation, firm expansion, job growth, and private investment" in the green sector.
Katz concludes that leading the charge in providing these services is critical to developed nations finding a place in an evolving global economy. Nations like China and India "will demand products and services that enable development that is economically supportive, environmentally sensitive and spatially efficient. And those products and services may disproportionately emerge from firms located in cities... which are first movers on sustainable development."
FULL STORY: Urbanisation and inventing a clean economy of place
Report: Cities’ Climate Plans Fail to Include Workforce Development
While a few cities have detailed goals and investment strategies for building their green workforce, most U.S. cities fail to address the need for the training and education of a new generation of workers.
Bicycling Towards Recovery
Bike lanes and bike commuters are fueling a significant segment of the economy in Copenhagen. In Portland, a high amount of bike lanes could mean similar economic impacts.
Will Developing Nations Drive/Follow in our Faulted Footsteps?
The growth in hybrid car sales is a welcome sign that a major change in the automobile industry is afoot. The shift to transport infrastructure that is not based on the archaic complexity of an internal combustion engine, with its hundreds of moving parts and compressed fuel explosions, has been long put off by an automobile industry, happy with status quo, partnered with oil cartels with the power to price their product as if it were in endless supply. But with smack-in-the-face-reality fuel prices last summer, the collapse of the so-called “Big Three” over the winter, and the simultaneous heralding assertion of alternative energy technologies (Daimler AG bought a 10% stake in Tesla Motors last month!), the fallout of western economic near-collapse has changed everything we’ve known to be sacrosanct; Leonard Lopate even waxed nostalgic about the “Death of the Car Song” yesterday on National Public Radio’s local station, WNYC.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Why Should We Subsidize Public Transportation?
Many public transit agencies face financial stress due to rising costs, declining fare revenue, and declining subsidies. Transit advocates must provide a strong business case for increasing public transit funding.
Paris Bike Boom Leads to Steep Drop in Air Pollution
The French city’s air quality has improved dramatically in the past 20 years, coinciding with a growth in cycling.
Why Housing Costs More to Build in California Than in Texas
Hard costs like labor and materials combined with ‘soft’ costs such as permitting make building in the San Francisco Bay Area almost three times as costly as in Texas cities.
San Diego County Sees a Rise in Urban Coyotes
San Diego County experiences a rise in urban coyotes, as sightings become prevalent throughout its urban neighbourhoods and surrounding areas.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Santa Clarita
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service