Stage 5 Changing Places

Densely populated neighborhoods, commercial district city squares and multiple public transit lines all span the city of Cambridge, Mass., creating an environment ideal for walking.

The most recent Census counts estimate nearly a quarter of the city’s residents walk to work, far more than any other larger U.S. city.

Many localities across the country are continuing to push policies and planning initiatives aimed at making communities more walkable. Recent census figures depict a wide variation in commuting habits among the nation’s urban centers, showing some have done much more than others.

Nationally, only a small fraction of people primarily walk to work – the measure the Census Bureau estimates in its annual American Communities Survey. In a select group of cities, though, recent data illustrates the extent to which walking has emerged as an everyday means of commuting.

Via Lauren Moss

Solving many of the world’s biggest environmental challenges may have just gotten more difficult.

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN recently released population data indicating the midline estimate - more than 10.8 billion by 2100 - is 800 million higher than the 2010 prediction.

Today’s rural-to-urban migration will continue in full force, with upwards of 84% of the planet living in cities at the close of the century (compared to 52 % today).

Of course population isn’t the only factor contributing to humans’ planetary impact. Consumption may be equally important when looking at the drivers of environmental change across the Earth. Nevertheless, population will continue to be a major consideration as we work to address issues ranging from energy and food security to water availability, species loss, pollution, urban planning and more in the decades ahead...

Via Lauren Moss