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City of Utrecht, led by mayor Sharon Dijksma, is asking residents and interested parties to provide ideas on making the area between Ledig Erf, Albatrosstraat, Vondellaan and Bleekstraat more car-free. This would create more space for cyclists and pedestrians and, in general, a more pleasant life. The municipality has investigated various options, which resulted in …

Utrecht residents will be able to use an electric shared cargo bike from next spring. The municipality is starting a partnership with the Cargoroo company for a two-year trial with 100 e-cargo bikes. From the spring, Cargoroo will place the e-shared cargo bikes throughout the city, depending on the enthusiasm in the various neighborhoods. The trial is linked …

In the Dutch city Utrecht 316 bus stops now have a green roof. They do not only look great, they also help capture fine dust, storage of rainwater and provide cooling in the summertime. 

It is one of many measures aimed at a.o. improving Utrecht's air quality.

Better buses

Art and culture are the most promising avenues to revitalize cities and neighborhoods. But to succeed as a driving force for lasting and meaningful area development, what do incubators, cultural houses and creative hubs need? In a virtual meet-up with twenty fellow city makers, Rinske identifies tools that city makers, governments and developers can use to help their cities thrive .
The need for ‘money to play with’, the importance of new business models and the need to ‘cast’ the ultimate mix of functions and users. Invite twenty city makers to share their thoughts in a virtual conference, and they’ll give you an abundance of tips on nurturing successful cultural and creative hubs. Because what makes one space a success from day one, while another fails to get off the ground? What are the do’s and don’ts of success?

A forest where every plant is edible will soon appear in the Dutch city of Utrecht, announced the local authorities last week. The food forest of 15,000 square metres will be in the new residential area of Rijnvliet which has itself been designed in 2017 so that each plant in the public space can bear edible fruit.

Every roof in the city district of Utrecht is to be “greened” with plants and mosses or have solar panels installed under plans driven by the success of a similar scheme for the municipality’s bus stops.
The “no roofs unused” policy is part of an attempt to reinvigorate biodiversity in the city and create a less stressful and happier environment, of which the construction of a so-called “vertical forest tower with 10,000 plants on its facade is set to become a leading example.
That building alone, close to Utrecht railway station, will host 360 trees and 9,640 shrubs and flowers, equal to 1 hectare (2.47 acres) of woods, once it is completed in 2022.

The “cyclist-first” city of Utrecht is constructing the Netherlands’ first high-density, car-free residential district for more than 12,000 people, making it one of the largest of its type in the world.
The 24-hectare site, located between two canals in the middle of the city, is a business park but by 2024 it is hoped the area will enhance Utrecht’s reputation as a bicycling capital of Europe.