In Brief | InnovCity - Part 2

Friday 18 May 2012

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Archive for the ‘In brief’ Category

A fitness park for the elderly in Villeurbanne

Social | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 10.18.11

The city of Villeurbanne has created a physical fitness park dedicated to the elderly, in the heart of its public gardens. Since September 20, the first “physioparc” experiment has occupied an area just outsides the senior residence of Chateau-Gaillard. Fitness equipment, geared towards low impact exercise that help seniors practice balance and coordination to help [...]

In Toulouse, officials open their cars thanks to mobile phones

Transportation | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 10.12.11

Last Wednesday, the metropolitan community of Toulouse launched “autopartage@ toulouse” a carsharing experiment which gives about thirty community officials access to a fleet of ten Twingos.

An application to assess Parisian pedestrians’ level of exposure to pollution

Environment | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 09.28.11

What about going out for a walk in Paris depending on the level of pollution? It is now possible thanks to the “Votre air” (“Your air”) application prototype launched during the Futur en Seine festival last June.

Travelers with a smartphone access to a serial thriller in public transports

Transportation | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 09.22.11

It’s hard to make one’s voice heard in the midst of Mobility Week while all transport actors are vying for the stage. Veolia Transdev offers travelers with a smartphone access every day to a part of the serial thriller by Pierre Lemaitre, Les Grands Moyens.

Minneapolis invents the bicycle kiosk

Transportation | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 09.19.11

In the United States, Minneapolis is a cycling city par excellence. To help keep the later riding high a local company has invented the Bike Fixtation, a self-service kiosk dedicated to non-motorized two-wheelers.

Paris launches innovative projects to house young people

Social | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 09.11.11

During a press briefing on Tuesday, September 6th, the city of Paris presented several innovative projects for housing the city’s youth. To help this population, approximately 530,000 young people aged 15 to 29 years live in the capital, the municipality is developing mixed residences which support combined housing for students and migrant workers (Convention Residence), [...]

In Montreal, walls of vines fight against urban heat islands

Environment | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 09.09.11

Pro-Vert Sud-Ouest, a nonprofit organization in Montreal has been offering since May 2011 to supply and plant vines for free on the walls of schools, social welfare agencies and community housing projects.

The platform néo-nomade inventories all telecommuting spots in France

Social | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 09.06.11

Freelancer, self-employed entrepreneur or more simply working on the move, are you constantly in search of a slice of countertop or a quiet room to speak with your clients? Néo-nomad’s mission is to list third places (social spaces outside the home or workplace) on French territory.

The b’Twin lab stimulates innovation in cycling

Transportation | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 08.31.11

Last spring the Oxylane network, comprised of companies specializing in sporting goods, launched the b’Twin lab in order to stimulate innovation in cycling.

The mini-network: a local social network for pupils’ parents

Education | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 08.29.11

Launched by the SAS Men & Co, “Le mini réseau” is a local social network designed for pupils’ parents who want to share with other parents and their children’s teachers via short messages.

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The Rise and Success of QR Codes in London

Tourism | 5 comments

Rotterdam’s Crowd-Funded Pedestrian Bridge

Urbanism | No Comments

Rennes wants to get its inhabitants involved in social issues

Education | No Comments

Paris City Council Innovation Grand Prizes: French innovators awarded for their creativity

Education | Marilee | Il y a 79 jours et 2 heures

Are cities saving bees?

Environment | Sabine | Il y a 101 jours et 6 heures

An experimental store for the visually impaired

Social | Anita Aaron | Il y a 110 jours et 19 heures

“Wild plants from my street”: the urban wild plant observatory

Education | goa flowers | Il y a 114 jours et 6 heures

A bicycle pump for public space

Transportation | Naor | Il y a 144 jours et 4 heures

Smart street furniture in Paris: the winners of the call for projects are finally unveiled

Urbanism | No comments

Cultural short breaks on board a 2CV soon in your city?

Tourism | 2 comments

Virtual high angle shot in the city of Masdar, the future eco-city of Abu Dhabi

Urbanism | No comments

Feedback

For sure if we aim to change our habits, urban areas have to be equipped in such a way the citizen don't feel like constrained in their everyday life.

John F. sur Electric car charging stations: DBT aims 25% of the French market | 1 comment

Web TV

15.07.11 | Urban Music Game’s enhanced ball

Expert talk

Robert Spizzichino | Partenaires Développement

Greater Geneva: an economic and social project at the heart of innovation

Urbanism | 12.16.11

The Greater Geneva project represents an economic and social challenge for that area spanning France and Switzerland. The aim is to set in motion again a process that will stimulate job creation in the French part and strengthen residential services in the Swiss part. Innovative activities should find their place in that territory.

Jean Haëntjens | Urbatopie

Innovation lies also in the strategy

Social | 09.08.11

Is the proliferation of urban innovations counter-productive? While some cities are experimenting with abandon and with no real apparent logic, others have adopted a long-term strategy to combine innovations to serve a smarter, more sustainable city. Jean Haëntjens returns to this forum to talk about how important it is for cities to approach innovation with consistency and control.

Zoom in

London’s transport system is transformed into a massive playground

And what happens when a public transport network becomes the scene of gigantic team games? Inspired by the principle of Fun Theory, which suggests that environmentally responsible behavior can be encouraged through attractive infrastructure, Chromaroma invites London Underground users to participate in an eco-citizen turf war.

Blogs review

Pop-Up City , the blog of Jeroen Beekmans

Rotterdam’s Crowd-Funded Pedestrian Bridge

Urbanism | 01.05.12

The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) and Rotterdam-based architecture firm ZUS have launched the project I Make Rotterdam, a spectacular temporary pedestrian bridge between the city’s Central and the North districts that will be financed through crowd-funding.

Quinte & Sens , the blog of Olivier Genevois

In Caracas, mimes ease traffic tension

Education | 11.07.11

Venezuela’s capital Caracas plans to manage its traffic flow in an unusual fashion. In addition to traffic police, 120 mimes dressed up as clowns were sent into the city’s streets. Their role? Curb the risky behavior of pedestrians and drivers, not by force or repression, but through silence.

Agenda Innov'in The City

May 9 to 11
Energy Cities annual meeting, Guimarães, Portugal.

May 12
International Workshop on Open Data, Nantes, France.

May 12
Stockholm Summit on Service Innovation in Cities, Stockholm, Suède.

Innovative city zoom

Toulouse has tackled issues ranging from urban lighting to public cleanliness with experimental innovation often on a shoestring budget, but the results continue to inspire many other cities in France and worldwide. A portrait of a city embracing urban innovation, helped along by the enthusiastic investigator Alexander Marciel, follows.