Efforts to rewild London’s rivers are yielding results, finds report
Sightings of kingfishers in the capital have increased by 450 per cent since 2000, thanks to significant river restoration projects.
Cities
San Francisco, Oakland, and Seattle ban natural gas in new buildings
In November, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted to ban natural gas in new buildings. On December 2, Oakland’s city council did the same. Now Seattle Mayor Durkan announced a proposal to ban natural gas in new commercial and large multi-family construction for space and most water heating.
Anchorage introduces team of mental health first responders
Starting next year in Anchorage, Alaska, a new team of mental health first responders will replace police for emergency calls for someone with a mental health issue. The Mobile Crisis Team is funded by a new local alcohol tax and the team is trained to be dispatched to situations police do not have adequate training to address.
Quebec to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035
The move is part of the province’s $6.7 billion investment over the next five years to help it reduce its impact on climate change.
Barcelona will give 21 downtown streets back to pedestrians and cyclists
The new project, which will be implemented over the next 10 years and cost an estimated $44 million, will convert 21 intersections into public squares, meaning that no one in the area is more than around 650 feet from a small park.
New York City will try a police-free approach to addressing mental health crises
Thanks to a new pilot program, 911 calls in New York City that are evidently mental health-related will be taken care of by mental health and crisis workers instead of law enforcement. The move is the result of months of protests around the country over police brutality, sparked by the tragic death of George Floyd.
City of Austin votes to spend $7 billion to revolutionize transportation
Austin’s new transit plan will build a new rail system with 31 stations, four rapid bus routes, new on-demand shuttles to take people to transit stations, and new park-and-ride stations. The city will also reserve $300 million to ensure that residents aren’t displaced from their homes as a result of gentrification.
Sunderland’s riverfront to house U.K.’s first carbon-neutral community
Designed to “reinvent the heart of Sunderland,” the masterplan design will include 1,000 new energy-efficient homes in four mixed-use residential neighborhoods for a population of 2,500.
Milan slashed its greenhouse gas emissions by reducing meat in school meals
Five years after tweaking the schools’ cafeteria menus, the Italian city managed to achieve a 20 percent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions — the equivalent of taking around 12,700 cars off the road.
Arkansas schools save millions by adopting solar power
Batesville School District includes six schools that serve about 3,200 students. Adopting the new initiative allowed the schools to transform their $250,000 annual deficit to a $1.8 million annual surplus. As a result, teachers’ salaries have increased by $2000 to $3000.