Barcelona to ban old polluting cars in 2019
Barcelona will begin banning cars older than 20 years on weekdays in 2019 in a bid to curb the city’s air pollution problems.
Cities
London’s black cabs go electric
Any motorized vehicle will have to meet strict exhaust emissions standards or pay a heavy surcharge to commute around the city center. Electric vehicles (EVs) are one way for drivers to stay compliant and move about freely on the city’s streets.
India’s capital Delhi just banned all disposable plastics
“The National Capital Territory of Delhi shall take appropriate steps against storage, sale, and use of such plastic material at the above-mentioned places and it shall stand prohibited with effect from January 1, 2017,”
Washington, D.C. passes 8 week paid parental leave bill
The new legislation will grant all full- and part-time workers in the city eight weeks of leave at up to 90% of their full weekly wages for birth, adoption or fostering.
Portland adopts surcharge on CEO pay in move vs. income inequality
Moving to address income inequality on a local level, the City Council in Portland, Ore., voted on Wednesday to impose a surtax on companies whose chief executives earn more than 100 times the median pay of their rank-and-file workers.
Copenhagen now has more bikes than cars
A new study shows the number of bikes in Copenhagen is now officially higher than the number of cars. Over the last year, an additional 35,080 bikes have been tallied, resulting in a total bike count of 265,700.
Dubai is building the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant
Earlier this year, the Dubai government approved the largest concentrated solar project in history. The array is slated to produce 1,000 megawatts of energy by 2020 and possibly 5,000 megawatts by 2030.
Seattle schools enact historic scheduling change allowing students more sleep
All of the district high schools and most middle schools will be starting later than in the past, at 8:45 a.m., while many elementary schools will be starting earlier, at 7:55 a.m. A few elementary and K-8 schools will start at 9:35 a.m.
Oakland passes resolution in support of worker cooperatives
The day after Labor Day, Oakland City Council made a bold proclamation in support of democratic and equitable workplaces, passing the “Resolution Supporting the Development of Worker Cooperatives In Oakland.”
