Copenhagen residents are torn over Denmark's proposed 'Silicon Valley'

It may create the conditions for further inequality.

Architectural rendering by Urban Power for Hvidovre Municipality
  • The Danish government is building nine artificial islands known as Holmene off the coast of Hvidovre.
  • The 33 million square feet of new land will house 380 businesses and 170 acres of parkland, creating 30,000 new jobs.
  • Local residents fear this project will alienate the middle class while disrupting traffic and public transportation systems in nearby Copenhagen.
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The states with the happiest Americans spend more money on ‘public goods’

People prefer to live in states that invest in life-easing amenities

  • Study reveals the Americans who live in states that spend more on tangible "public goods" are happier.
  • This spending makes communities "more livable."
  • Pain of higher property taxes largely balanced out by higher property values and quality of life.
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happiness economics infrastructure politics policy urban planning

Venice will now start charging tourists an entrance fee

The new charge was announced in a tweet by the city's mayor.

If a romantic gondola ride in Venice is on your bucket list for 2019, it will cost you slightly more for the experience now the Italian city has introduced a new 'tax' on tourists.

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world cultures economics europe travel urban planning tourism

A world first: Luxembourg's public transport to be free for all

Luxembourg will offer the world's first fare-free public transit system, but is there really such a thing as a free ride?

(Photo from Wikimedia)
  • To combat congestion, Luxembourg aims to become the first country to implement fare-free public transit services.
  • Other European nations are considering similar courses, but across the pond the United States continues to fumble its public transportation to deleterious effects.
  • Luxembourg's goal is noble, but it will have to overcome historic trends showing such fare-free systems rarely work in the long run.
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Car culture and suburban sprawl create rifts in society, claims study

New research links urban planning and political polarization.

Pixabay
  • Canadian researchers find that excessive reliance on cars changes political views.
  • Decades of car-centric urban planning normalized unsustainable lifestyles.
  • People who prefer personal comfort elect politicians who represent such views.
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urban planning transportation sustainability public spaces cars united states history society politics