The weather has turned colder, storms and floods have started, adding to the woes of cities. This week we talk about some of these problems and the policies that cities implement to address them.
I announced last week that our weekly tours are no longer visual. From now on, you will be able to participate in city tours without being exposed to my face. I will mainly be in your ears via Spotify. Let's try it this way and let's take our tour through the social tensions created by the leaves falling with autumn, the lives taken by floods, the aid raised by bicycles, the cyclists saved by technology and the poor people harassed by it, the crows holding grudges and the imagined metro lines.
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As fall arrives and the streets, sidewalks and gardens begin to fill with fallen leaves, so does the debate over America's most hated gadget. In our first stop of the week, we take a look at the debate over leaf blowers, which have been banned outright or subject to partial restrictions in 100 US cities. Are leaf blowers a registered enemy of the environment and ears, or the latest front in ethnic discrimination?
On the second stop of our week-long tour, we travel to Sao Paulo to see the rain gardens that have become widespread as a solution to both the disappearance of groundwater resources and urban heat islands
Since the spongeness of our cities is not usually an issue, the flood news never stops. Most recently, more than two hundred people lost their lives in the flood disaster in Valencia, Spain. An unexpected means of transportation seems to have yet played a crucial role in avoding the increase of number of casualties: Bicycles. In an environment where bridges have collapsed, roads are covered with mud, if not reserved for first aid and rescue vehicles, cyclists have assumed crucial responsibilities in providing emergency and vital support.
Frankly, I don't like it, because of the owner, but for the first time I think I have a slight sympathy for Tesla because with its new update, it has made it difficult to open the door when you see a cyclist in the blind spot.
According to a comprehensive analysis by WIRED, drones are increasingly being used for security purposes in the US. However, the study found that these drones are mostly used for minor public order incidents, and a tenth of the time for no valid reason. We also understand that the fact that they record images throughout their flights and these recordings neglect the privacy of those living along their routes. Moreover, we read that the fact that these flights are mainly concentrated in poor, immigrant neighborhoods means another form of discrimination.
Known for their intelligence, they can mimic human speech, use tools and gather for what appears to be a funeral when a member of their group dies or is killed.
And their grudges can last 17 years.
So much so that there is even an online map for those who are constantly under the wrath of crows. We're talking about research into the crows' decades-long grudge.
German designer Fabian Brunsing has designed a bench with covered with thorns to protest against techniques that prevent homeless people from using urban furniture. In this way he protests that this urban design strategy, also known as hostile architecture, punishes the homeless instead of helping them.
Let's end this week's tour with a page where you can choose your city and imagine your metro. It is perfect for the citizens of cities like Mersin that have yet to get a rail line. It is impossible not to daydream as you choose the lines and locate the stops. If you don't believe it, here is a free trial…
