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In front of a school, you can propose changes that would be much harder to explain anywhere else. So if we focus on schools and children's safety, could we improve the entire city? 🎥 Watch the full ride: youtu.be/t55zZITmQBU

youtu.be

Xavier Matilla: Building Superblocks | Urbanists on Bakfiets Talking Cities

YouTube video by Urbanists on Bakfiets Talking Cities

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 9h

End of 2022: Barcelona announced 45 new speed cameras, 12 of them in front of schools. The next day, RACC, the drivers' association, criticised the plan. But in that same statement, they admitted the 12 cameras at schools were a good idea.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 9h

Let's talk about schools and safer streets. 🏫 @xavimatilla.bsky.social, Barcelona's former chief architect, joined me on Urbanists on Bakfiets Talking Cities. We talked superblocks and urban transformation, but one story stood out. 🧵

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 30/09/2026

Urban trees: the city's natural air conditioning. 🌳 Video: Ecosia

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 29/09/2026

The bus terminal that every city should have. 🚌🌳 When cities respect public transportation users, they get more people leaving their cars at home and using public transit. This station in Heerlen (NL 🇳🇱), is a prime example of treating residents well. Designed by Michel Huisman 📸 ANP / Peter Hilz

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/09/2026

thanks! If she's up for it, I'd be more than happy :)

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/09/2026

Is it Amsterdam? Copenhagen? No, it's Paris! After years of investment, the French capital has one of the best problems a city can have: bicycle congestion. So if Paris has done it, why wouldn't other cities follow? 📸 Such an amazing photo by @jbpssx.bsky.social

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 23/09/2026

We dive into how to become a mayor after losing two consecutive elections, how Braga tackled a 60% car usage rate, the strategy behind decentralizing cultural events, and using direct municipal subsidies to combat skyrocketing rents over his 12 years in office. www.youtube.com/watch?v=64Mv...

youtube.com

Ricardo Rio: Being a Mayor | Urbanists on Bakfiets Talking Cities

YouTube video by Urbanists on Bakfiets Talking Cities

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 23/09/2026

A mayor joins us on the bakfiets! In this episode of Urbanists on Bakfiets Talking Cities, I take Ricardo Rio (economist and former Mayor of Braga) on a cargo-bike ride through Ljubljana.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 04/09/2026

Coming from you, that's such an honor!

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 03/09/2026

Supported by @eiturbanmobility.eu - Urban Mobility Explained (UMX) and Urban Future.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 03/09/2026

For Episode 1, I invited @mikelydon.bsky.social to hop in the front box as we rolled through the streets of Ljubljana. Come hear from the man who coined "Tactical Urbanism". Watch the full episode on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI6q...

youtube.com

Mike Lydon: The Man Behind Tactical Urbanism | Urbanists on Bakfiets Talking Cities

YouTube video by Urbanists on Bakfiets Talking Cities

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 03/09/2026

Here’s the urbanism show you didn’t know you were missing. Two urbanists in a cargo bike, getting around the city, discussing why fire departments hate bike lanes and what happens when street paint peels off in the rain. Today we’re launching Urbanists on Bakfiets Talking Cities. 🚲

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 25/08/2026

We spent a century making cities car-friendly. Nobody stopped to ask if the cars were city-friendly.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 06/08/2026

Unfortunately, less and less of these are built

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 05/08/2026

The nice part is that it's not even a bike path, but a service road with traffic filter at the end. So it feels quiet and safe almost as a bike path, though as the picture shows, (mostly delivery) vehicles can enter.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 05/08/2026

This is a masterclass in great urbanism. Mixed-use development, tons of green, wonderful bike infrastructure, and even some space for the car. It's a shame that so many developments are mediocre when such beautiful examples exist. 📍Little C, Rotterdam

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 04/08/2026

It's so sad to see, and to imagine how long it will take to reverse it

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 04/08/2026

A little bit of green can make a big change. Observe the contrast on the same street. The asphalt road registered 33 degrees Celsius, while the newly installed semi-hardened parking lots showed a considerably lower temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. 📸 Gina Kranendonk, Rotterdam 🇳🇱

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 03/08/2026

The visual difference is a reminder that design isn’t gender neutral. It either acknowledges fear or ignores it.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 03/08/2026

👀 Men looked straight ahead - toward the path or destination. 👀 Women scanned the edges - the bushes, the shadows, the places where someone could be hiding. Research by Robert Chaney, Alyssa Baer & Ida Tovar news.byu.edu/intellect/st...

news.byu.edu

Study visually captures hard truth: Walking home at night is not the same for women

An eye-catching new BYU study shows just how different the experience of walking home at night is for women versus men.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 03/08/2026

Here’s a study that will change the way you look at public space. Literally. Researchers from Brigham Young University asked participants to imagine walking through different nighttime environments and click on what drew their attention. The results?

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 21/07/2026

Stop building for only 5 days a month. Big stadiums are often designed around a fatal flaw: a massive sea of parking that wastes space for 320+ days of the year. Here's an alternative.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 20/07/2026

We designed cities for cars, and we wonder why nobody walks anymore. It’s like draining the lake and wondering where the fish went.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 17/07/2026

Fix the schools - and you'll fix the city. Meanwhile, Paris has now 300 "rue aux écoles". These are school street where walking, playing, relaxing and cycling is allowed, and driving is forbidden. Around 50% of all public nursery and elementary schools in Paris now have a school street in front.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 13/07/2026

A traffic jam is a thousand people who were each promised freedom.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 09/07/2026

What happens when you move 1,000 trees around the city? 🌳 Space is not an issue, nor is technology. Our streets have the potential to be much more than just a means of transportation. They can be vibrant spaces for ourselves, our community, and the planet. Project by Arcadia, Friesland, NL

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 29/06/2026

When people say, "I really need to start getting more steps in," they aren't failing at personal discipline. They are living in an environment that actively discourages them from moving. We don't need more gyms. We need better cities. Watch the full thing: www.youtube.com/shorts/mLsck...

youtube.com

I think they should close down all gyms where people work out!! @LouisTheroux #funny #gym #london

YouTube video by SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 29/06/2026

So waht does Theroux offer? Ambient exercise. It’s the idea that movement shouldn't be a scheduled chore or a luxury add-on to a lazy, car-dependent lifestyle. It should just be a natural byproduct of living your life.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 29/06/2026

"I think they should close down all gyms where people work out." Louis Theroux said this recently on the brilliant SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma. He nailed one of the absolute biggest failures of modern city planning. [Source: SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma.]

youtube.com

I think they should close down all gyms where people work out!! @LouisTheroux #funny #gym #london

YouTube video by SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/06/2026

7. ❄️ Open "Cooling Centers" Open up public, climate-controlled spaces (libraries, community centers, and museums) as free havens for those who don't have adequate cooling at home during heatwaves. nltimes.nl/2026/06/23/h...

nltimes.nl

Heat: Schools implement special rosters, Amsterdam sets up cool-down spots

On Tuesday, Amsterdam will open 12 locations where people can go to cool down from the heat, the municipality and health service GGD announced. Due to the persistent heat, many schools are switching t...

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/06/2026

6. 🚲 Build shaded networks Walking and cycling shouldn't be extreme sports in the summer. We need continuous "cool corridors" of shade along our main walking and cycling routes. www.archdaily.com/1038054/how-...

archdaily.com

How Cities Design Public Life in the Shade

Uncover the role of shade infrastructure in urban environments and its impact on mitigating the effects of rising temperatures.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/06/2026

5. 💧 Install public water features Drinking fountains, splash pads, and accessible water features in public squares. People, especially the vulnerable and children, need immediate ways to cool down while navigating the city. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

theguardian.com

Why is Europe still not ready for extreme heat?

The first heatwaves of the season reveal how ill-prepared governments across the continent are to protect people from increasingly dangerous temperatures

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/06/2026

4. 🏘️ Subsidize white and green roofs and facades We need municipalities to incentivize covering our roofs and facades with vegetation or highly reflective white paint. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

theguardian.com

How the little-known ‘dark roof’ lobby may be making US cities hotter

As cities heat up, reflective roofs could lower energy bills and help the climate. But dark-roofing manufacturers are waging a quiet campaign to block new rules

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/06/2026

3. 🚗 Get rid of cars in the city center Cars literally emit heat from their engines, their exhaust, and the friction of their tires. They are giant metal boxes sitting in the sun, absorbing and reflecting solar radiation. www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/...

theguardian.com

Barcelona's car-free 'superblocks' could save hundreds of lives

Report predicts radical scheme could cut air pollution by a quarter as other cities including Seattle prepare to follow suit

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/06/2026

2. ⛏️ Replace asphalt (Depave!) Black asphalt is a massive heat sink that bakes our streets. We need to actively depave our cities, replacing asphalt with lighter, permeable surfaces, pavers, or better yet, soil and greenery. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

theguardian.com

Urban greening can reduce impact of global heating in cities, finds study

Planting trees, rainwater gardens and de-paving can mitigate effects of climate crisis, according to analysis of 2,000 cities

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/06/2026

1. 🌳 Plant more trees Trees provide crucial shade during the day and help cool the surrounding air at night through evapotranspiration. They are our best natural air conditioners. www.wri.org/insights/urb...

wri.org

Urban Trees: An Underused Tool for Keeping People Cool

Trees can make it feel up to 14 degrees cooler. Yet analysis shows many cities are leaving large areas of plantable land underutilized.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 24/06/2026

Europe is Burning. But we can cool it down. Our cities are currently built to trap heat. But we can change it. Here are 7 actionable things cities can do today to cool down:

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 22/06/2026

Japan's Automated Bike Garage 🚲 Capacity: Up to 204 bicycles per single underground vault. ⏱️ Speed: Average retrieval time of just 13 seconds. 📏 Depth: Extends roughly 11.5 meters deep into the ground. 🛞 Diameter: The subterranean cylinder is 8.5 meters wide.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 20/06/2026

Wisteria if I'm not mistaken

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 20/06/2026

Will add starting next time. Added here below

A bus station located beneath a massive, arched metal canopy that is densely covered in lush green vines, creating a natural tunnel effect. Several blue and white Arriva buses are parked at different platforms under the arch. In the foreground, a small group of three people stand waiting near a bus stop. A round analog clock is suspended from the center of the canopy's ceiling. At the far end of the green tunnel, a multi-story white building with large arched windows is visible in the bright daylight.

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 19/06/2026

The bus terminal that every city should have. When cities respect public transportation users, they get more people leaving their cars at home and using public transit. This station in Heerlen, NL 🇳🇱, is a prime example of treating residents well. Design: Michel Huisman 📸 ANP / Peter Hilz

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 18/06/2026

The bicycle offers the perfect harmony of human energy and spatial efficiency. Critical Mass, Rimini, Italy 🇮🇹 Velo City 2026

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 16/06/2026

Following the street's makeover, over 40 new businesses emerged along the boulevard, signaling a vibrant economic rejuvenation. www.dailymail.com/news/article...

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Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 16/06/2026

Better street = better local economy! In 2010, Lancaster, a city in California, invested $11.5 million to revamp its unattractive five-lane street into a greener, more inviting main thoroughfare. This transformation gave a substantial lift to the local economy, boosting it by $280 million!

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