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URBAN GATEWAY is an online community that helps cities and urban practitioners across the world unite to share knowledge and take action.

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Ebola could lead to a food crisis 8

Marius Vieth wins the CBRE Urban Photographer of the Year 4

The power of peer to peer energy sharing 7

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Musical roadsenhancing safety

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German photographer Marius Vieth wins the CBRE Urban Photographer of the Year title

A womanarranges thejewellery in awindow display next to a golden mask in Marius Veiths’ overall winning picture ‘Mask of Society’

CBREGerman photographer Marius Vieth has been named the winner of the CBRE Urban Pho-tographer of the Year competition for 2014. Mr. Vieth’s image, ‘Masks of Society’ was selected from among 11,500 entries from 79 countries, confirming the competition’s place as the largest of its kind.

The theme of the competition is ‘Cities at Work’ and photographers around the world are asked to capture the essence and real-ity of the working life of a city, with all of its beauty and day-to-day routine. The wide pool of entries captured urban scenes as diverse as the bustling roads of Mumbai to the quiet calm of street vendors shutting down their shops for the night.

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‘Net Mending’ in Vietnam by Ly Hoang Long

‘Buffer Zone’ in California by Johanna Siegmann

‘Nappers’ in China by Áron Süveg

‘UrbanGeometry’ in Germany by Marius Vieth

‘Surgeons in Action’ in Poland by Marek Stankiewicz

‘Last Train’ in Japan by Chris Jongkind

Images: www.cbreupoty.com

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Traffic management isn’t usually a very friend-ly business. Signs in stark Helvetica instruct you when to stop, go, and turn; and ocas-sionally flash at you if you’re going too fast. In New Mexico, however, one road is operating a more reward-based approach to speed limits.

A line of “rumble strips” were installed on a street betwen Alberquerque and Tijeras ear-lier this month. When motorists drive over the strips at the correct speed (45mph), metal plates under the tarmac vibrate, producing music. The result is something that sounds like a trombone slowly puffing out out “Amer-ica the Beautiful”. Now that’s worth slowing down for.

There are six other singing roads in the world, all of which use fluctuations in the road (bumps, grooves or rumble strips) to produce sound.

Musical roads encourage drivers to pay attention and slow down

Image source: www.cmuse.org

Image source: www.ridelust.com

Image source: www.ridelust.com

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The power of peer-to-peer energy sharing

Selling excess solar or wind energy back to the power company is not a new idea. But what if, instead of selling renewable energy back to companies who then sell it to our neighbors, we could sell the energy directly to our neighbors?

This is what Vandebron is doing. A new platform in the Netherlands, Vandebron connects those with ex-cess energy with those who want to purchase clean energy directly from the source. On the Vandebron website, producers describe their production operation and consumers choose the length of their con-tract and who they want to receive their power from. By cutting out the utility company, producers make more and consumers pay less. At this point there are 12 producers on Vandebron who collectively gener-ate enough excess energy to power an estimated 20,000 households.

This peer-to-peer service is possible because the Netherlands has a deregulated energy market. In a regulated market, a regulatory or government body governs all energy providing processes and consum-ers can only purchase energy through the local utility. In a deregulated market, companies can compete for customers, energy prices are not regulated and consumers aren’t forced to purchase electricity from their local utility.

Image source: www.windturbineshome.net

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The widespread outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, which has re-sulted in over 4,500 deaths so far, is also threatening to trigger a food crisis in the three countries already plagued by poverty

and hunger.

Dr. Shenggen Fen, director-general of the Washington-based Inter-national Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), told IPS the crisis is expected to be confined mostly to the countries directly affected by the spreading disease: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Asked whether the food shortages will also reach countries outside West Africa, he said Ebola is triggering a food crisis through a series of interrelated factors, including farmer deaths, labour shortages, ris-ing transportation costs, and rising food prices.

“Within these countries, where undernourishment has long been a problem, the food crisis may persist for decades,” he warned.

And because Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia are all net food-im-porting countries, the Ebola-triggered food crisis is unlikely to spread to other countries in the region or beyond, Dr. Fan added.

Global food prices tend to have transmission effects on regional or national food prices, but for small markets (on a global scale) such as these three countries, the transmission effect of food prices is un-

Ebola could lead to a food crisis in WestAfrica

Image source: www.time.com

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likely to pass beyond their own boundaries - so long as the disease itself is not transmitted, he said.

According to the latest figures released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are over 9,000 cases of Ebola, including 4,262 cases in Liberia, 3,410 in Sierra Leone and 1,519 in Guinea.

The death toll is highest in Liberia (2,484), followed by Sierra Leone (1,200) and Guinea (862).

U.N. Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Monday the WHO has officially declared Nigeria free of Ebola virus transmission, after 42 days without a single case.

WHO called it “a spectacular success story that shows that Ebola can be contained”.

“Such a story can help the many other developing countries that are deeply worried by the prospect of an imported Ebola case and are eager to improve their preparedness plans,” he said.

Dujarric said the announcement comes only a few days after Senegal was also declared Ebola-free.

He said the trust fund set up by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to battle the deadly disease now has about 8.8 million dollars in deposits and 5.0 million dollars in commitments.

In total, 43.5 million dollars have been pledged and the secretary-general continues to urge countries to turn these pledges into action as soon as possible.

Image source: www.time.com

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By Ranjani Iyer Mohanty

I recently noticed something curious as I drove out of my neighborhood in South Delhi. The road had just been redone and now, on the stone walls that run along either side of the street, about knee-high off the ground, I spotted ceramic tiles with pictures of Hindu gods. There were images of Lakshmi, Shiva, Sar-aswati, Hanuman, and others of the pantheon, along with saints like Shankaracharya and Sai Baba of Shirdi.

Why, I wondered, were these god tiles there? Perhaps they were intended to beautify; placed about three feet apart, they certainly brightened up the otherwise nondescript walls. Or maybe they were in-spired by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s recent election and the corresponding swell of Hindu pride. Or they could have been spare gifts for the Hindu festival of Diwali—even donated leftovers from someone’s home renovation.

Then a wise, old soul, in the guise of a neighbor, gently explained their purpose to me. The tiles were there to address a problem that has long plagued India, from Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari in the south: public urination.

It’s a public-health hazard and a ubiquitous eyesore that has invited corrective measures ranging from fining offenders to beating drums at those caught in the act to spraying them with water cannons, with limited success. And it’s a fact of life in India that initially shocked me when I moved here some nine

India is using gods to stop public urination

Image source: www.priscillakibbee.blogspot.com

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years ago, but one I’ve gradually learned to ig-nore. Chalta hai. Whatever.

Some defend the practice, arguing that it stems from India’s severe lack of toilets(nearly half of Indian households don’t have access to a toilet, and figures such as Modi and Bill Gates have pledged to rectify the shortage). But that’s only partly true. Most visible roadside urinators are men. And even when women do pee in public, they often aim into the ground. Men, it seems, prefer to have something solid to relieve them-selves against—perhaps for the reassurance that they’re not merely pissing into the wind.

That’s where the god tiles come in. I found out that my local residents’ association was respon-sible for installing the tiles in our neighborhood, in the hopes that people would refrain from peeing on a picture of a god or within the god’s benevolent but omniscient gaze. It’s an ingen-ious way to keep the roads—or at least that particular stretch of road—free of pee. The tiles are durable, inexpensive, difficult to steal, and easy to clean and install. The psychology behind why they work is complex. It could be a combination of fearing the wrath of God (especially when one’s pants are down, or even just open) and wanting to seem RC (religiously correct).

I’ve since learned that god tiles aren’t only deployed to stop public urination. In some office buildings, for example, god tiles have been installed in stairways to keep people (OK, mostly men) from spitting on walls. They’ve also been used to prevent people from throwing garbage in certain places.

If these tiles are indeed effective in deterring public urination (solid evidence of their success is difficult to come by, though some seem convinced of their value), could they help discourage other bad behaviors? Imagine installing god tiles on the desk of every politician in parliament to prevent corruption, or in the of-fices of government servants to ensure that they actually serve. Or at traffic lights, just above the count-down clock, to encourage people to spend that red-light minute in quiet prayer, rather than plotting how to break all the traffic rules.

My daughter, a firm believer in national integration, has suggested that these god tiles also include Mus-lim, Christian, and Sikh iconography. After all, if there’s one thing Indians have in common, it’s their god-fearing—or at least god-respecting—nature (polls reveal that roughly 90 percent of Indians view religion as an important part of their lives). I wonder what would happen if I placed a few god tiles around my daughter’s room; after all, messiness cannot be next to godliness.

In fact, the concept has already expanded to several faiths. In documenting how tiled Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Sikh gods arrived in Mumbai’s streets (they replaced or supplemented written messages ranging from the polite “please do not sully the wall” to the more aggressive “son of an ass, don’t pee here”), the Indian photographer Amit Madheshiya recently marveled at the “harmonious existence for the gods” in such “cluttered and messy spaces”—especially in apredominantly Hindu country that “is often irreversibly divided along the coordinates of religion.”

Unfortunately, panaceas are rarely perfect. The other day, as I was leaving my neighborhood, I spotted a man on the same road urinating against those same walls. I was shocked. Who could be so bold as to disregard the presence of all those gods? And then it dawned on me: He might be an atheist.

Image source: www.transculturaldesign.blogspot.com

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Kenya’s ambitious plan to build six new cities

Over the years, urban planners have grappled with the problem of decongesting the city of Nairobi whose population is now close to four million.

Various interventions have been outlined but little seems to have changed in urban development. But as Standard Digital reports, the Kenyan government has an ambitious plan to disperse much of Nai-robi’s population through the creation of six new cities?

In March 2013, then Lands minister James Orengo signed a docu-ment entitled, Spatial Planning Concept for Nairobi Metropolitan Re-gion, in which six thematic cities are included as part of an ambitious Government plan to reorganize economic activities around the city.

This followed a presidential executive order in May 2008 that also saw the establishment of Nairobi Metropolitan Development Ministry.

The new region covers Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado and Murang’a counties. Here are the new cities.

Aerotroplis

The central core of the aerotropolis will be located towards Thika and will comprise a new international airport, a CBD and other commer-cial and administrative units.

The town will sit on 2,000 hectares, excluding the area for the pro-posed airport. It will accommodate a population of 100,000 with a

Image source: www.archidatum.com

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population density of 50 people per square hectare.

It is envisaged that all air transport related activities, currently scattered all over the current city and be-yond, will be centralized in the aerotropolis.

Knowledge/health city

This will be located in Kiambu County on Limuru Road near Ruaka Town in the midst of coffee and tea plantations.

It will be made up of agricultural research centres, a technological university, management institutes, agro-based health centres and hospitals, among other institutions.

Cyber city

A new techno city was also pro-posed to spur economic growth with information technology as the key driver.

The Cyber City will be located in Machakos County at the junction of the Greater Eastern by-pass and Kangundo Road, approxi-mately 30 kilometers from Nai-robi.

It will host service-oriented in-dustries in the field of information technology and information tech-

nology enabled services (IT/ITeS)

Interestingly, Konza City, the much touted Kenyan ‘Silicon Valley’, is located within the same neighbor-hood. It remains to be seen how the Government will amalgamate the development of the two interre-lated cities.

Sports city

With Kenya’s global reputation as a sporting nation, a new town meant to spur further growth in the sec-tor was also proposed.

To be located on relatively flat land in Machakos County, the Sports City will incorporate world-class sporting venues and sports academies, including a 60,000-seater multi-purpose outdoor stadium, a 25,000-seater cricket ground, a 10,000-seater indoor arena and a 5,000-seater field hockey stadium.

There will be related amenities such as hotels, entertainment outlets, schools, medical facilities and retail opportunities where 70 per cent of the working population is expected to serve.

Transport city

A major proposal in the concept is the establishment of a new transport and logistics hub to facilitate freight transport within the region.

Image source: www.wired.co.uk

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The new town will service the proposed transport and logistics hub, comprising a rail and truck terminal as well as an inland container depot.

Amboseli new town

An interesting inclusion in the metropolitan concept is a new tourist town adjacent to Amboseli National Park, deep in Kajiado County.

The proposed town will include hotels, resorts, entertainment outlets, gaming arcades, outdoor activities with lush green landscaped gardens.

Concepts seemed inconceivable

In a country where urban development has been slow to take root, does the idea of six new cities sound too good to be true?

Speaking during a gathering of professionals in Nairobi recently, Peter Kibinda, an urban planner, said this kind of work “involves dreaming”, adding that such a big concept requires patience.

He cited the cases of Kilimani and Kileleshwa where rezoning resulted in a compact development that attracted new business opportunities in the construction industry.

Kibinda was the director of metropolitan planning and environment in the Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development when the idea of new cities was mooted.

“Sadly, Nairobi in its current form is not sustainable. It is too rigid. Lack of reliable transport is killing the city while regeneration of the same has not even started. Creating the new towns is the only way to check the runaway urban sprawl,” he said.

Kibinda said professionals ought to look at the new towns in a positive manner saying they will provide massive opportunities for them in terms of planning and actual development.

Image source: www.wired.co.uk

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Happen to be in Istanbul? Then hop aboard Botobus, a new eco-friendly public transport option that fea-tures an organic rooftop garden. Introduced last week by the Istanbul Transportation Authority (IETT), the “botanical bus” embarked on its first journey between Edirnekapi and Taksim. The project aims to draw attention to global warming and the environment.

The rooftop garden absorbs direct sunlight, which reduces heat gain inside the bus. This will keep the vehicle cooler in summer and, in turn, reduces demand for mechanical air conditioning. The design ex-ploits a symbiotic dependency as that same air conditioner will supply a constant flow of condensate water into the garden’s drip irrigation system.

Fatmanur Yilmaz, the IETT environmental engineer in charge of the project, told ANSAmed that the Boto-bus garden is planted with species that can thrive in both summer and winter, contributing to offsets in bus emissions. The name is a play on botony and autobus which is Otobus in Turkish.

Travelling garden is being trampled in social media, especially on Twitter, with critics pointing out the irony of putting tiny (inaccessible) planted spaces atop buses while popular green areas in Istanbul are being destroyed.

They mostly refer to the Turkish government’s urban renewal plan for Istanbul’s Taksim Gezi Park, which incited a massive wave of violent national protests in 2013-14.

In the run-up to Halloween, is this travelling topiary an environmental trick or treat? IETT has said there are no plans to add other Botobuses to their fleet.

Istanbul debuts “botanical bus” with rooftop garden

Image source: www.citiscope.com

NB: Press Cutting ServiceThe Urban Gateway culls articles from daily press coverage from around the world. These

articles are posted on the Urban Gateway by way of keeping all users informed about matters of interest. The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and in no way

reflects the opinion of UN-Habitat