Europe will build 70,000 km of bike path connecting 43 countries

A mega bike path with 70,000 km extension will be built in Europe by 2020. "EuroVelo" will connect 43 countries in a total of 14 routes of different sizes. It can be used both by tourists traveling long as by local people on the day shift.
Each of the routes received a name related to landscapes and stories found along the way. Route 14, for example, was named "Iron Curtain", an allusion to the Cold War. With 10,400 kilometers and connecting 20 countries - including Norway, Russia, Germany, Bulgaria and Turkey - it is the major route of megaciclovia.
The European Cyclists' Federation, creator of the project, offers on its website information of passages that are ready. In addition to an interactive map of the routes, you can also see the main sights to be found by the cyclist.

Source: https://catracalivre.com.br/geral/mobilidade/indicacao/europa-tera-ciclovia-de-70-mil-km-ligando-20-paises/

EuroVelo Website: http://www.eurovelo.com/en

Singapore

The video presented to us in the last class was very interesting and has been complemented with the article at the following link http://www.urbanstrategies.com/blog/lee-kuan-yews-singapore-another-way-of-city-building / as I was watching I often got lost in my thoughts and imagined how it would be amazing if I could apply what was shown on video in my city in Brazil. I found very interesting the commitment that the residents of Singapore has to transform the city and further integrate with it when it is integrated with nature.

               The growth of green areas shown on the maps is very interesting.

               Well, I believe that in many cases is a little hard to turn a city or country in a drastic way because we need to change the culture of the people.

               According to the article, Singapore is one of the countries with the lowest government rate index and the government did not provide any benefits such as pension, housing or health insurance. The laws also not very rigid, homosexuality is illegal, drug dealers can be executed and users of drugs or alcohol in public can be punished.

               In a place like this is easy to understand how they were able to apply these transition measures presented in the video. All there are accustomed to fulfill their role as citizen, with his responsibilities as an individual and so the country develops, each citizen works hard, get educate, lives within the law and so the country will forward.

               My conclusion about this is that they did a very good job and I would like to see that in more places in the world and would like to practice it in the future in my city in Brazil, we need a lot of it, everybody does.

Neighborhood and Housing Innovations

I live on campus, at the dorms. I think that my building and most part of building here are not ecofriendly. There is a lot energy being wasted all the time. The heater, the air conditioner, the washing and drying machines are the most responsible for that. The indiscriminate use of such equipment is a big issue, in view of all we know about not-renewable energies which are used here. It would be interesting if it were adopted the concept of "passive house" as was done in Freiburg which the building has thermal insulation, which keeps the temperature constant, and large windows with three layers of glass and balconies designed to illuminate the environments without injure them by sun rays too much. Buildings of this type are 10% more expensive for joint works, but consume only 10% of that spend regular. This is incredible. The Vauban district in Freiburg is also an example amazing. The Vauban properties have similar thermal structures of Freiburg, however, have solar panels on their roofs, which supply at least 20% of the electricity demanded by the local population. The houses are designed to function as power plants, that is, the excess energy is transferred to the public, such action reduces price fixing by the energy company. There is a Brazilian government project to do the same there.

               Another point in comparison to the videos presented in class and the city of Freiburg in my building there is not a place where we can come together to pass the time and be in contact with the earth. While we are in the building we stay most of the time confined to our rooms and we don't have other places to spend time in the building.

               On campus there are several places to lie on the grass and stay in the shade of a tree, but I believe it would be more interesting if they had these types of spaces also in the building.

               Living here on campus is good and has a lot of cool things, but anything can improve a lot. If they made these changes as we have seen in these examples in long-term we would have much better quality of life and more benefits. Spending on energy would be reduced and thus the values to live here also decrease, it would be a huge benefit to the university and to the residents.

The Building that wants to become a landscape

Biophilic cities

During the last class watched a video showing proximity of examples of human beings with nature and how it was introduced into communities through urban planning programs.

In this world where everything revolves around speed, money and hostility with nature, we can see how everything is going down the way it happens.

In this concrete jungle we live in where the trees give places to concrete, the rivers to the sewer, the birds to planes, we can see how far we are from nature and we move away more and more, and we need to return to the contact with nature to try to restore our cities in a way that the city is again for people with nature, becoming one.

Love of nature is the definition of Biophilic, a term popularized in a book by Edward Osborne Wilson, Harvard researcher, published in 1984. In it he argues that human beings have a natural tendency to connect to other living beings.

The main characteristics of a biophilic city are: wealth of nature next to urban areas. Residents feel a deep affinity with the fauna and flora of the region. They recognize local species of trees, flowers, insects and birds and take care of them. Many outdoor activities options such as hiking, climbing and biking; multisensory environments that offer sounds of nature and various visual experiences. Several opportunities for teaching and learning about nature and biodiversity, including volunteer projects; Investment in social and physical infrastructure that promotes the city's connection with nature through natural history museums, outdoor community centers, school projects of contact with nature, walking in parks, coexistence programs and more and awareness of the global impact of the use of nature's resources.

Visions of Mobility; Keys for Social Justice

With the discussions of the last lessons on cycle paths and bicycles and these examples from Europe, especially in Copenhagen, we can see that the issue of implementation of this bicycle mobility is much more than a project of a group of planners, but something that part of the culture of the people.

We can see how all people are involved in some way, from the creators of ideas, cyclists and even drivers. This commitment is what was transformative for them.

The way the cycle paths and lanes were designed leads me to believe that it does not take much to make this change in several places in the world, including here in Salt Lake City.

It is important that idea to reeducate to do something new and so in a way that works as well as in Copenhagen, as I said this commitment is not only cyclists, or planners, or the drivers, but the collective, the community.

We are all part of the community that will be improved with this transformation, thus we must commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes, re-educating us and re-educating whom we can. We must understand what is bicycle mobility and how it is beneficial for us, the collective, understand that cyclists are an asset, they need their place (all we need) and a safe environment for cycling would further increase the number of cyclists and also our quality of life.

A group of six young architects under Renzo Piano leadership has been dedicated to transforming empty spaces on the outskirts of some Italian cities. The team, known as G124, focuses its efforts on revitalizing neglected and forgotten areas and stimulate the local economy through design. The initiative recently led the group to transform an abandoned area under an overpass in the north of Rome in a vibrant cultural point.

The project, aptly titled "Under the Viaduct", makes use of recycled materials to create an inviting community space. Cargo containers receive the events organized in the area, providing multiple spaces workshops for local residents. In addition, the area is punctuated by pieces of furniture made from recycled tires and various art installations created with found materials. Reuse of consciousness that makes the cost-effective space but also it yields a distinct character only possible when using worn materials for new applications.

"Under the Viaduct" is one of several large-scale projects designed by G124 to improve communities. In an effort not only to design spaces for the public, but also involve you in the decision making process, the G124's approach is to work closely with local organizations and public authorities, receiving feedback to better tailor their projects to the needs the different communities.

Watch the following video to learn more about the project "Under the Viaduct" and see G124 in action.
https://vimeo.com/113104904