Cars dominate cities today. Barcelona has set out to change that

Salvador Rueda is gripped by a vision for Barcelona.

The superblock next to the newly renovated Sant Antoni
market is popular with parents and people who want to
chill out for a bit.

In his mind’s eye, he sees a city no longer dominated by automobiles. Most streets once devoted to cars have been transformed into walkable, mixed-use public spaces, what he calls “superblocks,” where pedestrians, cyclists, and citizens mix in safety. Each resident has access to their own superblock and can traverse the city to visit the others without the need for, or fear of, motorized private vehicles.

It is a utopian vision, nothing any existing major city has achieved, but Rueda may just live to see it come true, or at least some version of it.

After years working in city government, Rueda started the Urban Ecology Agency of Barcelona, a public research consortium, in 2000. He’s a noted expert in the field of urbanism, an author of books, and an in-demand speaker, but above all, his life has been a long and committed affair of the heart with his home city. He has been immersed in Barcelona urban planning for almost 40 years.

Read the Vox story by David Roberts - “Cars dominate cities today. Barcelona has set out to change that.”

Climate change will increase deaths by suicide

Extreme heat has gripped the northern hemisphere in recent months, and the year 2018 is on track to be among the hottest ever recorded. Higher global temperatures are expected to have detrimental effects on our natural environments and our physical health, but what will they do to our mental health?

People use misters to cool down in Montréal,
 Monday, July 2, 2018, during a heatwave in the city. 

New research from an international team of scientists suggests that one of the most tangible impacts may be an increase in suicide rates.

Suicide is already among the leading causes of death worldwide. For people aged 15-55 years, it is among the top five causes of death. Worldwide nearly one million people die by suicide each year — more than all deaths from war and murder combined.

Read the story from The Conversation - “Climate change will increase deaths by suicide.”