Civilized cities: building better communities
While traveling around the world, I started noticing the smart and considerate ways communities make their environments better places to live. During a trip to Tokyo in 2015, I created a “Civilized Cities” album on Google Photos, which inspired the name of this page.
Below are some lessons I learned from observing smart decisions that make community life safer, happier, and healthier for all.
Additionally, I am documenting best practices that government organizations implement to truly serve their constituents.
Construction noise
I love how constructions sites in Japan have a decibel meter, I took this photo in 2016 in Tokyo.
Maybe not all construction sites need a permanent decibel meter, but someone responsible for noise management and control so neighbors are not too disturbed.
Construction dust
I also saw this in Tokyo (walking on the street and saw mist nozzles above a construction hoarding)
Dust is another problem from construction sites inside cities and reducing it with water mists makes sense.
- Photo here isn’t mine. (can’t find one I took)
Smoking zones
One more from Tokyo (also seen in other cities) I liked that the CBD had some designated fenced smoking areas.
Allows non-smokers to breath without having constant smell of cigarettes from people all around.
Public Parks with Libraries or bookstores
Public parks are great. Public parks that have public libraries even better. Have seen these around the world. Some are public libraries (like the one pictured in Madrid on the left) others are bookstores with open doors welcoming readers from all ages. One of the most beautiful I have seen is Librería Porrúa in Mexico City so I am also adding videos of that one below.
Kid Playgrounds
Kids deserve to play in safe and accessible playgrounds.
If those playgrounds happen to be beautiful and well designed, even better, we would be making our cities more beautiful and exposing them to good design.
Pedestrian trails
Bike trails
Convenient and safe commuting, accessible outdoors, a way for tourists to move around without contributing to traffic, etc etc. What’s not to love about places that have extensive bike trail networks? The most impressive I have personally done are in Austria but trails in Dolomites, Germany, The Netherlands are also great. Ideally fully isolated from main roads, but if parallel and protected from cars (like some of the bike trails in Dubai) then it also works.
Accessible beaches and swimming areas
Nice clean accessible beaches for the public. Some areas had nice sea/ocean pools. Minimal investment and really increases the accessibility to kids/families to enjoy the water on a hot summer day.
Potable water
You always find potable water fountains in many mountain villages across the world. But Cities can also have accessible potable water. One example I like is Dubai. Hot desert city and the ‘Dubai Can’ initiative installed close to a 100 stations that dispense water for your reusable botte.
(Photo credit Dubai DET and Gulf business)
Kleingarten/shared gardening plots
I started noticing these across Europe a few years ago, mostly in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria but I believe in a few other countries.
Love the idea of a small plot where people come to do their gardening of fruits and vegetables, everyone doing their own plots. A shared communal space for people to run into, noticed some families BBQing and enjoying their garden on weekends.
(I don’t have a good photo that give them justice, so here’s one from Google images)