VR study shows bright colors and green spaces bring joy to cities
We at The Optimist Daily have written a great deal about the positive effects of greenery in cities. They sequester carbon, boost climate resiliency, and they cheer people up. Now, there is research to support greenery, along with bright colors, making cities more enjoyable. A study from the Read More...
Urban greenery could have saved how many lives?
Boston University has recently released a series of papers revealing the benefits of greenery on mental and physical health. Previous studies have concluded that spending time in greenery reduces the risk of dementia and boosts cognitive function. Their most recent study is focussing on how Read More...
How city infrastructure is aiding Ukrainians in resisting Russia
A recent article in Bloomberg CityLab by Shlomo Angel, professor of city planning and former Captain of the Israeli Defense Forces, elaborates on how Ukraine could endure the war now that the fight has been brought to its cities. He emphasizes the incredible difficulty an invading army faces when Read More...
Fractals: why your brain prefers nature over cities
You’re probably very aware at this point that it’s healthy for you to spend more time outside. While we’ve certainly written about it a great deal, scientists keep unveiling new findings about the relationship between lower stress and nature. For instance, new research from the Read More...
City trees may trap more CO2 than we thought
It’s becoming common knowledge at this point that trees greatly benefit cities and the people that call them home. City trees and urban green areas regulate temperature, improve mental health and reduce loneliness for urbanites, clean the air and even reduce crime rates. Our tall, green friends Read More...
Cargo e-bikes are here to make parcel delivery more efficient
The final step in parcel delivery is called the “last mile”. It is essentially the stage of a product’s journey from a warehouse, into a truck, and finally to the buyer’s doorstep. While key to customer satisfaction, this final step is also overwhelmingly inefficient. This is because Read More...
European cities could see a lot less cars on the roads in the near future
As local governments are finally coming to the realization that prioritizing cycling and walking over driving can tremendously benefit their residents, many are considering implementing permanent policies to tackle car-centric city development. In a bid to accelerate the adoption of such policies, Read More...
Study confirms that access to nature in urban areas reduces loneliness
Cities tend to have a bad reputation for being places that are poor for mental health and breed loneliness, however, a team of scientists has discovered that contact with nature in cities can dramatically reduce citizens’ feelings of isolation. Loneliness is considered a major public health Read More...
Mathematical visitation law can predict urban movement anywhere in the world
The hustle and bustle of city streets may seem like a random and chaotic movement of people, but researchers have discovered that this movement can in fact be predicted with a mathematical equation─a discovery that could hold implications for the study of disease and city planning. The model Read More...
The Optimist View: The Green Divide
"Neither cities nor places in them are unordered, unplanned; the question is only whose order, whose planning, for what purpose?” - Peter Marcuse BY Amelia Buckley If you stand outside in the heat of summer, you’ll notice that things are considerably less comfortable on concrete or Read More...