Rethinking cities #5: Madeleine scoots round town and learns that God is in the details!

The age of scooter sharing is upon us.  Ever since cities like Paris started with its vélib scheme, scooters, bikes, and mopeds have been taking over cities around the world.  In Paris itself, there is a strong love for vélos and the government’s scheme is now not the only choice, with several new dockless options Read more

Whiz around Paris and ponder on liberty

Parisians take their liberté seriously!  There is of course the history of their nation and the Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen of 1789 being considered one of the most important documents that have shaped the world in terms of the idea of freedom for all mankind, and having in part Read more

Stormy travels into July: the “disappearing” city that needs a rainbow

July is almost upon us: ’tis the season for strawberries, summer operas, fashion shows, and  Wimbledon is back after last year’s unprecedented hiatus.  But in Hong Kong, the weather is stormy, the mood is grey, the summer local fruit is more lychee than strawberry (and yes some lychees are grown locally … you may even find Read more

Now is the month of Maying: walking, cycling, secret gardens, and velo being an anagram of love …

Many of our friends around the world – perhaps the luckier ones – are spending the month of May on vaccinations and the related worrying. Our Parisien friends in the meantime have been getting onto their bikes (or “vélos”). The talk-of-the-town in recent months have been about vélo – the French word for bikes – being Read more

Rethinking cities #3 – the daily commute part II: Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong

IV. Beijingers and Tokyoites: walkers  Despite the low cycling statistics for two of the most famous cities, Paris and London, all is not lost.  There are other noteworthy trends and possibilities, including an ultra-high 46% walking modal share for Paris and almost 30% for London, according to Deloitte’s City Mobility Index.  In fact, we find Read more