Every day, The Overhead Wire collects national and international news about cities and sends the links to their email list. At the end of the week they post some of the most popular stories to Greater Greater Washington, a group blog similar to Streets.mn that focuses on urban issues in the D.C. region.
Seoul combats loneliness: South Korea has created “mind convenience stores” with ways for people to gather and relax as a way to combat loneliness in the country. Single-person households have increased from 16% to 40% in the past two decades. The stores feature ways to just be with others, including eating instant noodles, enjoying massage chairs and watching television together. (Raphael Rashid | The Guardian)
Healthcare benefits of housing: After moving into hotels provided by King County, homeless residents in Seattle had fewer visits to emergency rooms and hospitals. The ability to have housing improved health and reduced recurring infections. This also results in lower per-person healthcare costs in the system. (Greg Kim | Seattle Times)
Vietnam low-emissions zones: Vietnam is banning gas-powered motorcycles starting in central Hanoi, similar to other international cities’ clean-air zones. Car bans likely will follow, all to reduce emissions and air pollution. The program is part of a goal to electrify all two-wheeled transport, given that the country will ban gas-powered bikes by 2045. (Micah Toll | Electrek)
Walking matters: New research released in The Lancet (“the best science for better lives”) suggests that raising step counts from 2,000 to 7,000 per day has a significant impact on health. A 47% lower risk of mortality was associated with increased daily walking. Although physical activity has long been linked with health benefits, this study targeted a specific number that doctors could hold up for patients to achieve. (Ding et al | The Lancet)
Oregon governor calls special session for transport: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has delayed layoffs to Department of Transportation staff and called for a special session to address transportation funding. Funding proposals — including raising the gas tax — hit a wall at the end of the previous legislative session. But the governor didn’t address what a funding solution might look like or whether megaprojects at risk from a lack of funding might expect to get any help. (Dirk VanderHart | Oregon Public Broadcasting)
This week on the Talking Headways podcast, we’re joined by Ilana Preuss of Recast City to talk about small-scale manufacturing in cities.
Quote of the Week
“With around 700 electric vehicles, more than half of our fleet in Vienna is already electric. By the end of the year, we will install the remaining charging stations and put a further 400 electric vehicles into operation in Vienna. By the end of the year, more than 2 million residents will receive last-mile deliveries CO2-free. This is unique in Europe!”
— Peter Umundum, board member for parcel and logistics, describing in Electrive how Austrian Post AG is moving to zero emissions deliveries.
Photo at top courtesy of Unsplash.