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Cities around the world are finding better ways for their citizens to get around.\r\r\rVélib' Bike-Rental Program Paris:\r\rWhen Paris's Vélib' ("free bicycle") celebrated its first anniversary, in July, 2008, it had already doubled its number of rental bikes to 20,000 and rental stations to 1,450. The largest..\n

 Laura Kiniry
01.12.09

Cities around the world are finding better ways for their citizens to get around.

Vélib' Bike-Rental Program Paris:When Paris's Vélib' ("free bicycle") celebrated its first anniversary, in July, 2008, it had already doubled its number of rental bikes to 20,000 and rental stations to 1,450. The largest program of its kind in the world, Vélib' is not only altering Paris streets, but also people's approach to mobility. "It's a factor of quality and quantity," says Eric Britton, the founder of the New Mobility Partnerships, "and it pervades the city." For subscribers, rentals are free for the first half hour and one to four euros every half hour thereafter, encouraging the vehicle's prompt return. Voiturelib'-shared self-service cars-is also on the horizon.

Ciclovía Car-Free Streets Bogotá, Colombia:Every Sunday and holiday, Colombia's capital city opens up more than 70 miles of car-free streets to more than a million pedestrians, cyclists, joggers, and skaters. By promoting active public spaces and restricting car use (the city established a Car-Free Day in 2000) the mayor and the parks commissioner reinvented the downtown cityscape while encouraging fitness and interaction between communities. Ciclovía ("cycle way"), in particular, provides open space and free activities-like yoga, crafts, and volleyball-- that transcend socioeconomic barriers.

Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project Seoul, South Korea:Through an ambitious two-year plan completed in 2005, the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project replaced the city's most heavily trafficked roadway-the remains of which were later recycled-with a five-mile-long, 1,000-acre park that attracts both wildlife and people.New Mobility Hub Network Cape Town, South Africa:When the World Cup comes to South Africa in 2010, Cape Town will be ready. The city has recently collaborated with SMART (a University of Michigan mobility-research project) and Ford Motor Company in their shift into a fully sustainable, connected urban region-where switching from shuttle to taxi to bicycle happens seamlessly. According to SMART's managing director, Susan Zielinski, "Very simple dot-connecting can make a huge difference in a very short time."

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Youth activists gather to fight climate change at UN Summit: 'We need to transform anger into action'

Julian Meehan

Young leaders from around the world are gathering at the United Nations Headquarters in New York Saturday to address arguably the most urgent issue of our time. The Youth Climate Summit comes on the heels of an international strike spearheaded by Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden, who arrived in New York via emissions-free sailboat earlier this month.

Translated from Swedish, "berg" means "mountain," so it may feel fated that a young woman with Viking blood in her veins and summit in her name would be at the helm. But let's go out on a limb and presume Thunberg, in keeping with most activists, would chafe at the notion of pre-ordained "destiny," and rightly so. Destiny is passive — it happens to you. It's also egomaniacal. Change, on the other hand, is active; you have to fight. And it is humble. "We need to get angry and understand what is at stake," Thunberg declared. "And then we need to transform that anger into action."

This new generation of activists' most pernicious enemy is denial. The people in charge — complacent politicians and corporation heads who grossly benefit from maintaining the status quo — are buffered from real-life consequences of climate change. But millions of people don't share that privilege. For them, climate change isn't an abstract concept, but a daily state of emergency, whether it comes in the form of "prolonged drought in sub-Saharan Africa…devastating tropical storms sweeping across Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific…[or] heatwaves and wildfires," as Amnesty International reportsare all too real problems people are facing on a regular basis.

RELATED: Greta Thunberg urges people to turn to nature to combat climate change

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18 of the best signs from New York's Climate Strike march

Millions of people in over 150 countries across the globe marched for lawmakers and corporations to take action to help stop climate change on Friday, September 20.

The Climate Strikes were organized by children around the world as an extension of the of the "Fridays for Future" campaign. Students have been walking out of classrooms on Fridays to speak out about political inaction surrounding the climate crisis.

"We need to act right now to stop burning fossil fuels and ensure a rapid energy revolution with equity, reparations and climate justice at its heart," organizers say.

There's no doubt the visual images from the marches send a powerful message to those on the ground but especially those watching from around the world. GOOD's own Gabriel Reilich was on the scene for the largest of the Climate Strikes. Here are 18 of the best signs from the Climate Strike march in New York City.

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How you can get involved in the Global Climate Strike

September 20th marks the beginning of a pivotal push for the future of our planet. The Global Climate Strike will set the stage for the United Nations Climate Action Summit, where more than 60 nations are expected to build upon their commitment to 2015's Paris Agreement for combating climate change.

Millions of people are expected to take part in an estimated 4,000 events across 130 countries.

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The Planet

Why the iPhone 11 is making people with trypophobia experience panic and revulsion

Do you have it?

via Apple

When the iPhone 11 debuted on September 10, it was met with less enthusiasm than the usual iPhone release. A lot of techies are holding off purchasing the latest gadget until Apple releases a phone with 5G technology.

Major US phone carriers have yet to build out the infrastructure necessary to provide a consistent 5G experience, so Apple didn't feel it necessary to integrate the technology into its latest iPhone.

A dramatic new feature on the iPhone 11 Pro is its three camera lenses. The three lenses give users the the original wide, plus ultrawide and telephoto options.

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Health

Woman dreams she swallowed her engagement ring and wakes up with it missing

Dreams can have a powerful effect on us.

via I love butter / Flickr

We often dismiss our dreams as nonsensical dispatches from the mind while we're deep asleep. But recent research proves that our dreams can definitely affect our waking lives.

People often dream about their significant others and studies show it actually affects how we behave towads them the next day.

"A lot of people don't pay attention to their dreams and are unaware of the impact they have on their state of mind," said Dylan Selterman, psychology lecturer at the University of Maryland, says according to The Huffington Post. "Now we have evidence that there is this association."

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