atherverse

For mayors, city teams and people who care for places

A good idea can travel.

Learn from another city. Adapt a small experiment. Share what worked—and what you would change.

Explore 8 city ideas →

Borrow the question. Adapt the answer.

These are sourced examples, not a ranking or endorsements. “Try locally” and measurement tips are Atherverse suggestions; results depend on local conditions.

8 ideas

Barcelona · Streets

Give a neighborhood more room to live

Superblocks. Barcelona reorganises street space to put people and public life at the centre of neighborhood design.

Try locally

Pilot one small area with residents, shops and access groups. Plan loading, emergency access and step-free routes before changing traffic.

Measure the difference

Traffic inside and on boundary streets, accessible journeys, pedestrian use and resident feedback.

Before scaling

A quieter interior should not simply move pollution or difficult journeys to neighboring streets.

Read the official project source →

Paris · Climate

Turn schoolyards into cooler shared spaces

Oasis schoolyards. Paris schoolyard projects combine vegetation, more permeable surfaces and attention to children’s use of outdoor space.

Try locally

Start with one school. Invite pupils, staff and accessibility groups to map heat, shade and play before drawing a design.

Measure the difference

Shade coverage, surface temperature, rainwater performance and how different children use the space.

Before scaling

Budget for watering, maintenance and supervision, not just construction.

Read the official project source →

Copenhagen · Water

Make room for heavy rain

Cloudburst planning. Copenhagen plans for extreme rain across the city, including surface routes and public spaces that can help manage water.

Try locally

Ask qualified drainage engineers to map one catchment and identify where public-space improvements could support the wider flood plan.

Measure the difference

Flood exposure, drainage performance, maintenance needs and downstream effects.

Before scaling

Water crosses project boundaries. A local change must fit the whole catchment and local engineering requirements.

Read the official project source →

Helsinki · Digital

Make useful city data easier to reuse

Open geographic data. Helsinki publishes geographic data and participates in Helsinki Region Infoshare with neighboring cities.

Try locally

Publish one useful, non-personal dataset with a clear licence, owner, update schedule and a plain-language example.

Measure the difference

Freshness, accessibility, documented reuse and the time saved answering repeated information requests.

Before scaling

Open data requires quality and privacy review; publishing a file alone does not make it useful.

Read the official project source →

Singapore · Water

Treat water reuse as a long-term system

NEWater. PUB’s NEWater programme purifies treated used water using advanced treatment, including membranes and ultraviolet disinfection.

Try locally

Commission a professional feasibility study covering demand, treatment, regulation, energy and public communication.

Measure the difference

Water quality, reliability, energy use and the share of suitable demand served.

Before scaling

This is an infrastructure case study, not treatment instructions. Local water authorities and qualified engineers must assess suitability.

Read the official project source →

Amsterdam · Circular economy

Buy for repair and reuse

Circular economy programme. Amsterdam’s circular approach seeks to keep materials and products in use and reduce waste.

Try locally

Choose one procurement category. Compare repair, reuse and new purchases using a simple inventory and whole-life cost assessment.

Measure the difference

Items repaired or reused, material use, service life and total cost.

Before scaling

Check local supplier capacity, safety standards and procurement obligations before scaling.

Read the official project source →

Seoul · Streets

Reconnect people with an urban stream

Cheonggyecheon restoration. Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon restoration ran from 2003 to 2005, bringing a covered stream corridor back into public life.

Try locally

Study a corridor’s water, ecology, transport and business needs together, with people who use it every day.

Measure the difference

Accessible visits, ecological condition, operating costs and effects on nearby businesses.

Before scaling

Restoration can require substantial water management and relocation decisions; address displacement and maintenance openly.

Read the official project source →

Medellín · Climate

Connect shade with everyday journeys

Green corridors. Medellín’s green corridors combine urban planting with ongoing care by gardening teams.

Try locally

Choose a hot walking route to a school, stop or clinic. Select locally suitable planting and fund care from the beginning.

Measure the difference

Plant survival, shade, temperatures at consistent locations and accessibility of the route.

Before scaling

Tree survival, water needs and local ecology matter more than copying a planting palette from another climate.

Read the official project source →

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