Welcome to the 79th issue of Urbanism Now, our weekly newsletter curated with brief and insightful urban ideas from around the world to inspire action where you (c)are.
This newsletter is curated by Maria Paula Moreno Vivas and Ray Berger. Learn more on our About page.
Thank you for your interest and support. If you find this newsletter useful, please forward it to a friend!
Our jobs board is officially live! 🎉
Let’s get started:
American public transit surprisingly rose to the occasion during the 2026 World Cup, effectively managing a record influx of fans in cities like Los Angeles and Seattle, despite initial skepticism about its capacity. While host cities demonstrated the ability to rapidly expand transit, the challenge remains in sustaining this momentum for everyday locals beyond major events.
Amtrak has expanded its “Night Owl Fares,” offering one-way tickets on off-hour trains along the Northeast Corridor for as low as $10. Having recently taken a night train from Berlin to Brussels, it’s exciting to see this expansion happening stateside.
Bike Cleveland crowdfunded $4,500 to acquire Cleveland’s first bike lane street sweeper, enhancing safety and accessibility for cyclists by clearing debris from over 150 miles of bikeways.
San Jose is developing new regulations for automated food delivery robots, including potential rules for speed limits and operating areas, in anticipation of a larger rollout of these devices in sidewalks and bike lanes.
Videos, podcasts, books, and socials:
Maptoolkit launched a free, production-grade vector map service tailored for open-source, non-commercial, indie projects and small businesses, offering high-quality cartography with a focus on tourism and outdoor activities like hiking and cycling.
The Manual for Designing Urban Imaginaries Colombia advocates for inclusive sustainable development in Colombia that prioritizes social and environmental justice over corporate green certifications. The manual, emerging from over a decade of research, offers a blueprint for integrating community hopes and cultural identities into urban planning.
Jobs:
See all our new jobs at https://urbanismnow.com/jobs below are a select few.
Come work with me (Maria Paula) — Chinatown Community Development Center is hiring a development and events manager to lead annual fundraising, corporate partnerships and special events. The role involves managing donor appeals, cultivating mid-sized donors, and orchestrating events like the annual gala as the organization approaches its 50th anniversary. $100k - $105k salary.
The Urban Institute is hiring a research assistant for its Housing and Communities Division to collect, clean, manage and analyze data for policy research on housing, community development and urban planning. $52k - $66k salary.
Wageningen University & Research is hiring a PhD on modeling the cool city to evaluate and upscale systemic heat-mitigation innovations across European cities, connecting microclimatic simulations with public health data. €37k - €47k salary. Apply by August 10.
Events and deadlines:
The Africa Urban Lab Professional Diploma in Urban Development is accepting applications for its third cohort, designed for professionals shaping African cities, offering applied learning, in-person classes in Zanzibar, capstone placements and networking. Scholarships are available. Apply by August 1.
The Young Mobility Network (YMN) is seeking 2-3 volunteers for expanding hubs in Stuttgart, Dresden, Bremen, Paris, the UK and Netherlands to help organize events, connect members and grow local communities.
The Democracy Stories Lab is an open call inviting creators worldwide to submit imaginative visual content, such as short videos or illustrations, that tell compelling stories about the future of democracy and collective decision-making. Apply by September 14.
Mpact Transit + Community 2026 will bring together city-builders to share real-world solutions for challenges facing cities and regions everywhere. The conference, focused on building transit-oriented communities, takes place in Toronto, Ontario, September 14-17.
What did you love? What did we miss? Let us know in the comments below.
As always, please share with a friend!
Bike Lane Street Sweeper. By: Screengrab from Spectrum News
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