New Polis

08/01/2026

New Polis Newsletter | October–December 2025
Our latest newsletter is now available for download.
This issue brings together key insights, articles, interviews, and global updates on urban sustainability, smart cities, and governance from the final months of 2025.
If you’d like a concise overview of the ideas and developments shaping urban futures, this edition is for you.
📥 Download the newsletter here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vQc3KSpn0OEV8Ye6ie4lAtMTQoHjik5U/view?usp=drive_link

29/12/2025

Happy New Year from New Polis!
We wish you health, prosperity and moments of inspiration! Let's create a world that is smarter, more sustainable, and human, together!

22/12/2025

Read more https://newpolis.media/sustainable-holiday-celebrations-in-cities-from-christmas-trees-to-smart-urban-solutions/

22/12/2025

What Cities Can Do for Sustainable New Year Celebrations

As cities prepare for New Year celebrations, the environmental footprint of the holidays deserves more attention.
Read more https://newpolis.media/sustainable-holiday-celebrations-in-cities-from-christmas-trees-to-smart-urban-solutions/

22/12/2025

What Each of Us Can Do for a More Sustainable New Year

Sustainable New Year celebrations don’t require giving up traditions; they require rethinking a few everyday choices.

Here are simple actions that make a real difference:
-Choose your Christmas tree wisely: keep an artificial tree for many years, or buy a locally grown natural tree and compost it after the holidays.
-Switch to LED lights and use timers to reduce energy use and costs.
-Reduce holiday waste by reusing decorations, choosing recyclable wrapping, and composting food scraps.
-Rethink fireworks by supporting cleaner alternatives or attending organized city displays instead of private fireworks.
-Cut travel emissions by using public transport, car-sharing, or walking during the festive period.

No single choice is perfect, but together these small decisions significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the holidays without sacrificing joy.
Read more https://newpolis.media/sustainable-holiday-celebrations-in-cities-from-christmas-trees-to-smart-urban-solutions/

08/12/2025

Housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable around the world — and young people are feeling it the most. Rising rents, higher mortgage rates, and slow wage growth are pushing an entire generation out of the housing market.
In our new feature at New Polis, we explore how global cities are rethinking affordable urban housing solutions. One of the most striking examples comes from Beijing, where youth-focused rental communities built on collectively owned land are reshaping how megacities support young residents and attract talent.
We also highlight new international research on long-term housing affordability and how cities worldwide are testing fresh models for the next generation.
👉 Read the full article: https://newpolis.media/how-cities-are-reinventing-affordable-urban-housing-solutions-for-a-new-generation/

Global cities are rethinking affordable urban housing solutions. Learn how Beijing and other world capitals develop youth-focused rental models to tackle rising costs

01/12/2025

Air Pollution Is Quietly Damaging Our Brains

New research published in The Lancet Planetary Health delivers a clear message: long-term exposure to polluted air is harming our brains, increasing the risk of dementia even at levels common in many cities.
This research reinforces a simple truth: air quality is not only an environmental or respiratory issue, it’s a brain health issue. And because exposure is universal, the risk is universal.
For cities, the implications are profound. Cleaner transport, better urban planning, and stricter emission standards are no longer optional climate measures, they are essential public-health interventions.
If we want healthier, more resilient communities, protecting the air we breathe must become a priority now.
Read more https://newpolis.media/air-pollution-raises-risk-of-dementia-why-clean-air-is-a-public-health-imperative/

New research shows air pollution raises risk of dementia. How aging populations and urban air quality shape future brain health

26/11/2025

In recent days, media outlets around the world have been offering their takes on what COP30 in Belém truly delivered and what it didn’t. At New Polis, we’ve put together our own perspective, shaped by our focus on sustainable development and the political forces that define climate action.
Our new article looks at:
• the key tensions that shaped the negotiations,
• the five main decisions adopted in Belém,
• why the fossil-fuel phase-out remains the summit’s most divisive issue,
• and what these outcomes mean for the future development.
👉 Read the full article here: https://newpolis.media/cop30-in-belem-high-tensions-deep-divides-and-slow-steps-forward/

COP30 in Belém exposed sharp global divides as the draft deal dropped fossil phase-out language, yet delivered modest steps on finance, forests, and misinformation

24/11/2025

🌆 How sustainable construction is reshaping the cities of tomorrow
🏗️ The global green building market has already reached $618.58 billion and could rise to $1.37 trillion by 2034.
🌿 Nearly 29% of all green bonds now support building projects — a clear sign that urban development is shifting toward healthier, more efficient, climate-friendly solutions.
Our new article explores the trends behind this movement:
• the rise of Net-Zero buildings
• smarter and more efficient building systems
• bio-based and recycled materials
• modular construction for faster, low-impact development
• the growing role of green finance in cities
If you’re curious about how sustainable construction is shaping the future of urban life, don’t miss this overview of the key trends driving change.
📖 Read the full article → https://newpolis.media/sustainable-construction-trends-and-the-future-of-urban-sustainability-how-green-buildings-quietly-transform-tomorrows-cities/

17/11/2025

💧 What if rain could make our cities better?
Our new article explores how landscape architecture is transforming stormwater from a problem into a powerful urban resource.
From Copenhagen’s cloudburst-proof parks to practical SuDS applications in Stuttgart, this piece shows how bioswales, rain gardens, and blue–green systems can cool cities, prevent flooding, boost biodiversity — and reshape public space in beautiful, human-centered ways.
If you’re curious how the future of urban design is being built one raindrop at a time, this is a must-read.
👉 Read the full article: Rain as a Resource: How Landscape Architecture Makes Sustainable Stormwater Management Possible
https://newpolis.media/rain-as-a-resource-how-landscapearchitecture-makes-sustainable-stormwater-management-possible/

Sustainable stormwater management and blue–green infrastructure are transforming urban design, turning rain into a resource and helping cities adapt to climate change

13/11/2025

New Interview on New Polis!
We’re excited to share our new video conversation with Dr. Oksana Zaporozhets, a sociologist and urban scholar who has spent more than 20 years studying how people really live, feel, and interact in cities.
This interview looks at the human side of urban life — the small routines, informal practices, and everyday digital habits that shape city life just as much as major infrastructure projects.
We talk about micro-urbanism, belonging, digital citizens, and why some of the most important parts of a city are the ones we barely notice.
A thoughtful, insightful look at cities that goes far beyond technology.
Highly recommended for anyone curious about how urban life actually works.
👉 Watch the full interview here:
https://newpolis.media/everyday-urbanism-and-the-human-side-of-digital-cities-interview-with-dr-oksana-zaporozhets/

This video interview with Dr. Oksana Zaporozhets explores how digitalization, everyday practices, and informal urban life shape contemporary cities. Drawing on her international research, she reflects on micro-urbanism, citizen-led digital infrastructures, and the human dimensions of belonging that....

31/10/2025

🚍 The Journey of Autonomous Buses
What does the future of autonomous public transport really look like?
In our new video interview, Eran Ofir, CEO of Imagry, shares fascinating insights on how self-driving buses are becoming safer, smarter, and closer to everyday reality.
🎥 Watch the full interview here: The Journey of Autonomous Buses: Interview with Eran Ofir, CEO of Imagry
https://newpolis.media/the-journey-of-autonomous-buses-interview-with-eran-ofir-ceo-of-imagry/

Eran Ofir of Imagry on how trust, not technology, will define the future of autonomous public transport.