Table of contents for N. 122 in Topos

Forget the Hamptons, Bondi Beach, the Florida Keys, etc. Summer is best spent where? In Switzerland. Strangely enough. Here, an urban trend has manifested itself in recent years: river swimming. While Berlin, London and Paris were still struggling with the implementation of their river pools, people in Basel, Bern, Geneva or, as pictured, the city of Zurich, were already jumping into the city river at all times of the day-without paying any entrance fees, of course. According to the organizers of the exhibition "Swim City" at the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, river swimming is possible primarily because of Switzerland’s pragmatic legal approach to risk. The difference: In contrast to many other countries, swimming in moving water is legally permitted in this country. At the same time, however, no one…

Already for the 10th time, the World Happiness Report 2023 reflects how people in over 150 countries feel about their lives. Finland with its isolated, snowy landscapes and yet vibrant urban areas came in first place. The report considers data concerning happiness, benevolence and trust, as well as people’s perception of progress and well-being. Since social media has by now become a big part of everyday life for most of us, the World Happiness Report uses this data to document emotional states before and during the COVID-19 pandemic as well. In general, the biological basis for happiness is defined by the ability to cope with genetic, environmental or societal influences and whether we can utilise these dynamics for progress or surrender to the given circumstances and lose all hope for…

Who does not know the feeling that there could be a better café or pub at the corner? Or that the atmosphere at the other party might be even better. Maybe the people you would meet at that other event are even more interesting. Would a holiday in Italy not be too boring? In most cases, you could call this the supposed illness FOMO, which is widespread among Millennials. The abbreviation stands for the "Fear of missing out". In other words, it is the pathological fear of missing out on something better. What many people use colloquially and rather excessively is at its core quite a serious issue. This fear of missing out is increasingly driving more and more people into a lifestyle of constant stress. And for a long…

The California Healthy Places Index (HPI) focuses on social conditions that drive a healthy population. Its purpose is not simply comparing or ranking cities, but to be a source of help when it comes to identifying certain factors which tend to compromise health in residential areas. Thus its data is open source, provided by the Public Health Alliance, a coalition of ten Californian health departments, together covering 60 per cent of the population of California. The goal is to achieve a more equal and healthier society as a whole, by highlighting data showing race inequality linked to poor conditions (applying a “race and place” framing to neighbourhood-level data). This also includes an analysis of the political representation of residing ethnicities. Especially the middle and southern coastal area tends to provide…

Transit areas are having a hard time. They are compelled to cater to security, safety, sanitary and transportation standards. Thousands of people every day enter and exit the halls, cleaning personnel making sure they won’t leave any traces. With that in mind, it’s much more impressive that an airport terminal like San Francisco’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 qualified for the highest possible standard on the WELL Certification, a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring aspects which impact human health and well-being indoors. Overall, there are more than 100 features in ten impact areas that measure the building standard in the WELL Certification. The international airport terminal is the first airport building ever to achieve the highest Platinum level in the building certificate from the public benefit corporation International WELL…

Oslo, Helsinki, Zurich, Copenhagen - which metropolis is the best city to live in is a matter of debate. City rankings are a great way to boost the sale numbers of glossy magazines and to do some marketing on one’s own behalf. But no matter which city is at the top of the popularity scale, the decisive factor is why it is there. One important factor is the quality of the public space, with all its squares and parks, streets and paths, trees and bodies of water. There, people go for walks, do sports or meet friends. Increasingly, you also see people working outdoors with headsets and laptops. The classic office workplace has thus been given a new alternative through the recent years - a workstation in a different location.…

Meditopia Meditopia is a mental wellbeing app designed to decrease stress and anxiety levels and improve sleep. The intention behind all of their meditations is to support users in exploring and understanding their thoughts and emotions and to learn how they affect their body. The app was developed in Turkey and now has over 35 million users in over 60 countries, offering its content in twelve languages. With a library of over 1,000 meditations, courses, readings, music, and sleep stories, it is easy to find the right session for every mood and situation. With a mood history log, badges, and your personal mindful meter, they make it easy to stay on top of your mental health. Some of the content is free. You can access the entire content library with…

City rankings and indices are a dime a dozen. Everyone wants to know the smartest city, the most livable metropolises, the greenest capitals, and so on and so forth. The fact is: all city rankings (including the ones you will meet on the following pages) must always be taken with a pinch of salt. Hardly any index is determined on the basis of purely scientific factors. And there are always private-sector interests behind almost every ranking. Nevertheless, the results are sometimes an interesting orientation. This is also the case with the "Cities with the Best Work-Life Balance 2022" ranking of the company Kisi. Kisi is a private company with headquarters in Brooklyn (NY) and Stockholm, which at first glance does not have much to do with work-life balance – and…

More than a quarter of Brazil’s population is aged 18 and under. Since 2008, the Platform for Urban Centres (Platforma dos Centros Urbanos, PCU), a Unicef initiative, is dedicated to promoting child friendly major cities in the south American country. Starting with Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, it now consists of ten capitals in total. Improving four major aspects of children’s lives in those cities, PCU intends to reduce adolescent homicide, prevent school exclusion, promote early childhood development and adolescent sexual reproductive rights. The initiative collects data as a baseline indicator to identify vulnerable territories, so as to start a collective impact by cooperating with local government, eventually designating an inter-sectoral group to manage the PCU partnership. It’s about collecting policy options, implementing an “Impact Plan” in each part…

07am Elon wakes up, showers and has a cup of coffee. Only sometimes he would eat an omelet for breakfast. He believes that showering has quite a big impact on his life and would never skip it, as he doesn't feel in the right headspace without it. 10am Morning phone calls to journalists, job candidates or conference calls. He plans his day in five-minute time blocks for maximum efficiency. 12pm Lunch time for Elon, usually he does it in the form of lunch meetings, where he wolfes down a meal in a few minutes during a meeting to save time. 10pm Elon returns home, answers e-mails and spends some time reading and watching anime (especially Evangelion and Death Note). 01am Goes to bed for his 6 to 6,5 hours of…

Transportation is an essential part of a city. However, it is not only about cheap and reliable transport. It is also the way we travel we should consider, as it affects our health and well-being. In fact, commuting can be bad for your health. It may be time to design transportation with human well-being in mind. For millennia, cities have served as hubs of commercial, political, social, and religious activities. Urban life may have its downsides, but millions of people around the world leave rural homes and livelihoods each year for the prospects of better lives in cities; prospects that depend on the flow of information, material, and especially people. Even in this information age of virtual connections, the ability of cities to support economic productivity, life support functions, and…

What makes a city safe? For most people it’s all about the everyday life. We don’t want to be offended or limited in our personal expression; we simply want to feel safe. We just want to sit down every we want. Or even to lay down wherever we like – like here, in the Financial District of Toronto. In fact: Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, is also in two “Top 5” rankings of the 2021 Safe Cities Index (SCI) from The Economist Intelligence Unit. It also almost ties on the overall first place of the SCI, narrowly beaten by Copenhagen (82.2 points vs. 82.4 points). The report considers digital, health, infrastructure, personal and environmental security in urban everyday life. Naturally, the latest Index deals with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic,…

Allrounder aluminum Aluminum is a material with many advantages. Hence, Aréa uses the metal in many of their products. Especially the combination of the metal with wood and steel “ticks many boxes” for the use in public spaces. One major aspect is its aesthetic value: the hollow slats, embedded in steel structure, offer interesting optical effects, for both designer and user. Next to these optical effects, it’s the technical ones that make the use of aluminum worthwhile: The metal is very light, recyclable, and highly resistant to corrosion. This resistance is further enhanced by anodizing, the finish chosen for the benches and seats. area-stadtmobiliar.de Creativity meets function BEGA’s modular street furniture meets the functional requirements of public squares and areas in a special way. A variety of combinable modules such…

Paris is currently preparing for the Summer Olympics. 100 years after the French capital last hosted the mega sporting event, it will once again host the world’s best athletes in 2024. The Games will take place in the heart of the city. The famous boulevard Champs-Elysées will be transformed into a gigantic cycling track, the Champs de Mars into a beach volleyball court, and the Invalides, the Palace of Versailles and the Grand Palais will also be venues for competitions. Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s goal: She and her team want the Games to be environmentally friendly and in line with sustainable urban development. In January 2021, Anne Hidalgo got the green light for her radical green changes to Paris' Champs-Élysées. In May 2021, she unveiled the concrete plans. According to the…

Amsterdam is always making a name for itself in terms of bicycle technology. In January 2023, the superlative bicycle garage opened here. The new bicycle parking garage at Amsterdam Central Station can hold a total of 7,000 bikes. The special feature (in addition to the proud construction price of 60 million euros): The garage is completely under water and is the last missing component of the complete redesign of Amsterdam’s station square. Amsterdam and cycling – they belong together. Since 2011, the Dutch city has regularly topped the Copenhagenize Index, the largest ranking on cycling cities worldwide. The last time they came in second was in 2019 (Copenhagen came first, Utrecht third). To determine the index, the private-sector Copenhagenize Design Company, which is responsible for this, distributes one to four…

Ever felt like boarding a train (or plane) and going to the beach, with a subtle salty breeze swooshing through your hair and fingers, while working on your laptop? If so, you’re probably a digital nomad – or at least you could be one. Lemon.io is an online-platform for hiring developers for start-ups. Since remote work is a key ingredient to a mostly digital job, the website ranked their top ten countries for a healthy and safe digital nomad life. Australia, with its picturesque long beaches and outback full of rich nature, made number one on the overall best countries, with Germany second and Hungary third. Sydney for example, being located on the eastern coast, could be a perfect starting point to explore Australia as it’s the healthiest country in…

HUCK Seiltechnik proves versatility: guests at the Downtown Camper by Scandic hotel can enjoy modern architecture and stylish furnishings in rooms, fitness, and wellness areas as well as meeting rooms, restaurants and bars. HUCK Seiltechnik has played its part in creating a unique atmosphere: with a large horizontal climbing net. The architects of the project had a clear plan: they wanted an open, airy design that would create a lounge where guests could relax, interact with others, read a book, have a drink, and simply feel good. This was a challenging, especially since high demands were placed on appearance and finish. HUCK Seiltechnik solved the challenges with a large horizontal net. It has several functions: On one hand, the net divides the room into two areas. It functions as an…

Dutch company Streetlife is known for its street furniture, planters and bridges. The company’s products are often made of solid wooden beams, making them both robust and sustainable. With the retrofittable USB Power Charger, the company’s benches can be expanded with a practical additional benefit. Streetlife’s USB Power Charger is ideal for use on university or corporate campuses, in shopping and pedestrian areas, or near bus and train stations. With the three versions of the USB Power Charger, almost all products from the most popular ranges can be equipped with a charger to serve the growing need for USB charging on the go. The glass bead blasted stainless steel module is mounted as an extension at the end of a beam or in the longitudinal side of a beam. The…