Urban planningUrban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks and their accessibility.
Public transportPublic transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typically managed on a schedule, operated on established routes, and that charge a posted fee for each trip. There is no rigid definition of which kinds of transport are included, and air travel is often not thought of when discussing public transport—dictionaries use wording like "buses, trains, etc.
UrbanizationUrbanization (or urbanisation) is the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It can also mean population growth in urban areas instead of rural ones. It is predominantly the process by which towns and cities are formed and become larger as more people begin living and working in central areas. Urbanization is often responsible for the myriad of modern problems facing humanity.
Urban sprawlUrban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growth in many urban areas of housing, commercial development, and roads over large expanses of land, with little concern for urban planning. In addition to describing a special form of urbanization, the term also relates to the social and environmental consequences associated with this development.
Car-free movementThe car-free movement is a broad, informal, emergent network of individuals and organizations, including social activists, urban planners, transportation engineers, environmentalists and others, brought together by a shared belief that large and/or high-speed motorized vehicles (cars, trucks, tractor units, motorcycles, etc.) are too dominant in most modern cities.
Sustainable urbanismSustainable urbanism is both the study of cities and the practices to build them (urbanism), that focuses on promoting their long term viability by reducing consumption, waste and harmful impacts on people and place while enhancing the overall well-being of both people and place. Well-being includes the physical, ecological, economic, social, health and equity factors, among others, that comprise cities and their populations.
Pedestrian zonePedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in which most or all automobile traffic is prohibited. Converting a street or an area to pedestrian-only use is called pedestrianisation.
Carfree cityA carfree city is a population center that relies primarily on public transport, walking, or cycling for transport within the urban area. Districts where motorized vehicles are prohibited are referred to as carfree zones. Carfree city models have gained traction in the second half of the 20th century due to issues with congestion and infrastructure, and proposed environmental and quality of life benefits.
Car dependencyCar dependency is the concept that some city layouts cause cars to be favoured over alternate forms of transportation, such as bicycles, public transit, and walking. In many modern cities, automobiles are convenient and sometimes necessary to move easily. When it comes to automobile use, there is a spiraling effect where traffic congestion produces the 'demand' for more and bigger roads and removal of 'impediments' to traffic flow. For instance, pedestrians, signalized crossings, traffic lights, cyclists, and various forms of street-based public transit, such as trams.
LausanneLausanne (loʊˈzæn , USalsoloʊˈzɑːn , lɔzan; Losena lɔˈzəna) is the capital and largest city of the Swiss French-speaking canton of Vaud. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway between the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and facing the French town of Évian-les-Bains across the lake. Lausanne is located northeast of Geneva, the nearest major city. The municipality of Lausanne has a population of about 140,000, making it the fourth largest city in Switzerland after Basel, Geneva, and Zurich, with the entire agglomeration area having about 420,000 inhabitants (as of January 2019).
École polytechniqueÉcole polytechnique, also known as Polytechnique or l'X liks, is a grande école located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mathematician Gaspard Monge during the French Revolution and was militarized under Napoleon I in 1804. It is still supervised by the French Ministry of Armed Forces. Originally located in the Latin Quarter in central Paris, the institution moved to Palaiseau in 1976, in the Paris-Saclay technology cluster.
Lausanne DistrictLausanne District (District de Lausanne) is a district in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The seat of the district is the city of Lausanne. Lausanne has an area, , of . Of this area, or 27.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 30.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 41.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and or 0.1% is unproductive land. Lausanne has a population () of . Most of the population () speaks French (159,559 or 79.6%), with German being second most common (8,534 or 4.
Romanel-sur-LausanneRomanel-sur-Lausanne (ʁɔmanɛl syʁ lɔzan, literally Romanel on Lausanne; Romanél) is a municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Lausanne. Romanel-sur-Lausanne is first mentioned in 1184 as Romanes. Romanel-sur-Lausanne has an area, , of (depending on calculation method). Of this area, or 59.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 3.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 37.8% is settled (buildings or roads). Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 5.
Grande écoleA grande école (ɡʁɑ̃d ekɔl; great school) is a specialized top level educational institution in France. Grandes écoles are part of an alternative educational system that operates alongside the mainstream French public university system and are dedicated to teaching, research and professional training in single academic fields such as engineering, architecture, business administration, academic research, or public policy and administration.
Le Mont-sur-LausanneLe Mont-sur-Lausanne (lə mɔ̃ syʁ lɔzan, literally Le Mont on Lausanne; Lo Mont) is a municipality in the district of Lausanne in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is a suburb of the city of Lausanne. Le Mont-sur-Lausanne is first mentioned in 1237 as Monte super Lausannam. Le Mont-sur-Lausanne has an area, , of (depending on calculation method). Of this area, or 51.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 18.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 30.0% is settled (buildings or roads).
Cheseaux-sur-LausanneCheseaux-sur-Lausanne (ʃəzo syʁ lɔzan, literally Cheseaux on Lausanne; Chesâls) is a municipality in the district of Lausanne in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is a suburb of the city of Lausanne. Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne is first mentioned in 1228 as Chesaus. Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne has an area, , of . Of this area, or 60.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 14.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 24.0% is settled (buildings or roads), or 0.7% is either rivers or lakes.
Belmont-sur-LausanneBelmont-sur-Lausanne (bɛlmɔ̃ syʁ lɔzan, literally Belmont on Lausanne) is a municipality in the district of Lavaux-Oron in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is a suburb of the city of Lausanne. Belmont-sur-Lausanne is first mentioned in 1228 as Belmunt sowie apud bellum Montem. Belmont-sur-Lausanne has an area, , of . Of this area, or 35.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 29.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 33.2% is settled (buildings or roads). Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 23.
African AmericansAfrican Americans (also referred to as Afro-Americans or Black Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from any of the black racial groups of Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslaved Africans who are from the United States. While some Black immigrants or their children may also come to identify as African American, the majority of first generation immigrants do not, preferring to identify with their nation of origin.
African UnionThe African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. The intention of the AU was to replace the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002.
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both aspects. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surface area. With billion people as of , it accounts for about of the world's human population. Africa's population is the youngest amongst all the continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4.