Amsterdam, Zurich, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Vancouver, Oslo and more are all great cities of the world which are succeeding in making the lives better for their residents via innovative transportation policies. Over the years, Streetfilms producers have “visited many places we thought were doing best practices.” This group of videos they created along the way highlights amazing urban environments around the world.

“Founded in 2006, Streetfilms has become the go-to organization for educational films about sustainable transportation, and inspires action and behavioral change worldwide. Individuals, public agencies, non-profit organizations, schools, and transportation advocacy groups use Streetfilms to educate decision makers and make change for livable streets in their communities.” View more here.

The NYC Parks Department offers an amazing resource in the form of an online map that “includes every street tree in New York City” (spanning 422 species) first mapped by volunteers in 2015 and now updated daily by their forestry team. “On the map, trees are represented by circles. The size of the circle represents the diameter of the tree, and the color of the circle reflects its species. You are welcome to browse our entire inventory of trees, or to select an individual tree for more information.”

Clicking the trees reveals not just species and size but also ecological benefits provided, quantified in dollar terms, from things like capturing storm runoff and reducing air pollution. “We know that trees improve the environment and the health of a city in measurable ways. Trees can capture storm water runoff, reduce energy costs, and make the air less polluted and easier to breathe. We can calculate the benefits that each tree provides to the people of New York City based on a formula developed by the Center for Urban Forest Research. The benefits each tree provides varies based upon its species, size, and location.”

Fans can even track their favorite trees over time and add notes about tree-related activities. So far, nearly five thousand trees have been “favorited” and 20,000 activities reported. For those interested in doing even more, the Parks Department also encourages people to become involved: “It’s easy to become a tree steward! We host volunteers all year long. We can train you in basic activities such as watering trees, adding mulch and soil, and removing weeds and litter; as well as advanced activities such as installing a tree guard, expanding tree beds, and installing or removing stone or brick pavers.”

One caveat: the map only shows trees that grow on land under the jurisdiction of NYC Parks, but this includes trees planted along sidewalks or other public rights-of-way (still, it doesn’t have all trees maintained by the state or federal government or, of course, on private property). Still, with over 600,000 trees to explore, urban plant fans should have plenty to do just tracking and examining the ones that are covered!

Connecting fragmented sections of a divided metropolis, this new elevated park will help stitch together an area near downtown Atlanta while providing fresh public green space close to the heart of the city. The raised park will ultimately span nearly a half mile across the urban hub, tying into existing parks, paths and trails.

Like many American cities, a mid-century rush to facilitate car traffic ended up leaving a legacy of disconnection in Atlanta. The downtown and peripheral core is wrapped in high-speed roadways and bisected by busy streets, which the Buckhead Park seeks to overcome with a strategy similar to that of Freeway Park in Seattle.

The park is divided into a series of different areas with varying amenities, which in turn will also help with staging the construction (much like the segmented Highline in New York City, built in iterative steps).

The northern portion features a commons with an amphitheater. The southern section boasts a lush garden space. In the middle, a plaza is designed to serve area retail and restaurants. Native plants will be irrigated with collected storm water reclamation systems, helping provide shelter from the hot Georgia sun.

Designers from Rogers Partners and Nelson Byrd Waltz aim to bring coherence to the disparate areas of downtown, allowing safe and easy options for pedestrians. Their project will also connect to Park 400, a cycling and jogging trail currently in the works. The project’s creators also hope their work will inspire other cities to think about ways to reconnect divided downtowns.

A temporary installation to commemorate the rebuilding of the city after the second world war, this massive staircase made from scaffolding will lead visitors up onto a postwar structure in the heart of Rotterdam.

Standing 60 feet high, the staircase of the 180 steps end on top of the Groot Handelsgebouw, an early building from the postwar construction effort that began 75 years ago. Dubbed simply The Stairs, this project by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV will also involve film screenings and events on the rooftop.

If the resulting temporary roof-topping venue is sufficiently popular, a more permanent means of access may replace the temporary stairs.

Other temporary and permanent architectural and urban design projects are also being developed and opened as part of the 75th-year commemoration (above: Market Hall with digital mural by MVRDV)

Fusing height, light, density and greenery with regional vernacular architecture, this ambitious urban Sky Walk plan aims to turn the tops of downtown buildings into a extensive series of connected green-roof parks connected by aerial walkways.

Anders Berensson Architects was commissioned to develop a design that would accommodate Stockholm’s growing population and associated housing needs, but their solution goes above and beyond conventional urban planning, literally and otherwise.

Their proposal takes advantage of existing infrastructure and tightly-packed buildings, creating green community spaces essentially out of thin air, all while respecting zoning regulations and building codes dictating heights and usages.

The heights of new buildings in the scheme would be tuned to the aspirations of the aerial component, aimed to facilitate the desired connections across streets and between blocks, ultimately creating a long meandering walkway along the city’s riverfront.

Views and light orientations are also taken into consideration, with residential units aimed as much as possible with natural daylight in mind.

The thin profiles of the perforated-metal Sky Walk structures will minimize shading from these components as well.

From the architects: “The design makes larger parts of the area accessible to the public since both courtyards and roof terraces is crossed by public paths. The sky walk on the roof terraces will be one of the longest parks in Stockholm with best view in town. The new city area will host about approximately 5800 apartments, 8000 work places and about 300 shops.”