Initiatives
World Streets

World Streets ... now with 3000 registered members. World Streets is an initiative of Eric Britton

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Early this morning World Streets welcomed our 3000th registered reader Early this morning World Streets welcomed our 3000th registered reader. After almost to the day four years of faithful service to the cause of sustainable transport, sustainable cities and sustainable lives, since the beginning of the year we have started to receive a substantial increase in these contacts. For example, even as I write this note, the number is up to 2015 (which you can confirm for yourself in the top right column). We feel proud and hope that you as one of our readers feels proud to. After all the only reason we are here is to learn and do what we can to make our cities and our planet fairer and better places for all. Why has this bump of interest come about? It is certainly not because we are publishing more. And while the quality standard remains high as ever, but as editor I cannot really spot any major difference. I have to guess it is because of the fact that we have started to give much more coverage and put more work into the Equity Initiative, including a total Spring cleaning and redrafting of the blog so that our readers can conveniently navigate of the considerable body of work and references being shared here under this heading. And this is our lesson. To put the concept of equity at the very top of our list for the remainder of this year. To continue coverage in these pages, to engage cities and other partners wishing to test the water for this “new” and as yet not very clearly defined concept. To continue our efforts to publish a short book on the subject by mid year (book already in progress as you can see in the equity section of this site). And to encourage others to do the same or, one might reasonably hope, more and better. Who reads World Streets in Spring 2013? The following map summarizes the locations of the last 80 visitors to check into the site. The overall pattern is pretty much what we see from day to day, though we usually have regular traffic from Japan, Korea and Taiwan. On the other hand China is well hidden behind the wall. And it is always heartwarming when we hear from readers in the Middle East and Africa. (The US pattern that we are seeing today is also quite typical, and the fact that for the most part we are accessed by people in states that voted for President Obama is also perhaps worth a thought.) Our readers today come from more than one hundred fifty countries on al continents. Just below you will find a listing which presents them in order of frequency of access, with the US, the UK, Canada Australia and India at the top – not surprising since we publish in English.

1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. Australia
5. India
6. France
7. Germany
8. Brazil
9. Italy
10. Spain
11. Netherlands
12. Sweden
13. South Africa
14. New Zealand
15. Portugal
16. Philippines
17. Russian Federation
18. Chile
19. Taiwan
20. Belgium
21. Finland
22. Estonia
23. Thailand
24. Norway
25. Singapore
26. Korea
27. Denmark
28. Poland
29. Mexico
30. Turkey
31. Indonesia
32. Japan
33. Malaysia
34. Austria
35. Switzerland
36. Pakistan
37. Greece
38. Hong Kong
39. Colombia
40. Ireland
41. Israel
42. Serbia
43. Czech Republic
44. Hungary
45. Argentina
46. Romania
47. Ukraine
48. Iceland
49. United Arab Emirates
50. Latvia
51. Lithuania
52. Bangladesh
53. Kenya
54. Viet Nam
55. Slovenia
56. Nigeria
57. Saudi Arabia
58. Croatia
59. Slovakia
60. Egypt
61. Albania
62. Bulgaria
63. Peru
64. Moldova
65. Nepal
66. Sri Lanka
67. Uganda
68. Qatar
69. Cambodia
70. Dominican Republic
71. Ghana
72. Lebanon
73. Venezuela
74. Jordan
75. Mauritius
76. Ecuador
77. Iraq
78. Kuwait
79. Trinidad and Tobago
80. Mozambique
81. Bosnia and Herzegovina
82. Puerto Rico
83. Georgia
84. Bahrain
85. Macao
86. Tanzania
87. Ethiopia
88. Cyprus
89. Brunei
90. Darussalam
91. Oman
92. Syrian Arab Republic
93. Macedonia
94. Malta
95. Jamaica
96. Morocco
97. Azerbaijan
98. Senegal
99. Mongolia
100. Algeria
101. Costa Rica
102. Armenia
103. Palestine
104. Guyana
105. Djibouti
106. Côte d’Ivoire
107. Fiji
108. Maldives
109. Libya
110. Luxembourg
111. Belarus
112. Honduras
113. Tunisia
114. Botswana
115. Guadeloupe
116. Yemen
117. Rwanda
118. Virgin Islands, British
119. Guatemala
120. Afghanistan
121. Gambia
122. Zimbabwe
123. China
124. Faroe Islands
125. Panama
126. Guernsey
127. Kazakhstan
128. Uruguay
129. El Salvador
130. Andorra
131. Paraguay
132. Burkina Faso
133. Lesotho
134. Namibia
135. Swaziland
136. Isle of Man
137. Benin
138. Saint Lucia
139. Bolivia
140. Bhutan
141. Laos
142. Liechtenstein
143. Myanmar
144. Barbados
145. Uzbekistan
146. Bahamas
147. Gabon
148. Sudan
149. Tajikistan
150. Togo
151. Suriname
152. Martinique
153. Réunion
154. Guam
155. Bermuda
156. Aruba

It looks to your editor like we are doing a job that some people at least think needs to be done. So let’s keep at it at least in the year ahead.

The downside for us is that as founding editor I still have not figured out how to pay for it. I decided at the beginning that the journal would be free to all, and that we would not accept advertising. And I must confess that I would rather let the whole thing sink into the ocean before giving up on either of these ethical points. (If anyone has any ideas of how we can find the support necessary to continue to do the job, that would be a great and timely relief.)

In the meantime we are going to push hard to make a major contribution with the Equity Initiative in the year ahead, and hope that you will stay on board for the voyage, and possibly even get directly involved. We are betting on equity. Because without it I don’t see a lot of any real promise on the horizon. # # # This entry was posted in 2013, outreach, World Streets and tagged Equity.