Column  |  Cities  |  Travel

Visions of the future, at the museum
Culture ponders the evolution of urban spaces and transportation, with interactive, immersive and technological exhibitions. In the background, the environmental issue is constant. Here are 5 selected museums to discover a vision of the future that awaits us
Valentina Silvestrini
Technology  |  Transports  |  Mobility

Hyperloop, ultra-speed in an open source idea
The new frontier of innovation in ground transportation is Hyperloop, the "train of the future" conceived by Elon Musk. It will allow travel at 1,200 km/h in a depressurised tube through magnetic levitation. But the technological challenge is still open
Infra Journal Newsroom
Green  |  Focus On  |  Sustainability

The capabilities of hydrogen for industry and transport
It could make an important contribution to reducing emissions where electrification is more difficult and in sectors hard to abate. The Hydrogen JRP is a research centre by the Politecnico di Milano, for a research chain between universities and the business world
Ferruccio Resta
Mobility  |  Business  |  Mobility

Disruptive. Big Tech in the auto industry
While traditional companies are still busy transitioning to electric, Big Tech companies decided to invest in the sector. These new players are developing self-driving vehicles, opening up a new area of competition
Ferdinando Cotugno
Interview  |  Sustainability  |  Green

A laboratory for sustainability in the airport of tomorrow
Reforesting is a part of a wider strategy in absorbing CO₂ at Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur. The group was certified Airport Carbon Accreditation level 4+ and has a plan to become a non-emissive airport platform in Nice, Cannes and Saint Tropez
Infra Journal Newsroom
Green  |  Cities  |  Sustainability

How to (quickly) rethink cities to mitigate climate change
Urban spaces, infrastructure and transportation networks need to be optimised and redesigned, according to the UN IPCC Sixth Report. By mid-century, 68 percent of the world's population will be living in a city
Ferdinando Cotugno

Editor's Hub

Focus On

Supersonic and green travel

The plane is called Overture and it is the descendent of the historic Concorde. Debuting in 2030, it promises to connect London and New York in three and a half hours. The ambition is to make the journey available to all and completely emission free
By Daniele Monaco
Focus On

Supersonic and green travel

The plane is called Overture and it is the descendent of the historic Concorde. Debuting in 2030, it promises to connect London and New York in three and a half hours. The ambition is to make the journey available to all and completely emission free

By Daniele Monaco
Bring supersonic travel to skies all over the world and make it accessible to the broader public, but also sustainable on an economical and environmental level, redefining the commercial aviation market. This is the objective of Boom Supersonic, an American start-up that plans to take the vacant place left by Concorde after its final flight in...
Read MoreAboutSupersonic and green travel
Sustainability

The six guiding qualities for building sustainable infrastructures

The ability of infrastructure to shape economies and societies is immense and could be used as a tool to facilitate the reinvention of the entire world of construction
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Sustainability

The six guiding qualities for building sustainable infrastructures

The ability of infrastructure to shape economies and societies is immense and could be used as a tool to facilitate the reinvention of the entire world of construction

By Ferdinando Cotugno
Over the next few years, Italy and the European Union will be facing the biggest modernisation process in generations. The context is the post-pandemic world combined with the ecological, energy and digital transitions. A tool for this change, a line of defence, is the Next Generation EU funding programme, the Italian Recovery and Resilience...
Read MoreAboutThe six guiding qualities for building sustainable infrastructures

Media Hub

Green

Projects with a lower environmental impact and future-proof solutions for a sustainability that starts from the foundations.

Focus On  |  Sustainability

The capabilities of hydrogen for industry and transport

It could make an important contribution to reducing emissions where electrification is more difficult and in sectors hard to abate. The Hydrogen JRP is a research centre by the Politecnico di Milano, for a research chain between universities and the business world
By Ferruccio Resta
Interview  |  Sustainability  | 

A laboratory for sustainability in the airport of tomorrow

Reforesting is a part of a wider strategy in absorbing CO₂ at Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur. The group was certified Airport Carbon Accreditation level 4+ and has a plan to become a non-emissive airport platform in Nice, Cannes and Saint Tropez
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Cities  |  Sustainability

How to (quickly) rethink cities to mitigate climate change

Urban spaces, infrastructure and transportation networks need to be optimised and redesigned, according to the UN IPCC Sixth Report. By mid-century, 68 percent of the world's population will be living in a city
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Interview  |  Sustainability

“The World needs climate literacy to preserve peace”

A call to action by Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Organization: “Climate change isn’t just a future threat; it’s happening now, and the changes we’re already seeing will only get worse”
By Patrizia Marin
Sustainability  |  Cities

Urban reforestation as a resilience strategy

A primary mode of adaptation to global warming, the planting of tens of thousands of trees in the urban fabric should be considered as an inevitable infrastructure for the 21st century. Examples of this around the world are multiplying at all levels
By Giulia Zappa
Sustainability  |  Transports

Here's why zero emissions in aviation is a major challenge

The COP26 conference established the goal of zero emissions for the aviation industry by 2050. Airports and airlines are adopting anti-pollution initiatives, but public incentives would be useful in support of this commitment in an area of key importance for the economy
By Andrea Giuricin
Sustainability  |  Transports

Hydrogen a new challenge for greener airports

Hydrogen as a power source to relieve the environmental impact in aviation: this is the OLGA Project, as approved by the European Commission, with a total budget of 34 millions euro. But others are also considering this innovation
By Magdalena Smenda
Sustainability  |  Business

Energy self-sufficiency: more than an environmental issue

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is testing the European Union’s ambitious climate goals, adding new political significance to the continent’s ambitions for sustainability and energy independence from exporters of fossil fuels, technologies and raw materials
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Video  |  Sustainability

That “hunger” for minerals: the price of sustainability

An electric car requires six times more minerals than a conventional one. Global demand for certain raw materials, such as lithium, copper and other metals and minerals, grows steadily as the world struggles to achieve sustainability goals
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Sustainability  |  Transports

SAF and e-fuels: the wild card to fly "green"

Authorities, air companies and fuel providers are increasingly looking into sustainable aviation fuels (Saf) and "e-fuels" as an alternative to fossil hydrocarbons. How are these fuels made? What are the pros and cons? Some operators are leading the way in Europe
By Magdalena Smenda
Sustainability  |  Cities

Cities take on the climate crisis: three stories from the Anthropocene

Urban centres do not necessarily have a destructive impact on nature and biodiversity. Cities like Shanghai, Stockholm and Prato are attempting to reverse this paradigm, demonstrating how green infrastructures can help in facing environmental challenges, such as flood management, pollution reduction, climate resilience and public health
By Giulia Zappa
Sustainability

The six guiding qualities for building sustainable infrastructures

The ability of infrastructure to shape economies and societies is immense and could be used as a tool to facilitate the reinvention of the entire world of construction
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Focus On

The Vertical Forest: a concrete utopia for the world, from Milan

An archetype of multispecies architecture, Stefano Boeri Architetti’s iconic Bosco Verticale building is the first Vertical Forest, designed from an inclusive perspective focusing on coexistence of humans, flora and fauna as a new paradigm for sustainable urban development
By Giulia Zappa
Focus On

Beyond the imagination: the biorobotic challenge of the plantoids is here

These innovative “robotic plants” are bio-inspired automas that mimic the propagation of roots in the soil. Their creator is an Italian, Barbara Mazzolai, and her vision offers a glimpse of a variety of potential applications in various disciplines
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Business  |  Mobility

Zero emissions: a matter of luxury

European Union confirms the ambitious goal of zero-emission cars by 2035. Reactions within the automotive industry are different, ranging from caution to initiatives, particularly in the luxury segment
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Sustainability

Transports, the dawn of the sustainable Era

The pandemic offered us a chance to rethink our mobility habits with an eye on the Planet. Here is how cities like Milan, Paris and London are responding to this need for change
By Infra Journal Newsroom
 
Video  |  Column

The Passenger #02 - Travel and music according to Andrea Manzoni

“Travel is the key allowing me to contaminate my approach to the composition and creation of music.” So says Andrea Manzoni, an Italian pianist, composer and producer who lives in Paris
By Infra Journal Newsroom

Infrastructure

The possible evolutions of digital, materials and innovation, at the service of those who design.

Mobility  |  Focus On  | 

The countdown to electric charging in the EU has already begun

The Green Deal aims at having one million charging points in the European Union in three years, but problems of several types complicate the take-off of electric mobility. The latest deadline for completing the deployment of a modern infrastructure is 2035
By Daniele Monaco and Jacopo Segatto*
Business  |  Focus On

Keeping the balance of values in an upset world-market

Countries all over the world have rediscovered the value of safety in economy, after two years of pandemic and the outbreak of the war in Russia-Ukraine. But this fair need must not be mistaken as an end of globalization
By Carlo Stagnaro
Mobility  |  Business

Road Usage Charge: sustainably financing a new mobility

Which should be a telematics-based Road usage charge (RUC) system main goal? What kind of problem is it supposed to solve? Malika Seddi, Secretary General at ASECAP*, answers
By Malika Seddi
Column  |  Podcast

The world’s biggest airport: Beijing Daxing

Built in less than five years, Beijing Daxing is the world's biggest airport and a triumph of new technologies. With its unique starfish shape designed by the study of Zaha Hadid Architects, the airport employs the latest new sustainable solutions
By Gianluca Cedolin
Interview  |  Mobility

Occupied spaces: the vital role of mobility

Airports, roads, bridges, railways and ports: bulletins from the Ukrainian conflict underscore the importance of mobility infrastructure as the skeleton of a nation not only in a time of war, but, more importantly, in time of peace
By Teresa Bellemo
Sustainability  |  Cities

Citizens' Energy Communities: the soul of the new smart cities

A challenge for engineering, and not only: the new forms of decentralised, sustainable production and consumption require new forms of community and new behaviour as citizens return to a direct relationship with energy
By Eugenio Morello
Editorial  |  Business

“Green” taxonomy in the EU: an open approach is needed

The principle of “do no significant harm” cannot become an obstacle. Comparative, strategic assessment of the impact of investment would be more effective for supporting the green transition, as part of a shared “vocabulary” guiding sustainable finance
By Claudio De Vincenti
Focus On

Smart grids for energy and the smart cities: a vital combination

The future of energy grids lies in decentralisation: combined with information technologies will supply power to the smart cities of the future, delivering energy just when and where needed
By Sofia Fraschini
Business  |  Interview

Investing in infrastructures as the backbone of innovation and sustainable future

Investors need to spot the new trends in infrastructures, and finance has a big role in promoting ESG and innovation criteria. Which are the most promising sectors and applications? How sustainability concerns are affecting investing choices? Infra Journal meets Fraser Hughes, founder and chief executive at GLIO, the Global Listed Infrastructure Organization
By Daniele Monaco
Interview  |  Mobility

The Italian way to new mobility? Restarts from safety

Alessandro Morelli, Deputy Minister of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility, explains to Infra Journal the priorities for transformation of Italy’s infrastructure: “Innovation, research, energy mix. And zero road accident victims by 2050”
By Sofia Fraschini
Interview  |  Transports

Circular runways ideal solution to increase airports’ capacity

Square the Circle. Dutch air traffic control expert Henk Hesselink thinks he’s found the ideal solution to airport congestion – circular runways. But can planes really land in a continuous loop?
By Dave Keating*
Business

Economic growth and social goals: untie the infrastructure procurement knot

With many factors at stake, cost-benefit analysis is not always enough to evaluate infrastructure investments, according to the author
By Carlo Stagnaro
Podcast  |  Transports

The tunnel that links Britain to Europe

The fascinating story of the Channel Tunnel, the maxi-infrastructure that revolutionised travel and communication, cancelling centuries of conflict and political tension
By Gianluca Cedolin
Interview

Carlo Ratti: a look at the progress in innovation

The Italian architect and engineer ramps up international collaboration, never skimping on his ability to elaborate optimistic visions of the future, where technology and sustainability will profoundly change the way we live
By Giulia Zappa
Editorial

Being relevant in a constantly moving world

Infra Journal is born and it aims to be a magazine dedicated to all specialized operators who work within the mobility ecosystem
By Infra Journal Newsroom
 

Mobility

Ideas, scenarios and data to better frame the mobility sector that can change everyone’s way of life.

Business  |  Mobility

Disruptive. Big Tech in the auto industry

While traditional companies are still busy transitioning to electric, Big Tech companies decided to invest in the sector. These new players are developing self-driving vehicles, opening up a new area of competition
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Transports  |  Business

Off limits: closed airspace. The impacts

Russia is no longer considered a reliable aviation partner, and the war is likely to make the uncertainty structural after the last two years of pandemic. Aviation has always recovered after times of international crisis, but the unknown comes at a price
By Andrea Giuricin
Business  |  Cities

Cities as platforms, Mobility as a Service: stories from three capitals

Mobility as a Service is the new way to conceive transporation networks leveraging apps, data, and connected devices to provide an integrated access to public, private and shared travel modalities. Three examples from Berlin, Sidney and Denver
By Joseph Losavio
Transports  |  Cities

How to cut gas emissions from transportation by 90% in the EU

The new European Urban Mobility Framework addresses mobility issues in 424 EU cities, as one of the key updates to Trans-European Transport Network (Ten-T), approved by the EU Commission. This whole package of actions, amendments and recommendations has the potential to kick off wide improvements for mobility among the member states
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Mobility  |  Cities

Managing traffic: congestion charge as an evolving option

The urban traffic demand was affected by lockdowns worldwide, but congestion charge as a remedy was all the same maintained, reinforced and is even ready to be newly implemented among some of the biggest cities*
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Transports  |  Business

Investing in sustainable mobility is worth the costs

Transitioning to a more sustainable transport system in our cities will require huge investments, in new technologies and new infrastructures. But these are investments worth taking, experts argue, if we want to solve more problems at the same time
By Leah Lazer, Naina Khandelwal and Jake Wellman*
Transports  |  Cities

Autonomous vehicles and the future of public transport

Self-driving cars are finally here and big automakers are racing to develop fully autonomous vehicles. This mode of transportation will certainly be less polluting and environmentally friendly, but it will not solve the problem of traffic congestion. And this is where public transport will still have a role to play
By Raphael Gindrat*
Editorial  |  Cities

The possible combinations between mobility and sustainability

Future mobility challenges do not merely concern electric motors but also urban redesign and air transport
By Ugo Govigli
Sustainability  |  Transports  |  Cities

That strange desire for car-sharing

According to a study by Doxa, four key trends will change the face of European mobility within the next 10 years. Here are the issues still on the table to facilitate a green and smart approach to the future
By Eugenio Morello
Focus On

Supersonic and green travel

The plane is called Overture and it is the descendent of the historic Concorde. Debuting in 2030, it promises to connect London and New York in three and a half hours. The ambition is to make the journey available to all and completely emission free
By Daniele Monaco
Focus On

Cyber security: the key to autonomous driving

The security of IT components on board is a crucial issue in order to foster both development and diffusion of self-driving cars
By Carlo Stagnaro
 
Column  |  Podcast

The world’s biggest airport: Beijing Daxing

Built in less than five years, Beijing Daxing is the world's biggest airport and a triumph of new technologies. With its unique starfish shape designed by the study of Zaha Hadid Architects, the airport employs the latest new sustainable solutions
By Gianluca Cedolin

Technology

All the latest news from the world of technology. Up-to-date editorials, data and in-depth articles.

Transports  |  Mobility

Hyperloop, ultra-speed in an open source idea

The new frontier of innovation in ground transportation is Hyperloop, the "train of the future" conceived by Elon Musk. It will allow travel at 1,200 km/h in a depressurised tube through magnetic levitation. But the technological challenge is still open
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Interview  |  Cities

“Building a smart city from scratch”. The pioneers in Sicily

A Sicilian ICT company has made Taormina into a digital resort town. And now T.net is ready to export its replicable model from the “Pearl of the Ionian Sea” to other cities in Europe, starting with Helsinki. Privacy and flexibility are the keys to the idea
By Sofia Fraschini
Mobility  |  Cities

Cybersecurity for transportation: “smart nations” to the test

Essential services in the smart cities are targets to malicious actors. States need to defend utilities, industrial plants, payment systems, connected services and much more against cyberattacks. This issue is even destined to grow with the advent of smart mobility
By Federico Gennari Santori
Focus On

Internet goes “Splinternet”: warfare on the web media

The public digital space is the new battlefield to conquer the public opinion, as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine shows. Such a divergence may lead to a partition of the Internet: the “Splinternet”
By Magdalena Smenda
Focus On

Behind the camera: how biometric boarding is used in airports

Airlines are introducing biometric technology at gates to make traveling more seamless for customers deterred by onerous Covid requirements. Nevertheless, some concerns over privacy and the tech’s reliability still need to be addressed
By Ben Munster
Video  |  Space

Satellite internet: the new space race

2022 will be a year of decisive importance for measuring the ambitions of the principal private companies aiming to colonise orbits around Earth in space in a new way
By Infra Journal Newsrsoom
Focus On

The new tools at the foundations of modern infrastructures

Digitalisation and management of big-data pave the way for new perspectives in the infrastructure sector. Monitoring systems and diagnostics can be integrated into traffic management systems, providing countries with modern and efficient structures. Universities can do much more than simply teaching new skills*
By Marco Belloli* and Ferruccio Resta
Focus On  |  Business

Globalization is still key to end semiconductor crisis

Bottlenecks in semiconductors supply chain are stressing crucial industries for the economic recovery in Western countries, such as tech and automotive. Once leader in production and then dismissed, the EU and US are taking remedial actions to regain the spot, along with major companies: is globalization taking a new shape?
By Carlo Stagnaro
Cities

Technology and governance: how cities make optimal use of Big data

The experiences of Barcelona, London, Paris, Seoul and Singapore demonstrate how the huge quantities of data generated in big cities can be used by digital platforms and analysis systems to provide services to citizens and improve decision-making processes
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Cities

A ranking of the world’s smartest cities

Digital services for citizens, e-governance, smart management of resources and more: a Singapore consulting firm has analysed 235 cities and come up with a ranking. Presenting the world’s four most digitally advanced cities
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Business

From the new internet, a trampoline for post-pandemic recovery

Increased telecommunication capacity, modern 5G infrastructure, fibre optic access to the ultra-broadband and the Internet of Things open up opportunities for exponential growth in various sectors of the economy
By Daniele Monaco
Video  |  Space

Sky is (not) the limit

From SpaceX to Blue Origin, more and more private companies invest and believe in space as a journey but also as an achievement. What will its future implications and limitations be?
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Transports  |  Business

Logistics and ecommerce calling for a new infrastructure

While drone delivery is now a reality, today the biggest challenge involves both last-mile and transoceanic distribution
By Daniele Monaco
 

Travel

Moving, creating relationships and approaching what is far away using the most innovative resources of science and engineering.

Column  |  Cities  | 

Visions of the future, at the museum

Culture ponders the evolution of urban spaces and transportation, with interactive, immersive and technological exhibitions. In the background, the environmental issue is constant. Here are 5 selected museums to discover a vision of the future that awaits us
By Valentina Silvestrini
Sustainability

“Beauty connects people”: the Italian legacy at Expo 2020

This unprecedented Expo put the spotlight on the need to look towards the future to respond to the challenges and issues of the modern-day world. The Italian Pavilion was the perfect example of a proposal that considers the unity of nations and intentions, right down to the project’s design and planning
By Patrizia Marin
Video  |  Column

The Passenger #02 - Travel and music according to Andrea Manzoni

“Travel is the key allowing me to contaminate my approach to the composition and creation of music.” So says Andrea Manzoni, an Italian pianist, composer and producer who lives in Paris
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Interview  |  Transports

Airports beyond the pandemic: alliances and sustainability for a restart

The industry is looking ahead to restore traffic volumes to pre-pandemic levels and beyond the war arisen in Ukraine. Infra Journal spoke about it with Alfonso Celotto, president of Aeroporti 2030
By Sofia Fraschini
Podcast  |  Transports

The Trans-Siberian: the longest railway line in the world

This 10-thousand-kilometre-long railway line from Moscow to Vladivostok, was built at the end of the 19th century by more than 90-thousand workers, most of whom were forced labourers. Goods, minerals and raw materials still pass this way today but, most of all; the Trans-Siberian has become a symbol of a journey to the outer reaches of our world
By Gianluca Cedolin
Cities  |  Video

The Passenger #01 A conversation with Michele Rossi

In the first episode of the video series dedicated to travel and mobility, the architect and co-founder of Park Associati talks to us about his idea of the city of the future: "It will still be an important place of exchange and creativity"
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Sustainability  |  Business

Outdoors, green and sustainable: passwords for the next holiday

Tourism, like everything, evolves and Covid-19 has accelerated this process. Here is how routes, destinations and experiences can adapt to the perfect sustainability wave of post pandemic
By Susan Dabbous
Focus On  |  Interview

Drones and new mobility between challenges and legislation

New routes and new rules are fundamental for the development of advanced mobility in Italy. Interview with Pierluigi Di Palma, president of Enac
By Sofia Fraschini