| Belfast’s Grand Central Station will soon begin train services in Northern Ireland, boosting public transit in one of the most car-dependent regions in Britain and Ireland. The new facility offers eight rail platforms and two dozen bus stands, nearly double the capacity of its now-demolished predecessor from the 1970s. More than that, the station is expected to make transferring between bikes, trains and buses more seamless, Feargus O’Sullivan reports, giving local commuters more reasons to ditch their cars for public transport and active travel. Today on CityLab: Belfast’s Grand Central Station Creates New Era for Northern Ireland’s Public Transport — Linda Poon China’s EV Revolution Is Leaving Poorer Rural Cities Behind
While wealthy cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen have led electric car adoption, uptake in other areas shows how hard gasoline cars can be to ditch. The Quiet Power of Car-Free Neighborhoods
Restricting or banning vehicles in congested city centers pays off with cleaner air and safer streets. We need to talk more about the other big benefit — less noise. How Trash-Eating Flies Can Tame Dangerous Floods in Kenya’s Capital
Garbage blocks many drains and waterways in Nairobi, worsening the effects of flooding. Residents are breeding millions of flies to consume that waste and help keep streets and homes dry. | 
