Green Spaces in Some Favorite Cities

After spending multiple weeks in Europe this past summer, as a Visiting Professor in Sweden, and also speaking and attending plus co-organizing conferences in various countries, I am enjoying being in very green Amherst, Massachusetts.

But,  before long, I will be heading out again, to give a plenary talk in Bogota, Colombia. I will be speaking on Sustainable Supply Chains for Sustainable Cities.

Reflecting back on the places that I had been recently what stood out in my mind is the importance of green spaces in cities.

The New York Times recently even had an article on a scientific study on the effects of walking in nature on people's brains.


I must admit that in traveling I always try to locate a hotel close to a park.

Below are photos of green spaces in some of my favorite cities. Take in the beauty and enjoy - it may even be good for your health.

Below are scenes from Gothenburg, Sweden

Below photos are from Hyde Park, London, England

StadtPark in Vienna, Austria

The Meadows in Edinburgh, Scotland

 Oxford, England

And, of course, Central Park in New York City!

Why I've Fallen in Love with Sweden

I've been in Gothenburg for 3 weeks now, my tenth trip here as a Visiting Professor at the School of Business, Economics and Law (Handelshogskolan)  at the University of Gothenburg.

I have been immerse in writing a book and also discussing research topics with colleagues and also talking with doctoral students.

Below I have a panoply of photos that show the charm of this city and Sweden.

My colleagues have standing desks (better for one's health):

At the same time, there is a folding seat in the elevators:

The Business School's cafeteria is fabulous but today was the last day of service of the academic year so I had to thank the chef and server.

 The parental leaves are great so there are a lot of hipster Daddies taking care of children:

The public transportation is fabulous and I have 4 choices for commuting to work: walking (a good couple of miles), taking the trolley, taking a bus, or the ferry. Today I took the ferry home and the ride was free! The view was pretty great, too.

Where else do you find color-coordinated blankets on chairs outside cafes in case you need them.

The nature and preservation of it are spectacular.

The high school graduation celebrations are so stylish:

 The fish and treats are delicious:

And were else can you find parts of a Viking ship (the museums are favorite destinations of mine)!

Bank Stability and Regulation Conference in Sweden and Small Academic World

Today and tomorrow I am taking part in a Finance conference here at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden on Bank Stability and Regulation.

One of my finance colleagues here in Gothenburg, Professor Ted Lindblom, invited me and I have been enjoying the talks and meeting people very much. Below he is standing with another Finance colleague of mine here in Gothenburg, Professor Stefan Sjogren.

The academic world is so small - even though Finance is not my primary discipline (but I have co-authored the Financial Networks book and quite a few papers on multitiered financial networks and even the integration of financial and social networks),  I still find it very easy to talk to people and there is only "one ddegree of separation."

For example, Professor Deborah Lucas of MIT, with me below, knows my Isenberg School colleague, Professor Mila Sherman, very well, And Professor Manju Puri of Duke, who is also here, went to grad school at NYU with my colleague at Isenberg, Professor Nikunj Kapadia.

Plus, the first speaker today, Dr. Jiao Santos of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, who gave a fabulous talk, has as his co-author on the paper, Matthew Plosser, whose father, Charles Plosser, is the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He is stepping down and Pat Harker, the President of the University of Delaware, an INFORMS Fellow, and former Editor of the journal, Operations Research, and whom I know, is becoming the next President and CEO of this institution.

Below I have posted some photos of the speakers and discussants and some of the papers have been made available and are accessible from the conference website:
 
Papers available:
Joao A.C. Santos, Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Nova School of Business and Economics; "Banks' Incentives and the Quality of Internal Risk Models"
Giorgia Piacentino, Washington University in St Louis; "Bank Capital, Bank Credit, and Unemployment"
Piero Gottardi, European University Institute and University of Venice; "Capital Structure, Investment, and Fire Sales"
Nittai K. Bergman, MIT; "Financial Accelerator at Work: Evidence from Corn Fields"
Paolo Fulghieri, University of North Carolina; "Uncertainty Aversion and Systemic Risk"

 I have enjoyed the diversity of topics and approaches, from empirical studies to theoretical general equilibrium models.  The presentations and discussions have been excellent and it would be interesting to apply such ideas as aggregate risk and aversion to uncertainty that I heard about today to supply chain networks.

The full program for the conference can be accessed here.

And, although I see many New York Yankees caps on  residents of Gothenburg, Professor Nittal Bergman of MIT brought his Red Sox cap, so I had to photograph it below. Nice to see folks from Massachusetts here in Sweden!

 Many thanks to the organizers of this great conference.

Trolleys - My Favorite Mode of Transport

It's been wonderful to be back in beautiful Sweden!

I especially enjoy the great public transportation system - such a contrast to what we have in the United States.

This time around, the apartment that the University of Gothenburg has provided for me is not in walking distance of the School of Business, Economics and Law where I am a Visiting Professor, so my commute has been by public transit.

My favorite mode of transportation here is trolleys! I have a month's pass of unlimited travel and it is money well spent.

There are three types of trolleys (also known as trams) in Gothenburg, based on their ages (vintage) as well as a trolley that one can rent for special events and that flies the Ukrainian flag (my heritage) and is featured below.

 

Gothenburg has the largest tram network system in Sweden.  Some of the various trolleys that I have ridden are below.

Many of the trolleys have the symbol of the city on them.

One of my favorite trolleys is  Number 6  since it is only about 2 blocks from my apartment complex and leaves me about 2 blocks from my Business School here. I have never had to wait longer than 5 minutes for a trolley.

And, with Sweden's emphasis on technology and sustainability, at each trolley stop there is an electronic board with information on the time for the arrival of the trolleys:

 I like the trolley map in front of the Central Train Station in Gothenburg.

Sometimes though, I will purposely hop off the trolley one or two stops before my final destination so that I can walk (another favorite mode of transport for me) and experience the beauty of the landscape here as well as the architecture. Below is my favorite tree in Gothenburg.

Whenever I teach my Transportation and Logistics class at the Isenberg School at UMass, which I do each Fall and I love teaching this class, I always ask my students what is their favorite mode of transportation. Regularly, I hear that airplanes or trains are favorites and, sometimes, bicycles. I have to say that my answer will now be trolleys!