Garden designer? How about ecological warrior? Landscape architects may be due for a new reputation, and for good reason. As a field, landscape architecture has changed rapidly over the past two decades. It is too simple to assume that architects focus only on floral gardens and upscale stone walkways. As human environmental impacts become more [...]
On a daily basis, Copenhagen is crossed on bike summing up to 1.2 million kilometres. This equals around thirty round-the-world trips for a population of less than 1.5 million inhabitants. Copenhageners pedal a lot. Given the statistics, pedal power helped alleviate the pollution issues and was a boost for the health system. As much as [...]
Global Site Plans is happy to announce the acceptance of applications for the Fall Environmental Design Blogger Internship program. Applications for the Fall program close on September 21, 2012 and the internship will begin in October 2012. You should be willing to make a 6-month to one-year commitment to The Grid. For more details regarding [...]
In just under two decades, the once soft-spoken city of Raleigh, North Carolina will increase its population by about half to reach the 600,000 citizen prediction prophesied by the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. This rapid progress is merely symptomatic of the larger growth occurring in the tri-county metro (Wake, in which Raleigh is located, Orange, and [...]
All-eyes-on the intrinsic features of the latest building materials. Selected to inform and inspire. Our cities’ infrastructure, buildings and interiors ooze the aesthetics and functionality of the materials in use. Yes, beyond the contours of initial ideas, remains the tangible core. The building envelopes react with the outdoor environment and the interiors` floor-to-ceiling composition influence [...]
When Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the current government, Justice and Development Party (AKP), will undergo the biggest project of all times for Istanbul, aptly named “The Crazy Project” by Istanbulites, no one ever thought it would be an artificial sea-level waterway crossing through the entire European side of Istanbul, connecting the [...]
Since 1996, the State of Virginia has been working with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Southeastern High Rail Corridor project to establish high speed rail passenger connections that would connect the City of Richmond to places like Columbia, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, and Raleigh, North Carolina. The project is being done as a [...]
Summer courses gather students and graduates around the globe, creating hubs of creativity and cultural clustering. Universities organize workshops and courses on various themes, in many cases interconnected with several study subjects. This way, the young professionals experience a situation close to real life case, where different work branches cooperate. Students embrace the opportunity to [...]
Spokane, Washington was given the land for its wastewater treatment plant and Riverside State Park by an affluent citizen in his will in the first half of the 20th century. He designated the land’s division and only allowed the City to keep the land if they used it for those sole two reasons. The only [...]
California has the worst air quality in the nation, boasting 10 out of the 25 cities most polluted by short-term particle pollution. In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) unanimously approved new emissions rules for cars and light trucks on January 31, 2012. The mandate requires an increase [...]
It is very paradoxical how history changes. In the Second World War German people migrated to other countries, while at present, they are welcoming people from all around Europe. In this precise moment I am writing this post, and I am physically in Germany. Some months ago I quit my position in the Engineering department [...]
Michel Foucault (October 1926- June 1984) was a French philosopher and activist, pivotal in the conception of contemporary postmodern theory. They are bred in the suburbs, and then sent to school. They attend Duke University, North Carolina State University, and University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. They are pumped with pertinent education, and then are [...]
An ambitious project sets new grounds for innovation in Copenhagen Financial and social needs have brought decisive urban expansion in the Danish capital; pushing the urban borders towards the South, bridged by the centre of the city and the Kalvebod Fælled natural reservation, and stretching over five km with six metro stops. Exploration of the [...]
“A sculpture at the coast unites the natural elements of water, air, and earth.” Kim Herforth Nielsen, 3XN The South-East coast of Zealand, Denmark offers a leisure time oasis as the motor way streams out of the urban area. Sandy beach patches, with small yacht ports and bike tracks, stretch across undulating green fields. Before [...]
The City of Spokane, Washington implemented two of their first-ever SURGE (Spokane Urban Runoff Greenways Ecosystem) projects in 2010 with AHBL: Lincoln Street on the South Hill; [Bottom] [Official Surge Report]; Broadway Street in the West Central Neighborhood. [Top] [AHBL's Presentation to the City]. Both were the first of their kind in Eastern Washington, and [...]
I have been a writer for The Grid for over a year and this will be my last writing. I am grateful to Renee Van Staveren, Global Site Plans, and The Grid staff for this opportunity. A lot has been learned through my own research and also through the writings of my peers. The topics [...]
When need for energy peaked in the recent decades and the world’s energy resources decreased simultaneously, the word sustainability became very popular. From transportation to food; textile to furniture; brands show their compassion for nature by putting a “green” in front of their products’ name. “Green House” is often uttered by urbanists and architects who [...]
In light of recent coverage on the value of a design education, organizations across the country have begun to open up the field to a more unlikely population – middle and high school students. As the contemporary education system faces continued criticism, alternatives like Citizen Schools and Afterschool Alliance have developed student programs to supplement [...]
Waste Management broke ground October 2011 on behalf of the City of Spokane for their new 62,000 square foot, state-of-the-art recycling center. October 1st, 2012, they are scheduled to open and ready for almost a dozen new recyclable materials. The Spokane Material and Recycling Technology (SMART) Center will receive many things dubbed as trash until [...]
Skateboarding is legally recognized as a “hazardous recreational activity.” While this categorization seems dour it is actually an interesting bit of legalese that enables cities to construct skate parks without fearing legal liabilities. Skate parks in North American cities are being constructed at a record pace. And in 2005 an organization of skaters, activists, and [...]
