The City of Olympia adopted a Parks, Arts & Recreation Plan on August 10, 2010 that found “[a]s a result of population increase and urban densification, back-yards are decreasing in size. This absence of a personal piece of land has also [led] to the increased demand for community gardens. [The 10 year Parks] plan responds [...]
Those pesky Brownfield sites can create great opportunities or can be worrisome problems. In Richmond, Virginia Brownfield sites can be found in many locations throughout the city. Brownfield sites are defined as “old abandoned industrial properties where potential hazardous or unsafe materials might exist.” Over time, brownfields can infect a community with major problems like [...]
Being able to market yourself is an important skill in any field; and landscape architecture is no exception. In the fast-paced environment that we live in today, you have to be your own advocate. Social networking is an important skill to develop and business cards help make it easier. It’s important to remember that social [...]
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 [...]
Until I became a Washington Service Corps AmeriCorps member at the Thurston Conservation District (TCD), I had never heard of conservation districts and the tremendous impact they have on private land in Washington State and across the United States. Established during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, Conservation Districts were created through “A Standard State [...]
Planning should be participatory; however, it’s often very difficult to get stakeholders to contribute to planning processes. Mail-in survey return rates are low, and more often than not, residents don’t want to sit through a Saturday morning design charette. Marketing online and social media platforms give urban planners and architects a set of contemporary tools [...]
Do you know that some people live on other people’s garbage by recycling contents like metal, glass, paper and plastic? Have you ever seen such a person carrying all those contents in a huge hopsack bag on two wheels with two long sticks? Those people are waste-pickers; the most important components of the recycling process [...]
Once home to the innovations of the Burroughs Adding Machine Company, American Electrical Heater Company and General Motors, the New Center area breathes new life into Detroit, Michigans’s entrepreneurial spirit. In April 2004, the partially-renovated Chevy Creative Services building designed by architect Albert Kahn, opened its doors to Detroit’s start-up community as TechOne. The TechTown [...]
Oh, Global Site Plans – where did those 6 months go? After I graduated from New York University with a Bachelor’s in English & American Literature, I reached a revelation – I wished I had studied environmental science. During my long contemplation in finding a detour to reach that obscure goal, I realized that I [...]
Istanbul will host its first design biennial between October 13 – December 12, 2012. The theme is proposed by the director of London Design Museum, Deyan Sudjic, as “imperfection.” This theme refers to Istanbul, a city far from being perfect, yet one of the most inspiring centers of the world, with infinite layers. Istanbul Design [...]
In October 2011, I began my internship writing for The Grid. I had always been interested in the potential that social media can provide as a platform for discussions about urban planning and design. Aside from this, I did not quite know what to expect from the experience. Six months later, I am leaving my blogging position at Global [...]
Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for the success of many websites. No matter how often you may tune your site for a better ranking with major search engines, it may still not be enough if the right keywords or keyphrases are not being selected. This is because search engines decide how relevant a site [...]
The podium microphone could not quite reach Will Allen, standing six-and-a-half feet tall and in front of a sold-out lecture hall in Providence, Rhode Island. Allen, a former professional basketball player and MacArthur Genius Award recipient, was speaking on behalf of his work at Growing Power, a Milwaukee-based environmental non-profit focused on sustainable urban farming [...]
During rainfall and snow storms, 27 billion gallons of raw sewage and stormwater are released into New York City’s waterways. These discharges are called Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOS). CSOs occur when treatment plants are overwhelmed by water flows that are more than twice the design capacity. A number of sustainable methods of stormwater management have [...]
Have you ever heard about clothes swapping? If you are Turkish, probably not. Because in Turkey, worldwide-known brands have their factories located there, providing people the opportunity to purchase clothes at very low prices. Additionally, Turkish people tend to underestimate the advantages of using one anothers’ old clothes, even-though most parents made their children wear [...]
Water is an important resource and all too often it is taken for granted. We all expect water to be there when we need to do the dishes, take a shower, or rinse our food. While a renewable resource, only 3% of the world’s supply is fresh water and unfortunately, demand already surpasses supply. What [...]
A website is a critical component of any business, large or small. In fact, websites may play an even more critical role in the growth of a small business that may have less marketing resources than a larger company. However, the existence of a website for your business is not enough to ensure its growth. Like [...]
Once again, a drought warning has been issued for those same parts of England, where ground water levels are lower than any time since 1976. Secretary Caroline Spelman said that without significant rainfall between now and the commencement of summer, residential customers will face severe restrictions including a hosepipe ban. According to Environmental Protection Agency [...]
Are you interested in sustainability, but not sure where to get the latest information, sample products, and meet like-minded people? The upcoming Ecobuild conference in London, United Kingdom could be just the event for you. Ecobuild is, put simply, the place to go to update your environmental expertise and put yourself ahead of the competition [...]
When you live at 7,880 feet (2,402 meters) above sea level and your community hosts 1.3 million visitors in the winter and 1.5 million in the summer, it’s important to know that you and your visitors are safe. That’s where the Mono County Search & Rescue Team comes in! The Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team [...]
