Climate change is seen as the major problem of our generation, and confronting it will mean action on how energy is sourced and the levels of demand. In 1990, the United Kingdom signed an agreement for reducing emission levels at least 80% by 2050. The Northern Ireland government has set a bold target in relation [...]
The coverage that natural disasters receive usually only captures an audience for a few days. While the initial visuals may shock and distress the viewer, the fast media cycle means that the recovery that follows the disaster is observed by comparatively few. The Christchurch earthquakes of 2010-2011 certainly fit this model. 181 people died, thousands [...]
The nongovernmental organization “Our Park” is behind a successful story of synergy between private and public actors, as well as participatory design, for the creation of an open public space in the heart of Athens, Greece. For over a year, “Our Skate Park” in downtown Athens has set a useful and optimistic precedent in urban [...]
The UK is a rich western country with a population of 60 million. Average water use is 150 litres per person per day (55m3 per person per year). Although the perception (not least by its inhabitants) is that the UK is a wet country with plenty of rainfall, the reality is that the UK only [...]
Kane County, IL, like most developing counties across the United States, faces a significant challenge in addressing the issue of mounting traffic congestion. One of Kane County’s major thoroughfares, Randall Road, has been epitomizing this issue. As traffic congestion becomes more and more of a problem on Randall Road, the Kane County Division of Transportation [...]
In a period of rapid urbanization, many cities are faced with the challenge of reconciling seemingly contradictory objectives. One of the most pressing of these challenges is the imperative to conserve valued and significant buildings and streetscapes of the past whilst providing the infrastructure for modern, efficient, and sustainable public transport. The experience of the [...]
After years of relentless growth, Shanghai, China is entering a new phase of environmentally sustainable development. Issues such as urban farming have become hot topics of discussion. Ever-increasing urban density, competition for scarce land and a rising demand for food from the burgeoning middle class, Shanghai will need to ensure that the opportunity to produce [...]
It’s been over 12 years since Athens International Airport moved from the Elliniko area, a significant coastal area of Attica, to its new home in Spata. Since then, there is an ongoing debate between the State, private investors, social movements and institutions, like the National Technical University of Athens with its Urban Environment Laboratory, on propositions [...]
“Texas leads the country for installed wind power, and is one of the largest wind energy producers in the world.” – Terrence Henry, As Tax Credit Hangs in the Balance, Texas Sets Another Wind Record As the environmental harm caused by the use of coal as the main source of electricity production becomes more and [...]
Diversity is a key ingredient for a successful development, or at least that’s what George Merrick, Founding Father of Coral Gables, believed in 1925. Along with The American Building Company and former Ohio Governor Myers Cooper, he created the largest home development project in that time’s history: the Village Project. At the time, South Florida [...]
It’s Friday afternoon in Chicago. Michigan Avenue is buzzing with the excited throngs of shoppers, loving couples glide around the ice rink in Millennium Park, and annoyed motorists sluggishly make their way through the sea of vehicles on the Kennedy Expressway. Rush hour traffic has plagued Chicago motorists for decades, and the problem seems to [...]
After forty-eight hours in a city, you usually have an idea about whether you enjoy it, or if you just want to leave. This time frame may allow for a walk through the city’s center and, perhaps a visit to a few well-known attractions or landmarks. On a visit to Ecuador’s commercial center and principal port Guayaquil, you [...]
What is sustainability? Without using Google, that may be hard to answer, even for experts. Surely achieving something that one barely understands could prove to be evasive in success. Regardless of this, a multitude of world class cities set out to achieve the unknown. Nottingham, like many British towns, finds itself locked in the pursuit of [...]
Is sustainability measurable? The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) certainly thinks so, and they are working hard to provide professionals working within the development community a framework to bring sustainability to the neighborhood level. The USGBC has been using its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System since 1998 to provide [...]
It is amazing how crisis can affect us. When times get tough, customs and lifestyles are often altered, and life can get stripped closer to the primitive. Through Spain’s current economic crisis, as well as through Barcelona’s populous nature, the platform for the development of humble community gardens within the city’s few uninhabited sites has [...]
Imagine a home that can save nearly 50,000 gallons of water a year, has an electric bill that could be next to nothing, and can be monitored and controlled from your smartphone. Such homes are already available in a number of residential subdivisions in Southern California, where houses are oriented to take advantage of the [...]
The central areas of Austin, TX continue to transform with the addition of shopping districts, new office space, condominiums, and apartments. The city’s aim is to create more compact and walkable neighborhoods/areas in order to encourage healthier and more sustainable lifestyles among its residents through reduced car and land-use. It appears that there has been [...]
Cycling is one of the healthiest ways to get around our cities;providing valuable physical activity for people. This form of active transport can generate indirect public health benefits by reducing the use of vehicles, consequently reducing air, water, and noise pollution. Belfast, the leading city in Northern Ireland, is on the cusp of implementing a [...]
Montreal, Canada is a winter city. From November to March (and sometimes even April) the city grows cold, the days are short and it snows – sometimes a lot. Even so, in recent years cycling in winter months has increased dramatically, according to Vélo Quebec. As I write this post, it is a beautiful 6°C [...]
Detroit’s downfall is a storied urban planning nightmare. One largely important factor in the city’s decline is the rapid population exodus it continues to experience. Population loss has resulted in vast amounts of vacant, government-owned land. But what is the solution for a bankrupt city that is the owner of more vacant lots than it [...]
