Sustainable Urban Development
With cities expected to host about 70 percent of the world's population, sustainable urban development is key to making communities worldwide more resilient against the growing threat of climate change. Find out about the latest urban practices from across the world aiming to make our cities more sustainable and inclusive in these good-news stories from The Optimist Daily.
Medellín aspires to become Latin America's first "eco-city"
Medellín, Colombia has proven to the world that it is a city capable of transformation. Only three decades ago, it was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world. However, by investing in their low-income communities, transportation infrastructure, education, technology, tourism, and Read More...
Three ways we can repurpose closed department stores
40 percent of US department stores have closed their doors in the past five years, but the question remains: what do we do with these huge spaces? Many will be demolished, but some communities are turning defunct big-box stores into repurposed useful spaces. Library Department stores and Read More...
This bicycle library boosts inexperienced cyclers' confidence in London
As the gravity of the climate crisis becomes more apparent, governments are setting goals to reduce the carbon emissions of their countries and states through a variety of means. The UK, for instance, aims to have at least half of all journeys in towns and cities be cycled or walked by the year Read More...
Paris lowers the speed limit on most city streets
Pedestrians and cyclists in Paris are welcoming a new policy that will restrict the speed limit on nearly all streets in the French capital to just 30 kph, down from 50 kph. The law is the latest move by the municipality to advance the city closer to its climate targets and transform people’s Read More...
A solution to greener homes could be right underneath our feet
Swiss researchers from the Wood Materials Science Laboratory at the ETH Zürich and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology in Dübendorf are working on an exciting new way to generate energy that requires us to simply move around our own homes and buildings. The Read More...
Community-level big data offers a clearer picture of disaster resiliency
Hurricane Ida has demonstrated once again how chaotic the days after a natural disaster can be. Relief organizations are often on the ground right away, but determining the extent of damage and displacement can take time, delaying the delivery of essential supplies. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Read More...
This is how we could put our urban rooftops to better use
As cities around the world look to integrate more greenery into their urban landscapes, rooftops could offer a solution to the problem of land scarcity in growing urban areas. However, a new book from architecture firm MVRDV explores more useful ways to transform roofs in order to improve the Read More...
This online game places the world's future in your hands
The continued presence of human beings on this planet is uncertain thanks to generations of unsustainable and exploitative use of natural resources. We can read about what the future may hold for us if we fail to mitigate our impact on our environment, but it may be difficult to understand the Read More...
Czech school will be home to first 3D-printed parkour playground
Last year, we wrote about Protozoon, the world’s first-ever 3D-printed floating house. Now, Buřinka, the same Czech group that built the 3D-printed floating structure, has 3D-printed the world’s first parkour playground. The result of a partnership between the private sector, the public Read More...
The "Butterfly Effect" is designed to help insects cross roads safely
Most drivers have had the unpleasant experience of witnessing an insect or two splat against your windshield while you’re driving down the highway. Well, as unpleasant as it may be for those of us behind the wheel, it is undoubtedly more unpleasant for the bug. Dutch design studio VenhoevenCS, Read More...