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.
Restoration groups use permaculture to rebuild in the wake of the Camp Fire
One year after the Camp Fire destroyed 90 percent of homes in the small Northern California town of Paradise, community members are rallying behind the regenerative nature of permaculture to rebuild their town. Permaculture is an agricultural technique which uses regenerative resources to create a Read More...
These experimental homes represent the future of low-cost housing in Mexico
In the desert-like climate of Hidalgo, Mexico, a community of quirky, experimental housing has been constructed, with each house built by a different architect or studio. The idea behind the community was to motivate architects to develop new construction techniques, water-saving systems, and Read More...
The Dutch build world’s largest bicycle parking in the city of Utrecht
In a nation with more bikes than people, finding a space to park can be a problem. This prompted the Dutch city of Utrecht to search for a solution which is revealed at its central railway station Monday morning. The solution is the world’s largest multistory parking area for bicycles. Located Read More...
Colorful basketball courts for a brighter future
It is no doubt that sports and outdoor activities can have beneficial effects on a community. Rainbow Recreation Center in Oakland, California is taking the benefits to a new level. Dan Peterson has begun fixing up basketball courts in urban communities to bring people together and make the area Read More...
Helsinki has an app that gives you all the guidance you need to live sustainably
No matter what you think of the proliferation of smartphones in society, it’s hard to deny that apps can make some facets of life much easier—including living a sustainable life. In Helsinki, the capital city of Finland, a new app has been launched that lets residents, tourists and business Read More...
This ancient Arabic technique is saving Alicante from floods
In Alicante, it never rains, but it pours. The city in southeast Spain goes without rain for months on end, but when it comes, it’s torrential, bringing destructive and sometimes fatal flooding - or, at least, it used to. In San Juan, a low-lying area of the city, authorities have built a new Read More...
Paris will soon be home to the largest rooftop urban farm in the world
With 65,000 square feet of warehouse rooftop space dedicated to growing all sorts of produce, New York City’s Brooklyn Grange is one of the largest urban farms in the world. Next year, however, the urban farm will seem like a dwarf in comparison to a new urban farm soon to open in Paris. The Read More...
Commuters in Rome can now pay for metro rides with used plastic bottles
You may not be so motivated to pick up littered plastic bottles when you walk around the city, but if those plastic bottles paid for your ride on the metro, you might be more inclined to collect those bottles. That’s the idea behind a new scheme in Rome where residents can deposit plastic bottles Read More...
This green oasis is actually a hospital that uses nature to promote healing
Communal gardens, landscaped rooftops, and wide-open windows aren't features of your typical hospital—but maybe they should be. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Singapore is a case study in what can happen when a nature-inspired design is applied to the medical setting to promote healing. The Read More...
What it’s like to ride on NYC’s first self-driving shuttle
We write quite a lot about the development of self-driving vehicles, but it will surely feel a bit strange the first time we actually step foot in one and watch the steering wheel turn itself. In New York City, autonomous car company Optimus Ride just debuted the first public self-driving vehicle Read More...