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.
This green building can be completely dismantled and repurposed
When building the new Braunstein Brewery taphouse in Køge, Denmark, designers did something a little unusual. They put as much thought into taking the structure down as building it in the first place. The innovative design allows the building to be completely disassembled into reusable pieces at Read More...
AI mapping tool shows cities exactly where they need to plant more trees
From boosting air quality to providing shade, there are many benefits that come with planting trees in urban neighborhoods. The only problem is that in many cities, trees are not equitably distributed amongst neighborhoods. To help ensure a more equal spread of the greens in cities, Google has Read More...
NASA: Nitrogen dioxide levels dropped 20% since the pandemic began
Human activity strayed far from the norm this year as the coronavirus pandemic forced many countries to effectively shut down. Now, many months after the first countries went into lockdown, scientists from NASA have gaged just how much pollution levels have dropped due to Covid-related declines in Read More...
Why community gardens are perfect for cultivating health in your neighborhood
A community garden does much more than just grow local fruits and vegetables. It also activates a public space where members of the community can gather and form meaningful relationships that contribute to a better life. Whether you want to create a community garden or join, here are a few benefits Read More...
Animals in Utah find safe passage on wildlife overpass
Last month, we wrote about an animal crossing bridge in Los Angeles that will soon be built to help wildlife such as mountain lions safely cross over the US 101 freeway, which cuts through their habitat. Although we won't get to see the finished product until 2021, we can get a sense of how it will Read More...
Agrihood: This community combines suburban living with farming
Tsawassen, Vancouver has been a farming community for generations, but when suburban housing developments started cropping up, the Century Group development company was torn on how to best use the 500 acres of land it owned in the area. They came to the conclusion to use the land for an innovative Read More...
This company rapidly builds modular homes for the homeless
While building more permanent supportive housing is key to solving the Bay Area’s homelessness crisis, such development projects typically require a long permitting process. This means that it can take years for people experiencing homelessness to find a lasting solution. California-based Read More...
3D-printed buildings are reaching new heights in Germany
Earlier this month, we shared a story out of Belgium where a construction called Kamp C revealed the first 3D-printed two-story home. Although it is thought to be the biggest 3D-printed structure in the world right now, it won’t hold that title for long as architects in Germany are currently Read More...
What to do with the unused offices? This architect turns them into schools
As office buildings sit empty and more companies make the decision to remain remote indefinitely, architect Danish Kurani has turned the unfortunate circumstances into an opportunity and has designed an office-to-school conversion to transform these unused offices into educational spaces. The Read More...
Architects are turning hospital parking lots into modular ICU units
Hospitals overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic could soon find a much-needed capacity lifeline in modular emergency care units built right in their parking lots. Called STAAT Mod (Strategic, Temporary, Acuity-Adaptable Treatment), the prefab system is built in a factory and delivered by truck Read More...