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houston
Is Houston Solar Energy Ready?
solar energy
“Is Houston Solar Ready?” is a four-page collaborative review that presents a review of the technological implementations in Houston homes, schools and commercial buildings.[read more]
The Road to Rio+20: Houston is a city leading by example
Houston's sustainability strategy is impressive, an example of the key position cities have in driving the green economy forward. When you think of Houston you might think of 10-gallon cowboy hats, Nasa and a terrific barbecue. But you might not necessarily think about green building and sustainability initiatives. Houston has been...[read more]
Houston Has A Problem
Houston looks poised to tumble. The anxiety about that city's position as the "Energy Capital of the world" is ironic, particularly with oil prices so high. Yet the unease is obvious:“I would imagine 50 years ago if you had gone to the Automobile Maker’s Club of Detroit and asked them if they would be the car capital in the future you...[read more]
More Biking Lessons from Portland
Bikers take part in a Sunday Parkways Celebration.Promoting Biking to Those beyond the Young and the Fearless Portland’s 2030 Bicycle Master Plan, unanimously adopted by the city council earlier this year, envisions Portland as “a world class bicycling city” by tripling the overall mileage of bikeways in the hopes of encouraging even...[read more]
Portland: Making Biking Mainstream (Part I)
It’s become a cliché that Portland is America’s most livable city, a hotbed of innovation when it comes to green policies, public spaces, pedestrian amenities, transit, public spaces, and, of course, bicycles. In fact some people are growing weary (and the rest of us envious) of hearing about how great things are in Oregon’s largest city...[read more]
First, figure out how much parking you can build
Austin's consultants are turning out reports faster than I can digest them. ROMA's proposal for a permanent density bonus program downtown is worth a read. The ultimate recommendation -- make residential developments pay bonuses for extra floor space -- is a bad one. But the report contains some interesting...[read more]
Sustainable Cities Collective
What's New on
“I agree I think that the nature of human interaction and involvement depends on the nature of the actual facility itself. Getting people in and around fossil fuel burning power plants is seen as a security risk, but that still leaves many components of our infrastructure that could benefit from being noticed (and that citizens could benefit from noticing). I think of examples like John ...”
“I thinks it's provocative. In Florida, we were given tours of muncipal water treatment facilities as children, less so access to energy facilities. There is a cogeneration facility at MIT that sits comfortably in the urban context, as thousands pass by daily. But I'm always concerned that critical systems and humans should not mix for the most part. Educational programs may make the same point ...”