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Street Art for Redevelopment in Miami
A walk through Wynwood, a neighborhood north of downtown Miami, brings an encounter with two-dimensional fangy creatures that transform the physical and social landscape of this once-industrial zone into a spray-painted cultural destination.Wynwood has become the epicenter of Miami’s artistic rebirth. Over the past decade, Art Basel... [read more]
Federal Green Building Code Creates Unnecessary Risks and Costs
Someone recently asked me why I was baffled about the Department of Defense's decision to use both LEED and a green building code. Here are two reasons: 1. The policy is a waste of taxpayer money.2. The policy unnecessarily increases risks for government contractors.LEED + Green Building Code =... [read more]
Do we still believe in decent housing?
Peabody flats, Westminster: what chance of housing low-paid workers there now?The other day I was talking to the head of a successful housing association. He’d been a chief executive for many years, starting out as one of the wave of young innovators who were going to change the world back in the late 1960s and early seventies. ‘... [read more]
Shipping container "cities" bring creative, funky approach to green construction
This started out as an article on prefabricated modular housing, which can bring the construction price of new homes down considerably and lends itself well to use of green materials and straightforward replication. There’s a multi-part series on green prefab construction, including the history and evolution of the industry... [read more]
Chinese cities – featured in a list they’d rather not be on.
An article in China Daily reports on a recent World Bank report shows that several major Chinese cities have some of the highest per-capita carbon footprints .The report (588 pages, full report link here) details ways in which the trend could be reversed.The key word in reversing the trend?Projects.Lots, and lots, and lots of... [read more]
New Guide for Appraisers Factors Energy Efficiency Into Property Valuations
The Institute for Market Transformation and the Appraisal Institute have collaborated and released an updated guide that features details in rating energy performance on property value. Energy efficient properties will see an increase in appraisal values as a result.Today, at the ACEEE Energy Efficiency Finance Forum in Boston, the... [read more]
The changing context of comfort in an unpredictable world
I recently had the pleasure of attending the Network for Comfort and Energy Use in Buildings’ Windsor 2012 conference at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park, England. Every two years the conference pulls together the literati of the thermal comfort in buildings world for three days and nights of lively discussion and debate. Eighty... [read more]
What Makes a Street Green?
There are many ecological technologies that can make a street green, but the key element is being “flexible, adaptable,” said Neil Weinstein, executive director of the Low Impact Development Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the use of green infrastructure in the built environment, at a session... [read more]
Introducing Spongephalt: A Game-Changer for Roads that Doesn’t Exist Yet
It’s been a dry year in Southern California, but that’s typically how it goes—you don’t come to Los Angeles for the lush green and windbreakers. There have been worse years, and I remember dead lawns and short showers during especially parched seasons, but there’s no doubt that we’ll see a bloated number of forest fires when the summer... [read more]
Building a Greener Capital
Can you 'green' a city like Beijing? Even if you wanted to, there's a lot of challenges. [read more]
Retrofitting existing buildings is taking off
It’s a great time to be an existing building. First: President Obama released last year’s Better Buildings Initiative, focusing financing opportunities on commercial retrofits. Then: USGBC reported that LEED for Existing Buildings project square footage surpassed new construction projects. Now: A new report has concluded that... [read more]
New York Roof Study Shows Drastic Cooling with White Surfaces
Is bright the new black? A new study of New York roofs during peak heat periods confirms that white roofs do indeed have significantly lower temperatures. [read more]
Sustainable Cities Collective
What's New on
Kaid Benfield is director of sustainable communities and smart growth at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC. More »
Chris Cheatham is a LEED Accredited Professional and green building authority who frequently speaks to groups and associations. More »
Jared Green is Web Content and Strategy Manager at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) More »
Rodrigo Herrera Vegas is a writer for for one of Argentina's main newspapers, La Nación, and a radio show host. More »
Warren Karlenzig Warren Karlenzig is the founder and president of Common Current. More »
Geoff Wilkinson is the Vice Chair of the Building Standards Faculty of the Chartered Institute of Building.i More »
Chuck Wolfe Chuck Wolfe is a lawyer, professor, and photographer who blogs at MyUrbanist. More »
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Webinar: ISO 20121 - Sustainability & Event Management
When: Thu, 2012-05-24 08:00
Transformation Through Technology: Delivering Better Public Services
When: Thu, 2012-05-24 08:00
Sustainability and Affordable Housing: an Interactive Charrette
When: Sat, 2012-06-02 11:00
Tourism and Sustainable Futures: Beyond 2015
When: Fri, 2012-06-15 09:00
Public Sector Leadership: driving cultural change
When: Thu, 2012-06-21 14:36
Youth Policy Summit on Urban Sustainability at UC Denver
When: Sun, 2012-06-24 12:00
“Ever since it appeared in The Road. Braddock has been on my radar for some time. They have been working hard up there for a long time. Very good to see the community pushed into the spotlight. Looking forward to watching this series of articles!”
“I don't walk by choice. My vision forced me to give up my car years ago. I won't lie, I miss being able to drive. I hate the bus, though Santa Clara's VTA is one of the best systems in the country. But I am able to get around. And I walk to shop, sometimes as far as 3 miles away. Sometimes I take the bus back, sometimes I just walk back. This changes ...”