Fast Company

A proposed plan from Gensler and 4240 Architecture would turn an abandoned rail line in Chicago into an energy-generating, food-growing powerhouse. Oh, and a park too.

A Stanford professor and a UC Davis researcher say we could make the switch to 100% renewable energy by 2030... if we really want to.

This article reviews the lengths Rio and Chicago went to show the Olympic Committee their green ambitions. Hint: both planted trees.

This slideshow features colorful, bold buildings from around the world.

The problem with white roofs is that while they keep apartments and the atmosphere cool, come winter people want that heat to absorb. A new high-tech roofing material switches from white to black when needed.

These maps are distorted to emphasize areas with higher populations. Check out the warped US and bloated Australia.

Some estimate that almost 50% of current projects in Dubai are on hold or canceled. Can Dubai recover from the financial crisis?

The "smart" grid powered by renewable energy sources is likely to be fundamentally different from the current electricity system in more ways than one. Some say it won't be as large-scale as it is now. That's not what utility companies want to hear.

At PieLab in Greensboro, Alabama, locals mingle with designers attempting to do use design to do good, with a slice of pie on the side.

With communities balking at the purported ugliness of windtowers and solar panels, a Dutch company proposes using nature's own designs.

Recent studies in neuroscience show that the design of the built environment affects the way you feel and your behavior. New brain scan technology is revealing emotional reactions to color choice, rounded corners, and ceiling height.

Alissa Walker poses numerous questions about design, including that of buildings, and how it should reflect on the current economy.

Online sources for house plans are cutting the architect out of the home building process. One site is now making available the plans of well-known architects like William Turnbull.

Fast Company blogger Michael Cannell says the economic crisis stands to make big winners out of the new urbanists.

The current downturn in the housing industry may be opening the door for a greener upswing.

Fast Company highlights Chicago and London, their picks for U.S. and Global Cities of the Year, respectively. Whatever you think of the way such lists come together, these are interesting profiles of two vibrant municipalities.

The U.S. Green Building Council's green building certification system LEED has become the industry standard in recent years, but is the system's intended goal of encouraging environmentally-friendly buildings being limited by its success?

A recently-compiled list commends the world's "fastest" cities -- those that are moving forward and benefitting their citizens and businesses along the way.

Citing real estate growth for both the decadent and the practical, urban planners are predicted to be in high demand for 2007.

Writer Greg Lindsay discusses his article "Rise of the Aerotropolis" which was featured in the July/August issue of Fast Company.