A move toward wooden buildings would lead to a host of positive environmental, economic, and livability outcomes.
"Forest ecosystems and wood buildings can be our most important climate allies," argue Frank Lowenstein, Brian Donahue, and David Foster in a New York Times opinion piece. While concrete and steel are ubiquitous construction materials, they are not sustainable.
Using sustainably harvested wood for buildings, however, offers a range of benefits, they say. "This will allow us to pump carbon from the atmosphere and store it both in forests and in cities. It will also support rural economies, improve wildlife habitat and create more affordable housing."
Engineered wood available as cross-laminated timber is what is allowing for taller, fire-safe wooden buildings. "We should minimize the conversion of forests, enable more wood construction and incentivize private landowners to improve their stewardship," urge Lowenstein, Donahue, and Foster.
FULL STORY: Let’s Fill Our Cities With Taller, Wooden Buildings
Sustainable Office Building To Rise in Toronto's Leaside
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Student-Designed Cool Sidewalk Could Reduce 'Urban Heat Island' Effect
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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LA Metro’s ultimatum: no extra buses for LA28 if federal funding isn’t imminently secured
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Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing
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5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association