Pope Francis, sticking to his job description, is out to save the world and all its creatures. Maybe we can help in our own little universes, where we can influence planning and design that makes for swell places and for reduced contributions to GHG.
"Even before last week’s official release of Pope Francis’s encyclical on climate change, advocates and defenders were honing their talking points. The pontiff promotes the potential of a 'communitarian salvation' that 'generates creative ideas for the improvement of a building or a neighbourhood.' And he reminds us of the interconnections between the built and natural environments, between all living things. He calls it 'an integral ecology, one which clearly respects its human and social dimensions.'”
Ben Brown goes on to review the encyclical from a city planning perspective, and ties it into several other urbanism reports and concludes:
"Movement to urbanized areas that offer more choices for living, working, playing and getting around without a car is driven by economic and demographic trends that seem irreversible. And whether people migrating to such places are motivated by reducing their carbon footprint or not, that’s the bonus they, their community and the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions get from their decisions."
Read the full story: Pope Goes Global: Let’s talk local
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The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
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The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello