Sustainability

Freiburg, Germany has become a stunning model of sustainability, thanks in part to Wulf Daseking, the city's Head of Urban Planning since 1984. Sven Eberlein vists Daseking in Freiberg for this interview.

August 11, 2011 - Sven Eberlein

In the Philippines, "eco-entrepreneur" Ilac Diaz is spreading an idea from MIT using 2-liter soda bottles and bleach to bring a 60 watt light bulb's worth of light into the building below.

July 21, 2011 - Reuters UK

Whether in Cupertino, Calif. or Curitiba, Brazil, cities are starting an aggressive move toward sustainability in the Americas. In this evolution, technology, citizen involvement and innovation will play a role transforming cities, Leon Kaye writes.

July 5, 2011 - Guardian

Portland leads the nation is sustainability and in fact, may be responsible for starting this movement, but its economy remains mediocre and it is one of America's least diverse cities. Urbanophile's Aaron M. Renn explains why.

July 4, 2011 - Urbanophile

Of the 27 high-ranking cities, repeat offenders like San Francisco, NYC, Seattle, and Denver earned top spots. Conspicuously absent from the list is Portland.

July 1, 2011 - USA Today

Providing wifi on public transit and encouraging people to Check In with their smart phones are two of the three examples cities could implement to bring people closer together.

July 1, 2011 - Mashable

The personally rewarding and healthy activity of urban farming continues to solidify a foothold on Hong Kong high rises, in spite of the lack of support from the government.

June 30, 2011 - CNN

The Los Angeles Times calls the Leipert-Pasker residence "the greenest house in L.A." In fact, the only thing that isn't green about this three-story home is its color.

June 29, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times

Jumping on the climate change bandwagon, the newly appointed CEO of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Robert Ivy underscores the need to find a healthy medium between sustainability and architecture.

June 24, 2011 - THE DIRT

Studying neighborhoods in Jinan, China, MIT urban studies and planning Professor Dennis Frenchman told MITnews that the country’s biggest challenge is its homogenous urban design.

June 23, 2011 - MITnews

Density reduces costs and helps make places more sustainable, according to this post in a series on "great places".

May 26, 2011 - Grist

Sustainability-focused programs offered at the federal level have received overwhelming support from communities and protection from budget cuts, even in an age of tightened budgets.

May 6, 2011 - Citiwire

"Integrated resource management" practices could help cities operate more sustainably, according to this piece from Miller-McCune.

April 23, 2011 - Miller-McCune

Building sizes have been creeping upward for centuries, but green building expert Jason McLennan argues that smaller structures are better, more beautiful, and ecologically inevitable.

March 29, 2011 - Yes!

Architects and planners in New Delhi are collaborating to create three new visions of the city, all based around the concept of sustainability.

March 11, 2011 - Frontline

The Brickstainable design competition challenges designers to find "solutions that exploit the thermal qualities of masonry construction in an urban building." Geoff Manaugh looks at some of the interesting ways designers remade the lowly brick.

February 28, 2011 - BLDNGBLG

The House Appropriations Committee announced earlier this month a proposed elimination of HUD, USDOT and EPA sustainability programs, in addition to pulling already-awarded funding for TIGER grants.

February 27, 2011 - PlaceShakers

Planners' activities in a community have a direct impact on its character, says Edward Jepson, and can be pivotal in creating sustainability.

February 24, 2011 - Edward J. Jepson Jr.

In an interview, the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan says that federal money will only go to those who embrace sustainability.

February 18, 2011 - UrbanLand

A panel of experts met in Los Angeles last month to discuss 'eco' cities in terms both abstract and practical.

February 13, 2011 - The Planning Report