Sustainable Urban Development
With cities expected to host about 70 percent of the world's population, sustainable urban development is key to making communities worldwide more resilient against the growing threat of climate change. Find out about the latest urban practices from across the world aiming to make our cities more sustainable and inclusive in these good-news stories from The Optimist Daily.
The UN draws up Paris-style strategy with ambitious goals to protect the planet
The UN has set out a Paris-style strategy to halt biodiversity loss. Some of the ambitious goals of this plan, which was drawn up by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) include eliminating plastic pollution, protecting a minimum of 30 percent of the world’s oceans and land, and Read More...
C40 cities commit to conquering climate change with urban greenspaces
Concrete jungles are being infiltrated with urban green spaces as 31 major cities, including London, Barcelona, and Milan, have signed a declaration to invest in reintroducing nature to their metropolises. Mayors of each city agreed to strive for the C40 cities network goal of transforming 30 to Read More...
Goats provide natural and effective brush management in New York park
If you’re visiting New York City this summer and head to Riverside Park, you may witness more than just other walkers and picnic-eaters. You may in fact see a whole herd of goats. The park has introduced its second annual weed-slaying goat grazing initiative, and the animals made their way to the Read More...
Venice bans cruise ships to protect delicate canals and local ecosystems
Venice is an incredibly popular tourism destination, but in recent years, criticism from locals and environmentalists has prompted calls for the end of cruise lines in the city. Yesterday, the city officially banned large ships in its waters. According to Italian Culture Minister Dario Read More...
Montreal’s eco-grazing program raises the “baa” in urban agriculture
We at The Optimist Daily have written quite a lot about the importance of green space and urban farming… so why not add urban livestock for eco-grazing, too? Inspired by a similar project in France, professional sheepherders in the French-Canadian city of Montreal made a deal with officials Read More...
Sustainable Building in a Changing Climate
“Our house is still on fire. Your inaction is fueling the flames by the hour.” – Greta Thunberg Our house is on fire, so how do we build in the face of disaster? Climate change is both an immediate and impending crisis: Under current conditions, we’re bound for 1000-year floods and Read More...
What this small Dutch city can teach us about smart urban mobility
Urbanists across the world often look to the Netherlands for teachings on how to do urban planning the right way, especially when it comes to mobility. So, it’s no surprise that the authors of a new book called Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives turn to Dutch cities to Read More...
Turin transforms abandoned tramway into an attractive community park
Here at The Optimist Daily, we are big fans of sustainable urban development projects that put community front center. The creation of the Precollinear Park in Turin, Italy, is exactly this type of project. The park came about as the result of a placemaking initiative by nonprofit Torino Read More...
Spray on road treatment cools cities and absorbs exhaust fumes
The heat island effect can make temperatures in cities ten degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas. This is not only uncomfortable for residents but can also have dangerous health impacts during heat waves. To address this issue, Pavement Technology Inc. has created a new treatment for roads Read More...
New York introduces mandatory racial impact studies for large developments
New development projects are a fact of life in urban areas, but unfortunately, these developments displace marginalized communities and families of color at a disproportionate rate. Communities that developers feel do not have the resources to advocate for themselves are taken advantage of and Read More...