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.
Bee-friendly wildflower meadows are blooming across Germany’s biggest cities
Germany is home to about 580 wild bee species, most of which have their habitat in urban areas. More than half of these species are endangered or on the brink of extinction. The increased use of insecticides, exposure to noxious exhaust fumes, and above all a loss of diverse habitats, are the main Read More...
Retired wind turbine blades get reincarnated into bridges and railway links
Even renewable energy has waste byproducts that become a major recycling problem for the industry. Many wind turbine blades are reaching the end of their lifespan, and plenty more are taken out of service early to be replaced by blades that can produce more energy. This means that by 2023, Read More...
This Chicago project raises the bar for sustainable urban development
With city populations expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades, it is essential that we take up a model for low-carbon development that promotes a thriving and sustainable future for urban communities. A recent development proposal in downtown Chicago is the embodiment of such a Read More...
Paris’ outdoor pandemic dining is here to stay
After over a year of dining outdoors, many people have come to love the experience of enjoying a meal in what would otherwise be a busy street or parking lane. Closed streets and dining terraces have made our cities more human-friendly and in the city of lights, the change is here to Read More...
Ancient "mini-Pompeii" discovered beneath abandoned Italian cinema
During an excavation of a former cinema in the northern Italian city of Verona, the renovation team made a valuable and surprising discovery. Beneath the abandoned Astra Teatro, which is currently undergoing renovation after lying unused for more than two decades, was the hiding place of an Read More...
North Carolina is turning old industrial buildings into new community spaces
As many industries shift to meet modern market demands, regions that used to be bustling centers for coal, oil, steel, and other raw materials are now falling into economic despair. Many experts have cited new renewable energy jobs as a solution to this problem, but in some North Carolina towns, Read More...
This water-filtering pool in NYC will clean the waters of the East River
For many New Yorkers, the idea of swimming in the East River is far from enticing — the body of water has been deemed “unswimmable” since the 1930s due to its high levels of pollution. However, that may soon change thanks to an exciting new project called + POOL, which will clean the river Read More...
Community solar investment also provides free WiFi for residents
Rooftop solar is a key solution for generating local renewable energy and helping families cut down on their energy bills, but if you live in an apartment or rent your home, installing solar panels is far less feasible. And that’s without even considering the substantial cost of installation. Read More...
This artificial island will protect Copenhagen from sea level rise
Like hundreds of other coastal cities across the world, Copenhagen is vulnerable to climate change-induced sea-level rise that is significantly increasing the city’s risk of flooding during storms. In a bid to protect its capital, the Danish government is now preparing plans for a huge project: Read More...
These algae curtains combat air pollution in urban environments
Here at The Optimist Daily, we're highly interested in the expansion of algae as an eco-friendly component of a variety of products that protect the environment and reinforce the value of sustainable, eco-conscious living. Algae has been used to make biodegradable sequins and more sustainable Read More...