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.
Minneapolis nonprofit creates first-of-its-kind village for the homeless
While homeless shelters can be pivotal in providing short-term housing and protection from the elements, there are tradeoffs to staying in a shelter. Many shelters feature communal sleeping arrangements, with dozens of beds packed into a room. This can make homeless shelters particularly Read More...
It’s easy to make old buildings more efficient with this modular system
Many of the new buildings being constructed today are designed with the planet in mind, and while that may help humanity shrink its carbon footprint, the reality is that the number of old buildings will continue to outnumber new buildings well into the future. Keeping an old building up and running Read More...
This lamp uses ultraviolet light to sanitize public spaces in minutes
Back in January, we wrote about a new 20,000 square meter outdoor light installation from the Rotterdam-based Studio Roosegaarde that is meant to make outdoor agriculture even more sustainable while dually turning crop fields into a work of art. Today, we bring you the latest design from Studio Read More...
These floating islands will form a “parkipelago” in Copenhagen’s harbor
The Optimist Daily is always curious about the latest ideas in urban development and design. In 2021, we're expecting to see the completion of an exciting new project in the Danish capital in which a series of small artificial floating islands are being built and installed together within the Read More...
Skyscraper design uses aquaponic terraced gardens to purify Shenzhen’s air
Sustainable architectural designs can go a long way in helping cities cope with some of the most pressing social and ecological challenges facing metropolitan areas today. The design of a pair of supertall skyscrapers in Shenzhen aims to showcase how integrating sustainability into our built Read More...
Meet Domingo Morales: The young New Yorker making composting cool
Domingo Morales’s composting journey began in 2015 when he decided to apply for the Green City Force sustainability training program aimed at youth within the New York City Housing Authority. Fast forward to the present day and Morales finds himself managing composting sites and educating Read More...
How Sevilla is turning its leftover oranges into electricity
The city of Sevilla is proving there is more than just one type of juice you can produce from oranges. In a new pilot scheme, the southern Spanish city will start producing electricity from leftover oranges by capturing the methane from the fermented fruits and using it to drive a generator. Read More...
How hyperlocal zoning reform could create more affordable housing
Housing costs in many US cities have risen beyond reach for millions of Americans, and evidence suggests that zoning restrictions on how much housing you can build on a plot of land are largely to blame. That’s why urbanists were thrilled when California’s capital of Sacramento voted to change Read More...
Rival Dutch cities create tile-removing competition to expand green space
In the Netherlands, an age-old rivalry exists between the Dutch cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. This rivalry can turn ugly, especially when the city’s voetbal (soccer) teams play each other. Recently, however, the rivalry has been channeled in order to spur excitement about a new initiative Read More...
NYC’s High Line park to inspire similar urban renewal project in London
Recently, we shared a story about the expansion of New York’s High Line park, which has been a symbol of urban renewal after it successfully transformed an abandoned railway track into a lively green area — making it one of the city’s main tourist attractions. Now the High Line’s designer, Read More...