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.
A giant virtual power plant is coming to California to avoid blackouts
As energy blackouts become more common in California, a German energy company called Sonnen believes virtual power plants (VPPs) can solve the issue. Rather than rely on utility companies, virtual power plants involve connected sets of solar panels and batteries that produce and store energy Read More...
What life is actually like at NYC’s hotels-turned-temporary shelters
With the coronavirus pandemic leaving hotels without guests, a few hotels in New York City’s Upper West Side have welcomed homeless residents temporarily. It is a great initiative, but it recently attracted negative press after the New York Post reported that “crime and chaos” had overtaken Read More...
Study: Access to green space helps boost a child's IQ
Green open spaces in neighborhoods give children a place to play, but these pockets of nature could do more than just give kids a place to explore. New research shows children living near green spaces have higher IQs than children living in less green areas. The study from Hasselt University in Read More...
GreenPee is a planet-friendly public urination solution
With Covid-19 cases decreasing, the city of Amsterdam was excited to start moving out of lockdown, but more people out and about meant the resurgence of an old problem: public urination. Fortunately, the city found a green way to address this unwanted behavior with GreenPee hemp-filled public Read More...
This university rooftop is home to one of Asia’s largest organic farms
If you’re curious to get a glimpse into the climate-adaptive architectural developments of the future, take a look at the Thammasat University Rooftop Farm (or TURF) project by Bangkok-based architecture firm LANDPROCESS. Repurposing a massive 236,806 sq ft of previously unused space, the new Read More...
Could we 3D-print buildings using local soil instead of concrete?
3D-printed architecture has been getting a lot of press from The Optimist Daily lately. Most recently, we shared a story out of Oakland where a startup called Mighty Buildings is using a 3D printer to create not only the walls and floors of a home but also other elements like the roof and ceiling. Read More...
Nuns decide to turn damaged convent into a flood-preventing urban wetland
After being hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph in New Orleans was severely damaged by flooding. And while the nuns moved somewhere else to allow for repairs, a year later, lightning struck the roof and started a fire that devastated the convent beyond Read More...
Is the era of single family home zoning over? Portland says yes.
For generations, the white picket fence has been a symbol of residential America, but as housing prices rise and cities expand unsustainably, many communities are becoming disillusioned with the classic single-family home. With zoning laws favoring these types of residences, making housing more Read More...
Why we need to eliminate natural gas from cities now
After a massive gas explosion destroyed homes in Baltimore, the city announced plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to make repairs on the city’s aging natural gas infrastructure. But perhaps making repairs is the wrong plan entirely. Instead, the city could use this as an opportunity Read More...
Bogotá pedals towards a bike-centered transportation future
Bogotá is one of the most congested cities in the world with commuters losing an average of 191 hours a year sitting in traffic, but avid cyclist Mayor Claudia López is hoping to turn the transportation tide in the city by expanding bicycle transportation. As we discussed at the beginning of Read More...