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.
Copenhagen to have a park made out of multiple floating islands
Green spaces are one of the most important indicators of successful urban development. And with fast urbanization and the growing threat of climate change, urban planners are now increasingly preoccupied with finding creative ways to assimilate nature within cities, particularly with limited space Read More...
Milan plans to have fewer cars on its streets after lockdown
The coronavirus has shaken up many aspects of our lives, but this trying time should also be seen as a window of opportunity to lay the ground for meaningful change within our current structures. Milan, for one, is definitely not missing this chance to redesign the city to the benefit of its Read More...
This series will take you to the world's most ingenious homes
We at the Optimist Daily are always curious about the latest developments in architecture and design. It came to our attention that Apple TV+ has a pretty incredible documentary series out that will take you to some of the world’s most intriguing dwellings. All the episodes in the series Read More...
This design makes social distancing at the park a beautiful thing
As city dwellers have flocked outside during the pandemic, some cities have shut down urban parks because of fears of overcrowding—at a time when people could most use the mental and physical health benefits of green space. A new design, proposed for a vacant lot in the city of Vienna, shows how Read More...
Los Angeles hotels open their doors to the homeless during COVID-19
Communities around the world are under shelter in place orders, but staying home is not an option for homeless populations. A Los Angeles hotel is hoping to protect the health of its community’s most vulnerable residents by opening their doors to those living on the streets. The hotel, which Read More...
Oakland Slow Streets project makes social distancing easier
If you live in a heavily populated area, maintaining social distancing practices while taking walks around the neighborhood can be a challenge and require weaving around people and across streets. Oakland, California is helping residents get outside by closing 74 miles of streets in the city for Read More...
One Norwegian town is building aviary hotels to save seabird populations
When the town of Tromsø, Norway began building more hotels to accommodate flocks of tourists searching for a glimpse of the northern lights, they received some additional unanticipated guests: seabirds. Seabirds, such as the local kittiwake, have struggled to survive in their natural sea Read More...
The UAE is going all in on indoor farming
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is situated in the scorching Arabian desert, which makes growing food outdoors a nightmare. The UAE currently imports 80 percent of its food because of this, but the government is pushing hard to localize food through the power of indoor farming. In an industrial Read More...
This experimental housing complex holds the key to a clean, stable grid
In the small town of Basalt, Colorado, a small housing development that was meant to stand as a bulwark against skyrocketing housing prices is now dually serving as a living laboratory for testing advanced power grid technologies. The hope is that, one day, these technologies could turn every home Read More...
City dwellers are going hyper-local to experience nature
Most shelter-at-home orders allowed for people to visit national parks or nature preserves, but when too many people starting visiting these places, governments started restricting access to them as well. And although it’s frustrating to be separated from the great outdoors, staying home has Read More...