Architects transform old wine silos into apartments to minimize resources
Breathing new life into old things is one of the best ways we humans can reduce the number of resources extracted from the environment. A new development in Amsterdam did just that by creatively repurposing former industrial wine silos into residential buildings. Beyond reusing the obsolete silos, Read More...
Administration unveils plan to fix bias in home appraisal industry
Three weeks ago, The Optimist Daily wrote a piece about Congress' aims to fix bias and inequality in the home appraisal industry. This is a much-needed change to a systemic problem that has furthered the wealth gap over years and kept families from building intergenerational wealth. On Read More...
People are booking Airbnbs in Ukraine to help those in need
Over the last few days, Airbnb hosts in Ukraine have been receiving an overwhelming amount of booking requests from people across the world who don’t plan to show up. The gestures are part of a new way people have been showing their support to those affected by the war in Eastern Europe. Sarah Read More...
Amsterdam plans to build its first wooden neighborhood in centuries
When it comes to sustainable urban development, Amsterdam stands out as a metropolis ready to integrate a variety of strategies to make the city more livable and eco-friendly: from underwater bike garages to energy-sharing, floating villages. Now, the city is planning to build an entire Read More...
This is how strip malls could provide a solution to the housing crisis
From San Jose, California, until San Francisco along El Camino Real you can find stretches a six-lane road outfitted with an endless stretch of strip malls and enormous parking lots. In its current state, the street doesn’t necessarily welcome pedestrians to walk alongside it, as it has been Read More...
Prefab home design weaves sustainability and affordability together
In a quiet residential neighborhood in Brant County, Ontario, lies a home that outperforms neighboring houses not only in sustainable design, but also in affordability. Boasting Passive House standards — a highly energy-efficient building standard — the new house is an experiment for Habitat Read More...
Cooperation beats contracting for affordable homeless housing
A developer, homeless service providers, local church leaders, and a social impact investment manager have teamed up to demonstrate that cooperation between the private sector and non-profits can beat our traditional contractors when it comes to building housing for the unsheltered. They’ve Read More...
Affordable housing and vertical farms: A match made in heaven?
We’ve written about vertical farms and affordable housing extensively at The Optimist Daily, but never have we seen these two concepts combined. Until now, that is. This is the exact combination we’re going to witness in Westbrook, Maine, where a multistory greenhouse is being constructed Read More...
Meet the woman who created a safe haven for Black and Trans women in NYC
Ceyenne Doroshow knows first-hand the struggle of being a trans woman of color living on the streets. Feeling unable to express her true self in her home neighborhood of Park Slope in Brooklyn, New York, she set out on her own as soon as she reached adulthood. Unfortunately, with no shelter Read More...
Boston to become home to one of the world’s greenest office buildings
As it becomes increasingly crucial to integrate sustainability into our built environment, it’s a pleasure to see a growing number of urban development projects doing exactly that. One of the latest of such projects is set to rise in Boston’s Financial District. Called the Winthrop Center, the Read More...