City Stories
A key challenge in this new Human Age is to lessen the ecological footprint of the world’s cities, even as their populations expand. The Anthropocene tells the stories about resilient urban coastal infrastructure, low carbon transportation systems, and nature-inspired architectural designs.
Aim low when designing the climate-friendly city of the future
In a life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions, high-density, high-rise cityscapes were the worst-case scenario
Habitecture
Tiny houses and great cathedrals, carbon-neutral skyscrapers and Airstream trailers: architecture is among the greatest of human crafts. Just imagine if the same ingenuity and vision were devoted to building homes for animals.
Greening the last mile of e-commerce
Could hubs, nudges, and EV night deliveries crack this surprisingly tough puzzle?
Are We Approaching Peak Stuff?
Almost imperceptibly, we are stepping off the consumption treadmill
How to Die in The Anthropocene
Death is inevitable, but its
environmental toll may not have to be.
Circular trash management is a powerful but overlooked climate solution
Garbage accounts for 8% of human-caused emissions of methane. A recent analysis found that switching to circular waste management could reduce emissions from garbage by as much as 88% by 2050.
To pay for green infrastructure, cities are turning stormwater into an economic resource
But clever new financing instruments come with their own risks
Habitat with Humanity
Making creative accommodations for the urban wild
Cities have a green infrastructure blind spot
Carbon footprint standards exist for buildings, but not for the landscaping that surrounds them.
Windows just keep getting smarter. These darken in the sun and generate electricity
Dynamic windows could do double duty in sustainable building design, cooling and powering at the same time.