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.
Researchers have hit on a widely available solution for decarbonizing fertilizer production
On multiple environmental measures, “peecycling” almost always comes out ahead
To pay for green infrastructure, cities are turning stormwater into an economic resource
But clever new financing instruments come with their own risks
Barcelona-style “superblocks” could make a surprising number of cities greener and less car-centric
Identify a handful of adjacent city blocks, restrict traffic to the perimeter, and make the interior for walking, biking, and green space. A new study finds it could work even in cities with an irregular street grid.
Can local food feed an urban world?
Researchers dig into the efficacy of urban agriculture
A crop-by-crop comparison of urban vs conventional farms yields turns up some surprising results
A first-of-its-kind meta-analysis of urban farms in 53 countries suggests that city plots can produce up to 4 times more food than conventional ones.
The rise of the carbon-negative building
Wooden structures that store more carbon than is emitted in their construction point to a flaw in green building schemes
The residential macrosystem
Managed collectively, backyards could become more biodiverse landscapes
To upgrade energy efficiency, retrofit old buildings—with plants
Living walls on building facades could reduce heat loss to a similar degree as adding insulation
Researchers pinpoint 12 tried-and-true ways to reduce cars in cities
Cities can reduce the number of cars downtown by up to one-third through a series of carefully designed, layered policies, according to a new study.
Plastic bag bans and fees can have unintended consequences
Deprived of a source of free garbage bags, people simply buy them.
