Sponsored Content

 

You Can Cool Your City

BMW-BlogPost20-Article.jpg

A few days ago, Treehugger reported that New York City has already experienced climate change. Temperatures are up and expected to rise higher--up to nine degrees above the norm. Water levels will also be higher, endangering the subway system and low-lying areas. 

As noted here before, we'll have to adapt and change our behavior if we're going to thrive. Architects are also proposing workarounds for the future. Cities are also working to reduce their carbon footprints--and when they do that, they greatly contribute to improving our world, because the fate of our environment will be decided in the cities.

Meanwhile, it may seem like a small thing, but you can plant a tree. In New York, you can arrange to have one planted on your street, or if you've access to a backyard, you can plant one yourself. You can also get involved with community groups that work to cool their cities through other means.

City trees are more valuable than they seem. In fact, they have turned out to be more useful to the environment than scientists had assumed. Because of trees, it turns out cities actually absorb a lot more carbon than anyone had figured--by a factor of ten. Trees aren't a cure-all (they work best when planted in tropical areas and once you burn them, they pollute) but with their shade they do manage to cool the street and with their roots, absorb rainwater.

Also--and this was only recently discovered--as the world gets warmer, trees should become better at storing carbon and cleaning the air--over time, they will become more useful.

At least one answer is simple for the future: plant more trees.

The Coming Green Wave

Seaweed farms have the capacity to grow huge amounts of nutrient-rich food, and oysters can act as an efficient carbon and nitrogen sink.

A Filmmaker on Urban Development and City Design

In his third and final film on the design industry -- he also created 'Helvetica' and 'Objectified' -- Hustwit provides a basic 101 in urban planning.

How Parks Make Cities More Healthy and Safe

A study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found that green spaces are linked to reduced crime rates.

Can Traffic Signals Ease Congestion Without Discouraging Walking?

The best responses from this week's The Big Fix.

Can Phoenix Be Greened?

The city is ground zero for global warming emissions. But adopting a more sustainable urban planning approach will be very difficult.

How Green is High Speed Rail?

Experts say America's bullet trains will need to carry 10 million passengers to offset the environmental impact of construction.

In Arizona, Reducing Water and Energy Use Through Peer Pressure

The notion that people will change their beliefs and behavior through social norms could be a powerful tool for cities chasing sustainability.

Atlanta Beltline: the Best Sustainabilty Project in America?

The plan offers an innovative vision for combining parks and transit.

In California, a 'Bus' Without a Bus

One town is experimenting with a fitness program that encourages students to walk to school.

Drawing Clean Power From Old Oil Wells

Bob Hunt, a former nuclear engineer, is testing an innovative system for extracting geothermal energy. Can he tap the heat beneath our feet?

Educating the Next Urbanists

Director of the LSE Cities Programme, Fran Tonkiss talks about providing a new type of urban design education for new students.

Remembering Urban Growth

Even those historically vested in suburban home ownership wanted reform in land development practices earlier than we often remember.

E.O. Wilson in Africa: A Photo Gallery

The legendary biologist tries to save a park, catalog new species, educate local children, and write a revolutionary new textbook.

How Chefs Can Help Save the World

At a recent symposium in Copenhagen, a group of recognized guests argued that haute cuisine can support a sustainable food system.

Refugees Put Down New Roots in Kansas

An innovative training garden outside of the oldest public housing project in Kansas is changing the way a community eats.

The Importance of Intelligent Technology Risks

The Solyndra scandal shows how unstable the tech industry can be, but in some cases failure is better than not trying.

How 'Urbanized' Challenges Us to Make Our Cities Better

Gary Hustwit presents a worldview where the car is no longer king and community priorities dominate.

A Conversation with an Environmental Lawyer

Charles Wolfe discusses his work, lifestyle, and appreciation for the projects of the Congress for New Urbanism.

The Last Great Plant Hunt

The Kew Royal Botanical Gardens has been storing seeds as an 'insurance policy' against the extinction of plants in the wild.

The Success of a City at Night

We know the positives that come from safety, mobility, proximity, commerce, and interaction -- perhaps it's time for more formal measures.

Food Security and Climate Change

With wheat prices surging as major producers are hit by droughts and other extreme weather events, it's costing everyone more to eat.