Annie Gowen writes in The Washington Post about the level of pollution in the world’s megacities. The worst one is New Delhi. The importance of this article is not to name and shame the most polluting but to show that there are approaches, as we are now seeing in China, that can make significant improvements. … Continue reading New Delhi named most polluted megacity
Category: urban policies
Stunning improvements in urban air quality in American cities starting to slow and in danger of reversing
Oliver Milman provides an important article in The Guardian about the current situation in the United States relating to climate change, urban air quality and the low-carbon energy transition. Readers will be amazed to know the gains that have been made in the US in recent decades. They will also be concerned that those gains … Continue reading Stunning improvements in urban air quality in American cities starting to slow and in danger of reversing
How 885 cities in Europe are addressing climate change
In the most comprehensive survey to date, over 30 researchers investigated the local climate plans of 885 cities in Europe. Oliver Heidrich, Senior Researcher in Urban Resource Modelling at Newcastle University and Diana Reckien, Associate Professor for Climate Change and Urban Inequalities at University of Twente provide a summary of the results in an article … Continue reading How 885 cities in Europe are addressing climate change
The mixed record of reducing urban heat
Heavily urbanised areas within cities are between 1℃ and 3℃ hotter than other areas, as most of us understand so well. Tiziana Susca, Research Fellow and Francesco Pomponi, Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University write in an article on The Conversation website about the importance of reducing urban heat but the mixed record … Continue reading The mixed record of reducing urban heat
The concept of “carbon neutrality” is a lofty ambition for cities, but is it achievable?
Cities are playing an ever-increasing role in our low-carbon strategies. Many are working towards being 100% on renewables or carbon neutral. Joe Blakey, PhD Researcher and Sherilyn MacGregor, Reader in Environmental Politics at the Sustainable Consumption Institute at the University of Manchester question whether cities can truly be carbon neutral. They present a good argument … Continue reading The concept of “carbon neutrality” is a lofty ambition for cities, but is it achievable?
Reintroducing ancient Chinese water systems into modern urban design
We realise more and more that we have much to learn from past experience. Landscape architect Kongjian Yu is making ‘friends with water’ to mitigate extreme weather events in modern metropolises. Brigid Delaney explains in an article in The Guardian. Turning cities into sponges: how Chinese ancient wisdom is taking on climate change How … Continue reading Reintroducing ancient Chinese water systems into modern urban design
The way cities manage their growth will be a key question in sustainable development
There is more emphasis in the role of cities to address climate change and our energy transition. Chris Mooney writes in the Washington Post about recent research that compares the quality of growth between suburbs and city centres. You should enjoy this. Scientists just showed what building a new suburb does to the atmosphere A … Continue reading The way cities manage their growth will be a key question in sustainable development
Cities and the need to address climate change
While noting that cities are increasingly playing an important role, the authors worry that many cities are dangerously complacent about the need for speed in decarbonisation. Brendan F.D. Barrett, Senior Lecturer at RMIT University in Australia and Andrew DeWit, Professor, School of Policy Studies at Rikkyo University in Japan explain their views in an article … Continue reading Cities and the need to address climate change
Taking a more sustainable approach to addressing heat waves in cities
Much of southern Europe has had to cope with a major heat wave for an extended period. This situation is also true in many parts of North America and elsewhere. Nicholas Rajkovich, Assistant Professor of Architecture, University at Buffalo explains in an article on The Conversation website that multiple solutions are required for cities to … Continue reading Taking a more sustainable approach to addressing heat waves in cities
The complexity of creating a sustainable urban transport system
Athlyn Cathcart-Keays discusses in an article in The Guardian about the up and down transformation currently underway in Oslo to find a sustainable urban transport system that is satisfactory to all citizens. There are many lessons to learn from this experience. Oslo's car ban sounded simple enough. Then the backlash began One day late last … Continue reading The complexity of creating a sustainable urban transport system
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 