Urban Land - Sustainability

In Print: Planet of Cities

David R Godschalk — 20130510140900

Planet of Cities sets an ambitious agenda—nothing less than formulating evidence-based rules for managing the worldwide growth of cities during the 21st century. These rules attack the central ideal of the urban planner’s conventional wisdom—the Containment or Compact City Paradigm, showing it to be unworkable and unrealistic.

Cities Leading the Way on Sustainability

Brett Widness — 20130503150600

At the second New York Times Energy for Tomorrow conference, titled “Building Sustainable Cities,” panels covering topics ranging from self-driving cars to clean-tech investing in China were hosted by Times columnists, including Thomas Friedman, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Joe Nocera, and Bill Keller.

In Focus: LPL Financial at La Jolla Commons

Ralph Bivins — 20130418101800

Hines is undertaking the largest and most ambitious of the new net-zero energy-producing buildings in the United States—a 13-story office tower in San Diego. The 415,000-square-foot (38,555 sq m) building, slated for completion in 2014, will employ high-performance design and on-site fuel cells that will convert methane gas into electricity.

Untapped Market in Smaller Green Retrofits

Ralph Bivins — 20130418095700

While many "green" building techniques have become the norm for new construction, panelists at a recent ULI forum say significant opportunities exist for upgrading or retrofitting buildings with green systems and technology.

Making the Pitch for Greener Building

Leslie Braunstein — 20130329141600

Efforts to increase buildings’ energy efficiency have moved beyond the "low-hanging fruit" stage, said industry leaders at the 2013 Building Energy Summit held on March 26 in Washington, D.C. While progress has been made on many fronts, advocates still face challenges in convincing building owners and developers to invest in sustainability.

Warming Up to Risk

Elizabeth Razzi — 20130222153200

We look at risk in its many forms, whether it comes from financial markets, government policies, severe weather, changing consumer demand—or the unseen threat that creeps up while you’re planning for one of those challenges. Resilience is a competitive advantage—it’s the new, improved atmosphere that replaces a fallen sky.

Giving as Good as They Get: Zero-Energy Districts

Brad Berton — 20130221154900

A demonstration project in Fort Collins, Colorado, shows how to take the net-zero-energy concept into the neighborhood

Minimizing Risk in an Era of Resilience

Rives Taylor — 20130212142600

You don’t need a bunker mentality to imbue a community with resilience to the risks of nature.

Minimizing Risk: Springwoods Village

Rives Taylor — 20130212141100

The vision of developer CDC Houston, Springwoods Village has been master planned by Design Workshop with sustainable design guidelines developed by Gensler to balance the natural attributes of the land, to protect the existing ecosystem, and to provide a mix of uses and the density required for a true live/work/play environment.

Minimizing Risk: Martin Luther King Medical Center Master Plan and Wellness Community Vision

Rives Taylor — 20130212140900

In a recent New Yorker article, "Adaptation: How Can Cities Be 'Climate-Proofed'?," sociologist Eric Klinenberg points out that much of the discussion around resilience focuses on physical infrastructure, when social infrastructure can play an equally important role in how well a community survives a natural disaster.