Sustainable urban development is a new way of thinking for American cities. Technology is emerging to help planners, architects and residents make the transition — and address the converging pressures of rapid growth and decaying infrastructure. The question isn’t whether to use technology to make cities more sustainable, it’s how best to use it. Three experts on sustainably built cities discuss the answers with Denis Du Bois. Read the rest of this entry »
Sustainable cities! Every mayor wants one. They attract green businesses, and the career-minded people who want to work there. Just proclaiming a community “green” isn’t nearly enough. Forward-thinking cities are walking the talk. I went looking for examples in Copenhagen, Denmark. The secret to their success is integrating energy production right into the city. They stopped worrying about the garbage and started becoming a carbon-neutral city.
When it comes to buildings, Chicago has already done “tallest, biggest, and longest.” Now Chicago wants to be the “greenest”. We’ll find out how they’re raising the bar for all the other cities aiming for that same distinction.
Plus: From America’s biggest green-building expo, do-it-yourself 3D energy & carbon modeling — dark sunglasses for buildings — and devices that charge themselves up — all in this edition of Energy Priorities.
