Small changes in British Victorian homes yield big changes in energy consumption, and help debunk the stereotype that 'green equals ugly' where architecture is concerned.
"'When people talk about an eco-house they picture a sleek house in the countryside with solar panels and wind turbines. Well, good for them. But that's not how the average person lives,' said Mischa Hewitt, of Britain's Low Carbon Trust, a nonprofit group.
The trust helped organize a series of open houses on weekends to let residents of neighboring Brighton show what they had done.
'What's more important, what we're encouraging, is to take old properties that were not built for energy efficiency and turn them around to save carbon, save energy and save money,' Ms. Hewitt said.
Brighton was voted the most sustainable city in the country last year by the British research group Forum for the Future, and its politicians recently made reducing carbon emissions a high-profile priority."
Thanks to Franny Ritchie
FULL STORY: Trying to Build a Greener Britain, Home by Home
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research