Sustainability

Sure, reusing an existing building is probably the most sustainable method of construction, but a new neighborhood on Bainbridge Island, Washington sets an enviable standard for environmental responsibility in every aspect of its design.

November 15, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

What does it take to build sustainably? That a question that the USGBC's LEED program hoped to define. A group of developers in New York is trying to go beyond LEED to create "truly sustainable buildings".

November 9, 2013 - The New York Times

Five years after San Francisco hired its first sustainability director for the city's school system, the controversial decision is paying off in environmental benefits and substantial energy savings.

September 30, 2013 - Sa Francisco Chronicle

A team of Canadian MBA students has won $1 million to alleviate urban hunger with insect-based foods, reports Mary Jander.

September 29, 2013 - Future Cities

Abu Dhabi is updating its strategic development plan. Consultant Todd Litman reports on the city's recent urban planning charrette.

September 27, 2013 - Todd Litman

Improving our cities and suburbs is just as important to environmental sustainability as regulating pollution or conserving undeveloped land, argues Kaid Benfield.

September 25, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

Siemens and C40 have announced the winners of the inaugural City Climate Leadership Awards, recognizing the global cities demonstrating leadership and innovation in fighting climate change across ten separate categories.

September 7, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Critics have decried green labeling and certification programs as 'greenwashing' - offering the sheen of environmental responsibility without having a significant impact on sustainability. But Tensie Whelan argues such programs are having an impact.

August 20, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

The term "sustainability" carries so much baggage that we're no longer able to talk about what we actually need to talk about. What can we do to depoliticize it?

August 8, 2013 - PlaceShakers

While cities are growing, it's comparatively easy to keep a healthy balance sheet. But for cities like Charlotte, managing the transition from a growth economy to economic sustainability is a treacherous one. Aaron Renn delivers a cautionary tale.

July 19, 2013 - Governing

Since 2009, the L.A. Department of Water and Power's Landscape Incentive Program has convinced 850 area property owners to replace their grass lawns with more sustainable plants, mulch, and permeable pathways. Now DWP is upping the ante.

July 11, 2013 - KPCC

The research wing of the non-profit think tank Future Cape Town has produced an infographic that provides valuable insight into the mobility patterns found in some of Africa's largest cities. Less sustainable options are growing, raising concerns.

June 13, 2013 - Future Cape Town

Bob Graves discusses the concept behind Envision, "a holistic framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits of all types and sizes of infrastructure projects."

May 22, 2013 - Governing

Norwich, England will soon be home to the "greenest building in the U.K.," reports Mark Wilding.

May 21, 2013 - Building Design

The Chinese government has been employing a bottom-up approach to sustainability through pilot programs in individual cities, boosting investment in clean energy by 20 percent since last year.

May 12, 2013 - GreenBiz

Everything you've thought about climate control may be wrong. And for that realization, you've got Michael Sivak to thank.

March 29, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Already popular in several sectors, 'gamification' is increasingly being used to educate and engage the public around sustainability issues. Can "using fun and games for serious purposes" bring about environmental improvements?

March 11, 2013 - The Guardian

In a video documentary, Matthew Gordon examines the elements of Fresno's General Plan update, which seeks to reorient the city around a more sustainable urban form, and turn around the fortunes of one of the country's most impoverished cities.

March 9, 2013 - InfrastructureUSA

Using a set of mid-February photographs from Iceland, Chuck Wolfe describes scaled expressions of urban settlement and transport in Iceland and derives principles for building better places.

February 25, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

In the last three decades HOAs have grown six-fold in the U.S. They now cover 20 percent of American homes, and stifle sustainability and expression through “one of the most significant privatizations of local government functions in history.”

February 20, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard