Urbanization
City trends of today and tomorrow.
Gain insights into urban development all over the globe.
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Categories: Urbanization
Toward a Circular Future: Can We Recycle Skyscrapers?
Our built environment is one of the top contributors to climate change, currently generating about 40 percent of annual global emissions. As the world needs 13,000 buildings a day to keep up with the ongoing demand due to rapid urbanization and population growth, some of these buildings are also inevitably getting old and are in need of replacement. When a building […]
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Categories: Urbanization
How Vienna Became the World’s Most Livable City
In 2022, Vienna grabbed the top spot in the Global Livability Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). For this picture-perfect Central European city famous for its legacy in classical music, baroque architecture, and coffeehouse culture, the top ranking didn’t come as a surprise. “Stability and good infrastructure are the city’s main charms for its […]
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Categories: Architecture
How Green Building Technologies Are Transforming Home Construction
Our built environment generates about 40 percent of the global carbon emissions. Almost a quarter of this comes from operational emissions, such as the energy needed to heat, cool, and run our buildings, while the remaining quarter is from materials and construction. Cement, the most ubiquitous material used in most modern buildings, is responsible for a total […]
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Categories: Urbanization
Pedestrian Paradises: Top 4 Car-Free Urban Areas in the World
Personal car ownership has defined many aspects of modern urban life as we know it. Without a doubt, cars can bring great convenience, comfort, individual freedom, and opportunities to their owners. On the other hand, cars require an enormous amount of resources, both in terms of manufacturing and everyday use. In addition to being one of […]
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Categories: Urbanization
How These Urban Areas Reduced Traffic Congestion
Despite the historic decrease in traffic congestion in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, private car ownership is skyrocketing. The dynamics that exacerbate traffic congestion, longer wait times, or poorer air quality show no signs of slowing down. Thanks to the rising population and urbanization, traffic congestion will likely remain a major concern in most cities worldwide. Nevertheless, some urban areas […]
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Categories: Urbanization
“Fifteen-Minute City”: An Urban Concept That Might Change How We Live
Throughout history, diseases and pandemics always had a tendency to shape and inform the development of our built environment – and the COVID-19 pandemic was no exception. As the lockdowns forced millions of city dwellers worldwide to adapt to a hyper-local life for months at a time, an increasing number of urbanists started to understand the importance of accessibility […]
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Categories: Architecture
2022 Architectural Highlights: 6 Top Projects From 6 Continents
2022 has seen some crucial developments in the history of architecture: The push for ecologically responsible building practices, simplicity, and wellness continued to dominate the industry. This year, the Pritzker Prize, nicknamed the “Nobel prize of architecture”, went to Francis Kéré, an African national, for the first time. Exciting new projects, many of which have been […]
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Categories: Technology
Every Drop Counts: 3 Examples of Water-Efficient Designs
Water is the source of all life on earth. It’s essential for our health, environment, and economies. However, given its importance, water isn’t as abundant as one might imagine. While bodies of water cover most of the earth’s surface, only one percent of it is freshwater that’s available and safe for us to drink. According to the UN-Water, […]
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Categories: Architecture
Can Vertical Cities Solve Urban Population Overload?
By 2050, 70 percent of the world’s forecasted 10 billion population will live in cities, translating into roughly 7 billion urban dwellers, compared to 4.4 billion today. Most of this booming urbanization will take place in emerging economies such as China, India, and Indonesia. Even though these countries boast a vast land mass, they might still struggle to accommodate this urban growth in […]
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Categories: Society
Sick Building Syndrome: How to Identify and Prevent It
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) describes the condition of ill-health one might experience in a specific building. It's a set of medical discomforts that can cause a group of mucosal, skin, and general symptoms that are temporally related to working in particular buildings.
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Categories: Society
Small Islands, Large Impact: Sustainability Lessons From 3 Islands
Islands are among the most vulnerable places to climate change. Especially given that islands contribute to a fraction of the global greenhouse gas emissions, the climate change risks they're facing are disproportional.
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Categories: Urbanization
These 5 Cities Are Implementing Unique Climate Solutions
Even though cities cover only 3 percent of the earth's surface, they host more than half of its population and produce about three-quarters of global carbon emissions. Here are 5 cities implementing Unique Climate Solutions.
