Normally at a big construction site, an ugly OSB wall plastered with posters provides a barrier between the site and the rest of the city. Typically thought of as eyesores, these walls are anything but pleasing to the eye. But what if they could be transformed into living urban spaces full of plants and systems that provide both an environmental and social benefit to the people walking by? The Symbiotic Green Wall, by Kooho Jung & Hayeon Kelly Choi, could do just that!

Read the rest of Replacing Ugly Construction Site Barriers with Beautiful Living Green Walls

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "green wall", "living wall", "water collection", Air quality, construction, construction wall, Hayeon Kelly Choi, Kooho Jung, noise abatement, rainwater, symbiotic green wall, symbiotic wall, Urban design, water filtration

CALLING EVERYONE LOOKING TO GREEN THEIR CITY!

In less 4 hours, we’re going to be jumpstarting our LIVE conversation at City Hall with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and we want YOU to be there! This will be the exciting finale to our Green Talks series where we’ve been inviting you to discuss the hard-hitting green issues that matter most to you with the leaders that are changing the game. Mayor Newsom is at the top of the list of influential people spearheading environmetal awareness and he’ll be sharing his thoughts on the cutting edge eco initiatives he’s implemented in San Francisco that have made it one of the greenest cities in the U.S. There’s also been a huge amount of buzz about him being in the race to be California’s next governor, so you’re not going to want to miss this amazing opportunity to ask him YOUR questions.

BE THERE AT 12PM PST/3PM EST TODAY!

To encourage your participation, we’ll be selecting our favorite responses to win a FREE INHABITAT T-SHIRT and a Hymini wind-power charging device, so sign up for our green talk and submit your questions today!

SIGN UP HERE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION >

SUBMIT A QUESTION TO WIN AN INHABITAT T-SHIRT! >

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: built environment, Gavin Newsom, green design, Green Talks, infrastructure, interview, public policy, sustainable design, Urban design, webcast

Any one point on a busy street can receive up to 50,000 steps a day, so imagine if you could take all that foot traffic and turn it into something useful – like energy! A new product designed by Laurence Kemball-Cook, the director of Pavegen Systems Ltd., can do just that. With a minuscule flex of 5mm, the energy generating pavement is able to absorb the kinetic energy produced by every footstep, creating 2.1 watts of electricity per hour.

Read the rest of Pavegen: Energy Generating Pavement Hits the Streets

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: crowdsourced energy, energy generating pavement, green design, kinetic energy, pavegen, renewable energy, sustainable design, Urban design

CALLING ALL SAN FRANCISCANS & everyone looking to green their city!

We’re thrilled to announce that we’re going to be interviewing San Francisco mayor GAVIN NEWSOM TOMORROW at 12pm PST, and we’re inviting YOU to join in the conversation! Mayor Newsom has spearheaded an impressive amount of eco initiatives in San Francisco and he’s also a forerunner in the race to be California’s next governor, which makes this a CAN’T MISS opportunity to talk with him about greening your city and the future of the golden state. We want you to take part in our conversation and submit questions to us today. To encourage your participation, we’ll be selecting our favorite responses to win a FREE INHABITAT T-SHIRT and a Hymini wind-power charging device, so sign up for our green talk and submit your questions today!

SIGN UP HERE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION >

SUBMIT A QUESTION TO WIN AN INHABITAT T-SHIRT! >

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: built environment, Gavin Newsom, green design, Green Talks, infrastructure, interview, public policy, sustainable design, Urban design, webcast

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) was recently awarded the contract to create a stunning new Central Business District in Beijing. The project will integrate into the existing downtown urban district and will improve transportation infrastructure while introducing energy-efficient buildings green public space. The plan also provides a framework for new sustainable growth that would result in eliminating 215,000 tons of CO2 per year, which is the equivalent of planting 14 million adult trees.

Read the rest of SOM Wins Competition to Create Beijing’s Sustainable City Center

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "sustainable development", Beijing, Beijing CBD, central business district, master plan, redevelopment plan, SOM, sustainable city, sustainable growth, Urban design, urban planning

Green roofs are wonderful things; like a thick blanket, they keep roofs cool in summer and warm in winter. They have been around for centuries in Scandinavia and Iceland, where they moderate the cold winters and sometimes very hot summers. They reduce the “heat island” effect, where the air above and around the old black roofs gets hotter, making them hot properties in cities. Some, like Toronto have made them mandatory; other cities like Chicago give financial assistance to promote them. The provide habitat for birds and insects, even goats.

Read the rest of Green Roofs Are Changing the Way Architects Design Buildings

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: agriculture, Architecture, botany, Green Building, green design, green roof, sustainable design, Urban design

As more people filter into the city, open land to build on will become more and more scarce, and we may have to use every available bit of space we can, including empty bare walls, bridge pylons, and retaining walls. The Prefab Parasite, designed by Australia-based Lara Calder Architects, is such a structure — aiming to turn previously empty vertical surfaces into livable and attractive private space. Mimicking parasitic qualities, the home is designed for durability and adaptability, evident in its construction out of prefabricated panels so that the home can be affixed onto any wall or pylon large and strong enough to hold it.

Read the rest of PREFAB FRIDAY: Parasitic Homes Take Root On Empty Walls

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: city living, dense housing, furturistic architecture, parasite, parasite prefab, Prefab friday, prefab home, Prefab Housing, Urban design, urban housing, urban living

It’s an exciting time right now for Asia, which is expanding so quickly that whole cities are being designed, and existing cities have to be redesigned to accommodate all of this new development! Guangzhou, China’s 3rd largest city, is now joining the ranks of these foward-looking cities, and is getting a revamp to allow for more growth and at the same time make it more livable and sustainable. Some of the upgrades include mixed-use amenities like parks, commercial space, and increased transportation facilities that will make the city more cohesive. San Francisco-based Heller Manus Architects is responsible for the master plan of this new Southern axis to the city, which will tie into the recently designed Northern axis, also designed by Heller Manus.

Read the rest of Guangzhou Revamped as New Sustainable Super City

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: china, city, guangzhou, heller manus architects, mass transit, master planned city, open space, Urban design

For those New Yorkers who look forward to the first Thursday of each month for the DUMBO Gallery Walk, now there is even more reason to head that direction: the DUMBO archway renovation is complete! Although the archway has been open since the fall of 2008, the DUMBO Improvement District and NYC Department of Transportation recently invited pedestrians in to view the structure’s upgraded interior. Designed by Rogers Marvel Architects and Jim Conti Lighting Design, the “beautification” project introduces wooden benches, lighting, and street improvements.

Read the rest of DUMBO Archway Beautification Complete!

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: dumbo art gallery, historic preservation, manhattan bridge, new york city department of transportation, nyc dumbo, nyc landmarks, public space, public space renovation, urban beautification, Urban design, urban revitalization

For most people, bicycles represent a means of transportation, a fun activity, or even objects of affection. For David Byrne they’re much more – they offer a unique opportunity to experience the culture, history, and vitality contained within our built environment. Due for release today, Bicycle Diaries is a freewheeling travelogue that finds Byrne pedaling through the cities of the world as he expounds upon architecture, infrastructure, and life within the world’s great cities.

Read the rest of Bicycle Diaries: David Byrne Bikes the World’s Cities

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Art, bicycle diaries, bike, culture, david byrne, Green Transportation, infrastructure, public space, Urban design

Heads up all engineers, architects, and designers in NYC! The urbanSHED design competition is looking for a better sidewalk shed, and they’re giving away $25,000 in prizes plus the chance to construct the winning design! Anyone who’s every visited a dense city is likely to be familiar with these unsightly scaffolded spaces – sure, they may protect your head from falling construction debris, but they tend to be plastered with posters, blot out the sky, and are downright fugly. If you have an idea for a better sidewalk shed that’s sustainable, economical, meets safety requirements and makes New York City a better environment for it’s residents then submit your design today – there’s only three days left to register and submissions are due on October 2nd.

+ urbanSHED Design Competition

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Architecture, Competition, green design, public space, sustainable design, Urban design, urbanshed

Some people like suburbia for the wide open spaces, yards, and the sense of privacy, but the ‘burbs are not nearly as efficient as urban centers are. What if there was a way to bring all of the positive qualities of exurbia into the city while keeping all of the efficiency of an urban core? What about stacking blocks of suburban space onto blocks of urban space, similar in theory to vertical farms, creating modular gardens, orchards, parks, playing fields, community centers and even homes? The concept is already out there. Dreamed up by two Sydney-based architects, Skyburbs introduces the qualities of the suburbs into denser urban environments.

Read the rest of Skyburbs: Bringing the Burbs to the City

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: burbs, redesign suburbs, skyburbs, suburbs, urban center, Urban design, vertical farm

This week the Architecture + The City Festival took us to Treasure Island for an upclose view of the proposed sustainable development plan and a not so shabby panoramic view of the whole San Francisco Bay Area. We found that the entire place is steeped in future plans and the island is a keystone in what will become a center for green living in the Bay.

Read the rest of Treasure Island Reveals New Sustainable Development Plan

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: green design, public space, san francisco bay area, sustainable design, Treasure Island, Urban design

As the construction process for Hudson Yards drags on in New York, we’re glad to see green urban design is alive and well in Chicago. The windy city is no stranger to sustainable building, and this urban park, located on the fringe of the city’s downtown, will certainly give Chicago even more green cred. Perkins + Will, the architects behind the design, developed the park to create more open space for the city, but the greenway also proves to be a pedestrian-friendly gateway that connects the existing downtown to any future development across the Kennedy Expressway.

Read the rest of West Loop Park Infuses Chicago With Green Urban Space

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: chicago city planning, Landscape Architecture, sustainable urban planning, Urban design, urban expansion, urban park, urban planning, urban restoration, urban revitalization

DRUMROLL PLEASE!

After much heated debate and a dramatic week of online voting, we’re thrilled to announce the winners of the Reburbia competition to redesign the suburbs! We received hundreds of incredible entries over the past month and it was quite a challenge to narrow them down to twenty finalists, and four winning entries.

FIRST PLACE: Frog’s Dream

The grand prize winner of the ReBurbia competition is…. Calvin Chiu for his ingenious plan to convert foreclosed McMansions into water-filtering wetlands that provide urban areas with a steady source of water. Dubbed Frog’s Dream, the plan stands to rehabilitate and preserve wetland environments, solve the water crisis and ensuring the sustainability of our cities in one fell swoop!

SECOND PLACE: Entrepreneurbia

The second place prize goes to Urban Nature, F&S Design Studio, and Silverlion Design for their Entreprenurbia proposal, which seeks to foster sustainable and diverse communities with a simple change in public policy. By abolishing poorly conceived zoning laws and allowing suburban residents to operate businesses out of their homes, the plan creates a community of entrepreneurs who naturally transform sprawling suburban neighborhoods into vital mixed-use communities. The practicality and simple effectiveness of this solution really struck a chord with our judging panel – it’s elegant, easily workable, and cost effective.

Third Place: Big Box Agriculture

The third place winner is Forrest Fulton, who conceived of an inspired plan to convert abandoned big-box grocery stores and desolate parking lots into food producing marketplaces. Dubbed Big Box Agriculture, the proposal combines sustainable practices of the past with new energy efficient technologies to shift the role of grocery stores from retailers of food grown far away to producers of locally grown food.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD: Urban Sprawl Repair Kit

In addition to the three winners selected by the jury, we let you be the judge and vote for your favorite entry. With over 2300 votes and 188 comments on her proposal, the winner is… Galina Tahchieva for her Urban Sprawl Repair Kit! This go-to set of solutions offers a series of simple retrofits for converting ubiquitous suburban structures into models of mixed-use efficiency.

Thank you so much to all of our readers who cast your vote and kept up the great dialogue around each of our twenty finalists, congratulations to all of our winners, and special thanks to all of the talented designers, architects, and urban planners who contributed their solutions to save suburbia!

Many thanks, as well, to our esteemed panel of judges: Fritz Haeg, Geoff Manaugh, Thomas Ermacora, Paul Petrunia, Eric Corey Freed, and Allan Chochinov.

+ ReBurbia Competition

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Frog's Dream, green design, reburbia competition winners, suburbs, sustainable design, Urban design