The Big Picture

As we plan for the future of our planet, it is imperative that we consider the effects of development on both the environment and human populations. A city is only truly sustainable if it uses natural resources efficiently while still fully meeting the needs of its inhabitants and a decent standard of living.

Recently, the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) launched its “State of the World’s Cities Report 2012/2013” which addresses the prosperity of cities. According to the report, the first step to achieving prosperity is to define the goal: What does prosperity mean in 2012? This is a difficult question to answer given the vast disparity of living conditions throughout the world. Additionally, it is imperative that the definition of prosperity today consider the needs of future generations. To this end, UN-Habitat developed a “City Prosperity Index,” which translates the five dimensions of prosperity identified by UN-Habitiat—productivity, infrastructure development, quality of life, equity and social inclusion, environmental sustainability—into measurable indicators (see page 15 of the report).

This definition of the prosperous city is consistent with the principles of a smart, sustainable and just city... further reading at the article link

All over, it seems, architects are thinking about how to plan for the realities of climate change. Some designers have risen to that challenge by imagining how conventional forms of architecture might become more adaptive and resilient in the face of high water, as in the Skygrove high-rise concept design by HWKN Architects of New York. Other architects, such as those at the Dutch firm Waterstudio.NL, have embraced the Netherlands’ long history of building barriers to hold back rising water for development in recent years by turning their attention to buildings that float, particularly in the nearly sea-level island nation of The Maldives.

But rising sea levels aren’t the only threats posed by climate change. ArchDaily reports that the Copenhagen-based architecture firm Tredje Natur recently presented plans to develop Saint Kjeld’s Quarter into Copenhagen’s greenest (and most resilient) neighborhood by planning for extreme weather events. This comprehensive urban development project is a case-study in planning for rain — lots of it. In this plan, rainwater is managed in the city’s streets in a more natural and effective way via wide range of pragmatic strategies. A key feature here: 20 percent of the neighborhood’s surface area devoted to streets will be reclaimed, creating more green spaces...

"The buzz from Copenhagen is all about its new "superhighway" for bikes. The real secret to its pioneering urban design, though, is that it puts people first on all its streets."