By 2050, two-thirds of the world's population will be living in cities. The energy required to heat, cool, and electrify the world's cities makes the Buildings and Cities sector central to climate change. Project Drawdown identifies a wide array of strategies--efficient heating, cooling, infrastructure, and advanced materials--that could achieve in excess of 50 gigatons of CO2 emissions reduction.
This collection features stories (see below) that display a wide range of responses to the challenge of building efficient and sustainable buildings and cities. In Colombia and Singapore, recycled building materials and vertical urban gardens mark the cutting edge of large scale sustainable urban solutions; Detroit, Michigan has switched its street lamps to LED bulbs; the city of Vancouver, B.C. has strategically transitioned into a more bike friendly town by separating bike lanes from cars, resulting in a 60% increase in bicycle commuting; Los Angeles is experimenting with "cool pavements" and the Mall of America is harnessing body heat as an energy source to provide the buildings' heat. Solutions in this sector are included in the Drawdown Ecochallenge actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2020/05/15/climate-change-cool-pavement-tool-fighting-excessive-heat-heatwaves-arizona/3121783001
Erin Stone
The Arizona Republic
15 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
To combat the effects of rising temperatures due to climate change, Los Angeles piloted an experiment called “cool pavements,” where they coat streets with a light-colored sealant to reflect heat. Researchers are studying how effective this method is at reducing the urban heat island effect. Using a mobile sensor station, they found mixed results: While the surface temperature of the road was cooler, a person could feel warmer on the reflective roads. Figuring out how to balance different heat-mitigating strategies could be helpful as cities like Phoenix figure out how to implement cooling infrastructure.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/as-seattle-struggles-with-bike-lanes-vancouver-b-c-has-won-the-battle
David Gutman
The Seattle Times
23 April 2018
Text / 800-1500 Words
As Seattle tries to implement bike lanes effectively, it can look to Vancouver as a success story. Vancouver’s bike lanes are physically separated from roads, making riders safer and increasing the number of people who commute by bike by 60% since 2013. After several tests and then responding to both positive and negative public feedback, Vancouver has miles of bike lanes connecting many parts of the city.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/earthrise/2017/05/building-cities-170530045413282.html
Russell Beard
Juliana Schatz
Al Jazeera
5 March 2017
Broadcast TV News / Over 15 Minutes
By 2050 the percentage of the world's population living in cities will increase to two-thirds with significant environmental strains. In Colombia, a company called Conceptos Plasticos collects recyclable plastic material, melts it down and moulds it into bricks used to build houses for the local community. Singapore too, is on the cutting edge of environmentally sustainable urban solutions including vertical farms and living buildings.
http://midwestenergynews.com/2014/07/10/led-street-lighting-kindles-interest-in-michigan
Kat Friedrich
Midwest Energy News
10 July 2014
Text / 800-1500 Words
As the traditional sodium vapor lamps used for decades in street lights begin to burn out and need replacement, many municipalities, like Detroit, are turning to LED lighting - thanks to rebates and conscientious consumer demand. Though they sometimes have higher up-front costs, LEDs have multiple benefits including long-term cost savings (as they require less maintenance), increased energy efficiency, better lighting that can help decrease crime, and less light pollution and glare.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200908-the-buildings-warmed-by-the-human-body
Chermaine Lee
BBC
8 September 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Harnessing body heat provides energy-saving heating to commercial and residential buildings. The Stockholm Central station in Sweden and the Mall of America in Minnesota both capture body warmth to provide some of the buildings' heat. Each has over 100,000 daily visitors during non-coronavirus times, generating substantial heat that can be captured by energy-efficient construction. Body heat is also utilized in residential spaces, where thermal insulation helps keep the warmth inside. Using body heat requires energy-efficient building materials and generally cannot provide all of a building's heating needs.
Our issue area taxonomy was adapted from the PCS Taxonomy with definitions by the Foundation Center, which is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International License.
Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:
Fondriest Environmental, David De Wit / Community Eye Health, Linda Steil / Herald Post, John Amis / UGA College of Ag & Environmental Sciences – OCCS, Andy B, Peter Garnhum, Thomas Hawk, 7ty9, Isriya Paireepairit, David Berger, UnLtd The Foundation For Social Entrepreneurs, Michael Dunne, Burak Kebapci, and Forrest Berkshire / U.S. Army Cadet Command public affairs
Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license, and are credited to the following photographers:
Ra'ed Qutena, 段 文慶, Fabio Campo, City Clock Magazine, Justin Norman, scarlatti2004, Gary Simmons, Kathryn McCallum, and Nearsoft Inc
Photos are licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:
Burak Kebapci and SCY.
Photos are licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) and are credited to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Conference attendee listening to speaker, Jenifer Daniels / Colorstock getcolorstock.com.
Photo Credit: Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Sonia Narang