One of the main aspects that are building in major cities presently is that of sustainability: with a lot of projects that can enhance this, let’s learn a few cool cases.
One of the main aims of sustainable living practices is sometimes to utilise less power, or to make use of the same amount of energy much more efficiently: this is both advantageous for the planet, as less emissions will be founded, and for the person, as it will help saving on things like utility bills. A nice thing that can be implemented is sustainable architecture: by constructing houses with energy-saving in mind, this goal is easily attained, with real estate figures like Frank Zweegers considering this plan to urban sustainability. Developing homes with good insulation will imply that less heating will be needed in winter, as the home will stay naturally warmer, and viceversa in summer. Rather than using artificial light, having important windows that are cleverly oriented will provide lots of natural light, which will make the living experience a lot more pleasant.
If you take a look at any proposals for brand-new urban projects, one thing that you will hopefully see in a lot of cases is the presence of green spaces. Something as straightforward as having trees on the side of a street has been proven to assist maintain a pleasant temperature during hotter days, and as we are perhaps all aware, trees assist make the air we breathe cleaner. These are just one or two the many reasons why so many smart city ideas involve more plants. Although parks will always be renowned, a couple of sustainable ideas for the future have employed small gardens in residential structures, for instance on rooftops: this would enable men and women who live in apartments to receive some personal green areas, and even grow some produce or herbs. There have even been vertical implementations of gardens, as seen with developers like Lars Huber. Having plants that assist bee pollination, such as lavender, is likewise a renowned idea that can help the environment.
One among the main characteristics of sustainable cities is the convenience of movement: own cars are not an reliable way of travelling around an urban centre, contemplating the density of vehicles and the pollution and traffic that it can cause. Instead, a nice and trustworthy public transport system is one among the staples of sustainable urban living: not only will it be faster, as more people will be able to travel utilising the same vehicle (and consequently lowering the range of cars on the road), but it will have spectacular environmental results, as public transport is starting to employ more and more electric-powered vehicles. Figures like Heidi Alexander work with significant metropolitan transport systems, and are undoubtedly aware of all the perks that each specific means of travel has.