Can sustainable housing meet the UK’s Ambitious Delivery Goals?
Posted on 3 December 2024 by Catia Martins
With the Labour Party’s rise to power, the UK has been promised the deliverance of 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament while facing unprecedented challenges such as climate crisis and a growing social inequality (The Planner, 2024). Although admirable, can the balance between quantity and quality, speed and sustainability truly be achieved? We’ll Read the full article...
Rediscovering Play: The Value of Improvised and Recycled Spaces
Posted on 18 November 2024 by Anastasiia Pelykh
Childhood is a magical time of boundless creativity, where even the simplest objects can become tools for adventure. Growing up, my sister, friends, and I spent countless hours constructing “halabudy” (makeshift huts, shops, tree houses), indoors with pillows and blankets, or outdoors using asbestos sheets and street debris. These moments of building, repurposing, and play Read the full article...
Living by water: An Alternative approach to urban densification and affordability
Posted on 19 May 2024 by Ananthakrishnan Mony
With predicted figures in the event of migration to the urban space in future, an alternative way of addressing housing needs may not be satisfied only with limited land left for development (HSB, 2023). Therefore, the solution lies within the river basins linearly sprawling across the edge of many riverside city developments. Although, floating architecture Read the full article...
A Study of Eco-housing Design Based on the Concept of Eco-modernism
Posted on 15 May 2024 by Runquan Li
A Study of Eco-housing Design Based on the Concept of Eco-modernism 1. What is ecological modernism? First of all, it is necessary to clarify the extreme difference between Ecological Modernism and Ecological Modernization, as they are extremely similar. Ecological Modernization focuses on intrinsic human creativity and separates the direct correlation between economic growth and environmental degradation through science Read the full article...
Effects of urban sprawl on housing availability, transportation, and the environment
Posted on 13 May 2024 by Xiao Liu
Introduction Urban sprawl, the uncontrolled growth of urban areas into the surrounding rural lands, can be seen as the leading cause of housing shortage, transportation system problems, and environmental issues (Banai and DePriest,2014). This essay intends to investigate the complex influences of urban sprawl on these three factors. By assessing the drawbacks and advantages of Read the full article...
Green Future – Sustainable Buildings
Posted on 6 April 2024 by Ziyu Wang
“Sustainable architecture addresses the negative environmental and social impacts of buildings by using design strategies, building materials, energy sources, and development spaces that do not negatively impact the neighborhood or ecosystem and by upholding the principles of social, economic, and ecological sustainability” (Calautit & Hughes, 2016, p. E1). 1.1 Case Study 1.11 CopenHill Energy Plant Read the full article...
Construction on industrial abandoned land
Posted on 16 January 2024 by Runzi Lu
Ecological restoration of the site Prologue The impact of construction on industrially contaminated land probably first came into public view with the Love Canal incident. In the late 1950s, construction began on a residential area adjacent to the Love Canal Landfill. Ecological Restoration Conceptual Illustration of phytoremediation at WBPS, (Sooprayen. V, 2017). History The idea Read the full article...
Designing Healthier Neighborhoods
Posted on 2 January 2024 by Ananthakrishnan Mony
To begin with, the way a neighborhood designed has big impact on how healthy and happy its people are. Over the years, there have been a lot of studies carried out regarding the effects of neighborhood design on health and well-being. Meanwhile, major health challenges including premature death, poor physical and mental health and health Read the full article...
Biophilic Design in Combating Urban Biodiversity Decrease.
Posted on 6 May 2023 by Alexander Plamadeala
Many plant and animal species are battling to survive as cities continue to grow and urbanisation deepens. Biophilic design, on the other hand, can serve to enhance biodiversity and improve the ecological health of metropolitan places. Biophilic design is a method of incorporating natural components and processes into constructed settings in architecture and urban design. Read the full article...
AN APPROACH FOR NET ZERO EMISSION
Posted on 2 May 2023 by Jagriti Thiske
Net zero energy cities are defined as the city where the total carbon-dioxide emission is balanced by its elimination, from the environment. Most countries across the world aim to reduce the emission and achieve net zero. As per the net zero cities, annually over 75% of co2 emissions are discharged from urban areas. Globally over Read the full article...
Thinking about the environment: Part two:
Posted on 27 April 2023 by Reham Eter
In part one of this blog, we discussed what should planning authorities require in any development plan to ensure clean and efficient use of energy (macro level). In this part we will continue to do so by focusing on the building units (micor level). We will also consider other environmental considerations that are relevant to Read the full article...
Thinking about the environment: Part one:
Posted on by Reham Eter
This is a two-part blog that concerns what can be done by planers and developers in order to create more environmentally friendly urban spaces where sustainability is central to this process. Part one identifies the significance of energy efficiency and examines the steps can be taken at the macro level. While Part two looks at Read the full article...
