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Urban green spaces are suffering in a changing climate, just as communities have begun to value them more than ever. How can city authorities channel this enthusiasm to make public parks and gardens more resilient?
We are just starting to realize how profoundly cities impact life outside them. Let’s use these new insights to find a more sustainable balance
Decarbonization will mean doing everything differently. Policymakers and planners can use this momentum to unblock the potential of lagging regions
The zero-carbon economy will create new industrial heartlands — but sustainable growth depends on many other factors, too
It’s hard to justify new infrastructure in shrinking regions when there’s congestion elsewhere. So maybe we need to rethink how we calculate value
Within countries, the gulf between rich and poor regions has never been so wide. How can we arrest the decline of post-industrial areas, and stop major cities from sucking them dry?
Water infrastructure is often underground out of sight. New digital tools can make the invisible visible, and offer a solution to the perennial problem of leaking pipes
Major users can no longer take water for granted. Climate change is forcing companies to confront an array of heightened risks — from shortages and flooding, to reputational damage and conflict with neighbours
Aotearoa New Zealand is taking a radical approach to water management — based on Māori principles that prioritize the health of water above all other needs
Climate change is altering rainfall patterns, and making both floods and drought more frequent and more extreme. To survive and thrive in the 21st century, we need to rethink our relationship with water and the way we manage this most precious of resources
The Alaskan village of Shaktoolik is on the frontline of climate change, and the community faces a difficult decision. A risk assessment that combines traditional knowledge with advanced modelling aims to put them in control of their future
Abul Mahdi of humanitarian architecture charity Article 25 on the importance of keeping things local
Our food system isn’t sustainable and it isn’t working. We urgently need to find new ways to feed fast-growing 21st century cities — or to help them feed themselves
The lockdown experience has fundamentally changed the way that many of us relate to the built environment. Designers can make shared spaces safer — but can they make people feel safe again?
Additive architecture has a mixed history, and pods are not exactly suited to creating open spaces, but plug-in buildings may offer other advantages
Heritage buildings are often masters of reinvention — what can today’s designers learn from them?
Different parts of a building evolve at different speeds, so it makes sense to keep them separate
An adaptable overlay of smart modes could help buildings to remain useful for longer
More than ever, we need buildings that can bend to whatever the future brings. But flexibility itself has always been a malleable concept. Can it be pinned down?
We can think about corporate resilience in the same terms as wellness and self-care, say Kealy Herman and Emily Wasley
Costa Rica’s decarbonization plan could make it US$41 billion better off by 2050 — even if other countries do nothing, says Adrien Vogt-Schilb
We need new solutions for sustainable reuse, says Maria Brogren, but we should also look to the past
Smart buildings present new, unprecedented risks to their developers, owners and tenants. Managing these must become part of the design process
The pandemic has given a stark illustration of how the built environment affects our health, but also shows the potential for change
Examining why we weren’t ready can help us equip for future disasters of any kind
Technology will be critical to expanding provision in remote areas
As COVID-19 shutters communities around the world, collaboration is more important than ever
Healthcare facilities need to be resilient to a range of perils, known and unknown
Food sovereignty and sustainable food systems expert Nick Rose is pioneering urban agriculture in Melbourne. He explains why the future of city life depends on it
We need to stop thinking of buildings as fixed entities and give them the chance to adapt, writes Mark Bessoudo
From flood mitigation to mental health: the scientific case summarized
Can we afford to make space for nature in our ever more crowded cities? Faced with overheating, pollution and total ecosystem collapse, can we afford not to?