The complexity of building energy consumption

The complexity of building energy consumption

It is estimated that buildings contribute 20-30% of energy use in the United States at an annual cost of over $100B. Buildings also contribute an estimated 35-40% of all US CO2 emissions resulting from building energy consumption. Any effort to decrease building...
Evergreen: Advancing Urban Sustainability

Evergreen: Advancing Urban Sustainability

The world is undergoing a rapid and unprecedented process of urbanization. Today, about 85 percent of us live in cities, a jump of nearly 50 percent in a mere 30 years. As urban populations grow, greater pressures are placed on natural green spaces both within...
April 23rd Toronto Happy Hour Photos

April 23rd Toronto Happy Hour Photos

Happy Hour Meet-ups, a set on Flickr.A casual happy hour meet-up for anyone interested in urban sustainability, connected technology and related fields. April 23rd, 2013 in at Against the Grain Urban Tavern, Toronto,...
The Swissnex Urban Data Challenge

The Swissnex Urban Data Challenge

Busses, trams, pedestrians, and cars zoom about modern cities. But with urban growth comes challenges—one of them is how to improve transportation. The Urban Data Challenge competition invited participants to explore mobility data sets from three cities—San Francisco,...
The Transition: The Future of Energy

The Transition: The Future of Energy

Experts agree that smart cities of the future will run on clean and renewable energy, and the stabilization of our climate depends on it. The question of ‘why?’ is increasingly being replaced by ‘how?’ Although we have a long way to go, the planning (and...
How academics help make cities smart

How academics help make cities smart

Academics are often characterized as pedants, focusing on trivial details and missing the big picture.  As with most stereotypes there is an element of truth in this caricature – academics seek precision and with that precision, truth.  The first thing some academics...
Sprinting Past the NIMBY-Climate Impasse

Sprinting Past the NIMBY-Climate Impasse

Elite portions of the Bay Area (Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Pleasanton, and Marin County) adopt many leading-edge green policies but stumble when it comes to accommodating regional population growth. These areas fear the impacts of growth within their own boundaries and...