One among the main factors that are developing in prominent cities presently is that of sustainability: with so many projects that can develop this, let’s discover a couple of cool cases.
One among the main goals of sustainable living practices is often to employ less energy, or to use the same amount of energy much more efficiently: this is both beneficial for the planet, as less emissions will be founded, and for the individual, as it will help saving on things like utility bills. A nice thing that can be implemented is sustainable architecture: by developing homes with energy-saving in mind, this target is easily attained, with real estate figures like Frank Zweegers contemplating this plan to urban sustainability. Building houses with good insulation will suggest that less heating will be required in winter, as the home will stay effortlessly warmer, and vice versa in summer. In place of using artificial light, having significant windows that are cleverly oriented will provide lots of natural light, which makes the living experience much more pleasant.
If you take a look at any proposals for brand new urban projects, one thing that you will hopefully see in lots of cases is the presence of green spaces. Something as easy as having trees on the side of a street has been proven to assist maintain a nice temperature during hotter days, and as we are most likely all aware, trees assist make the air we breathe cleaner. These are only a couple of the countless reasons why countless smart city ideas involve more plants. While parks will usually be prominent, a few sustainable ideas for the future have implemented small gardens in residential structures, for instance on rooftops: this would enable men and women who live in flats to retrieve some individual green spaces, and even grow some vegetables or herbs. There have even been vertical implementations of gardens, as seen with developers like Lars Huber. Having plants that help bee pollination, such as lavender, is also a famous idea that can help the environment.
One among the primary characteristics of sustainable cities is the efficiency of movement: personal cars are not an efficient way of travelling around an urban centre, considering the density of vehicles and the traffic and pollution that it can cause. Alternatively, a nice and reliable public transport system is one of 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 subsequently lowering the range of cars on the road), but it will have amazing environmental consequences, as public transport is starting to employ more and more electric powered vehicles. Figures like Heidi Alexander work with prominent metropolitan transport networks, and are certainly aware of all the perks that each specific means of travel has.