Suburban Sprawl Cancels Carbon-Footprint Savings of Dense Urban Cores→

Robert Sanders, reporting for UC Berkeley:

“According to a new study by UC Berkeley researchers, population-dense cities contribute less greenhouse-gas emissions per person than other areas of the country, but these cities’ extensive suburbs essentially wipe out the climate benefits.

A key finding of the UC Berkeley study is that suburbs account for half of all household greenhouse gas emissions, even though they account for less than half the U.S. population. The average carbon footprint of households living in the center of large, population-dense urban cities is about 50 percent below average, while households in distant suburbs are up to twice the average.”

Can you have a dense urban core without the suburban sprawl? It hasn't been possible recently.

Urban Nature: How to Foster Biodiversity in World’s Cities→

Richard Conniff, writing for Yale environment 360:

“As the world becomes more urbanized, researchers and city managers from Baltimore to Britain are recognizing the importance of providing urban habitat that can support biodiversity. It just may be the start of an urban wildlife movement.”

Great use of oaks is advocated, as this taxa is important for many insects and birds.

Forget Golf Courses: Subdivisions Draw Residents With Farms→

Luke Runyon, reporting for NPR:

“Farms — complete with livestock, vegetables and fruit trees — are serving as the latest suburban amenity.

It’s called development-supported agriculture, a more intimate version of community-supported agriculture — a farm-share program commonly known as CSA. In planning a new neighborhood, a developer includes some form of food production — a farm, community garden, orchard, livestock operation, edible park — that is meant to draw in new buyers, increase values and stitch neighbors together.

”These projects are becoming more and more mainstream,” says Ed McMahon, a fellow with the Urban Land Institute. He estimates that more than 200 developments with an agricultural twist already exist nationwide.”

This appears to be an interesting trend. Will existing subdivisions be redeveloped with the inclusion of small farms? Given their density, subdivisions are still dependent on cheap energy for transportation -- a clear Achilles' heel.

The Case Against Cars in 1 Utterly Entrancing GIF→

Derek Thompson, reporting for The Atlantic:

“We continue to lead advanced economies in per-capita carbon emissions, 28 percent of which come from transportation. But even if the crunchy granola argument isn’t good enough to make you see the benefits of public transit, consider that trains, trams, buses, and the like reduces traffic congestion, which is good for the life satisfaction of everybody behind the wheel, since science shows long commutes make us unhappy.”

Landscaping Sustainability→

Margaret Buranen, reporting for Ensia:

“Landscaping can do more than increase property values. It can reduce energy use and clean air and water while providing wildlife habitat and connecting people to nature.

Such benefits are now measurable — thanks to guidelines and a rating system developed by the Sustainable SITES Initiative™, a program of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and the U.S. Botanic Garden.

Designers or site owners can submit any type of landscaping project for SITES certification. To earn SITES credits they provide documentation of sustainable strategies used. SITES certification, like LEED ratings, can be a marketing advantage. It also makes the public aware of both the firm’s and the client’s commitment to sustainability.”

Check out the Sustainable Site Initiative for the rating system and recommendations: 

Rating System

Report highlights development threats on Canadian watershed→

Hannah Hoag, reporting for Nature:

“Without better governance, a robust science programme and stronger regulations for extractive industries and hydroelectric developments, Canada’s massive Mackenzie River basin could continue to face destroyed landscapes and massive bills for environmental clean-ups, an international panel of experts warns in a report issued today.

The Mackenzie River is the longest river in Canada, pouring 10.3 million litres of fresh water, the equivalent of four Olympic swimming pools, into the Arctic Ocean per second. Its ecosystems are mostly intact. They provide breeding habitat for migratory birds and include wetlands, boreal forest and carbon dioxide–absorbing peat lands, but they are at risk under warming climate scenarios and natural-resource development.”

AT&T cell phone tower diminishes Minnesota’s prized northern wilderness→

Stephen Wilbers, reporting for MinnPost:

“Last summer there were no permanent structures visible from Ella Hall Lake to mar the wilderness horizon. But if you paddle Ella Hall Lake this summer, you’ll see the top of AT&T’s newly constructed 450-foot cell phone tower, with its white strobe light blinking by day and its red beacon light flashing by night.

Goodbye, wilderness.”

Lots of Cars and Trucks, No Traffic Signs or Lights: Chaos or Calm?→

Sarah Goodyear, reporting for Altantic Cities:

“No traffic lights. No traffic signs. No painted lines in the roadway. No curbs. And 26,000 vehicles passing every day through a traditional village center with busy pedestrian traffic.”

Watch the video. Mitigating the dependence of vehicles through town.