"The first #EarthDay in 1970 sparked a movement in the #UnitedStates that led to the #CleanAirAct, the #CleanWaterAct and the creation of the #EnvironmentalProtectionAgency. Today, the U.S. may be run by those who seem willing to squander the #economicopportunities of the #greeneconomy, but #cities around the world are already seizing them."

https://www.newsweek.com/if-nations-wont-fight-global-warming-cities-can-will-opinion-2061588

#netzero
#greenagenda
#emissions
#pollution
#climatecrisis
#climatechange
#Greencities
#environmentpolicy
#SadiqKhan

last year's feature on ancient Amazonian #cities vs modern ideas of #GreenCities is now in the #OpenArchives:
https://proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2024/02/urbanism-now-and-then.html #science #archaeology #amazon #rainforest

Streets could be so different... in Mexico-City

Las calles podrían ser tan diferentes... en Ciudad de México

#BiophilicDesign in architecture and its contributions to health, well-being, and #sustainability: A critical review

by Weijie Zhong, et al.
February 2022

Abstract
"In the last ten years, ‘nature’ and biophilic design have received widespread attention in architecture, especially in response to growing environmental challenges. However, open questions and controversies remain regarding conceptualizing and addressing ‘nature’ in practice and research. This study conducts a literature review to discuss biophilic design as a theoretical framework to interpret ‘nature’ in architecture. The following questions are answered: (1) How has the concept of biophilic design emerged, and how can it be defined? (2) In what ways can biophilic design contribute to the goals of sustainable architecture? (3) What are the key design strategies in biophilic design? This review identifies and compares the key frameworks of biophilic design and explains their major elements. We then analyse the benefits (e.g., enhance health, well-being, productivity, biodiversity, and circularity) of biophilic design in achieving sustainability, as framed through the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The results indicate that biophilic design is more complex and richer than the mere application of vegetation in buildings; it broadens the variety through encompassing different types of nature from physical, sensory, metaphorical, morphological, material to spiritual. Moreover, knowledge gaps are identified to motivate future research and critical reflections on biophilic design practices."

Read more:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263521000479
#GreenCities #GreenSpaces #Biophillic #SolarPunkSunday #CityPlanning

Time spent in nature can boost physical and mental well-being

January 2, 2024

"Spending time outdoors in green spaces has been linked with myriad physical and mental health benefits, including lower mortality, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Heather Eliassen.

"Eliassen, professor of nutrition and epidemiology, was among the experts quoted in a December 14 Pop Sugar article about the health impacts of nature and being outside. She explained that exposure to green space has been linked to better sleep, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of chronic disease—likely because people who spend more time in green spaces also report higher levels of exercise.

"'Green spaces can be destinations for walking or bicycling, as well as space for play, and among children, green-space exposure is linked to more playtime and less screen time,' Eliassen told Pop Sugar.

"She also said that spending time in nature has been linked to better mental health and a decreased risk of psychiatric disorders among adults and children.

"'[Time spent outdoors] provides a combination of stimulation of different senses and a break from typical #overstimulation from urban environments,' she said. 'Exposure to green space results in mental restoration and increased positive emotions and decreased anxiety and rumination. Improved mindfulness can result from exposure to green space as well.'

"Eliassen noted that even city dwellers and people who work indoors can pursue and reap the health benefits of the natural world. Spending time in urban spaces like parks and gardens has been linked with improved health, according to Eliassen and other experts quoted in the article.

"'If there are some green spaces a short or medium distance from home, try walking or biking to the green space to get the benefits of exercise while getting [there],' she said. 'Or, find green space you could incorporate into your commute to or from school or work.'"

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/time-spent-in-nature-can-boost-physical-and-mental-well-being/
#NatureBasedLearning #Nature #GreenCities #GreenSpaces #SolarPunkSunday

8 Cities #Rewilding Their Urban Spaces

by Linnea Harris, Jun 15, 2021

"In the midst of a massive, global loss of nature, cities around the world are finding ways to protect and expand open spaces and '#rewild' their communities.

"Between 2001 and 2017, the United States alone lost 24 million acres of natural area – or the equivalent of nine Grand Canyon national parks – largely due to housing sprawl, agriculture, energy development, and other anthropogenic factors, according to a 2019 Reuters report. Every day, 6,000 acres of open space – parks, forests, farms, grasslands, ranches, streams, and rivers – are converted for other uses.

"Rewilding restores an area to its original, uncultivated state, shifting away from the centuries-long practice of controlling and managing nature for human need. It incorporates both the old and the new, allowing wildness to reclaim an area and/or incorporating new elements of architectural or landscape design, like growing greenery on the facades of buildings.

"The practice of rewilding is frequently carried out in wild areas; many projects aim to restore biodiversity in an ecosystem, often by reintroducing animal species that are high on the food chain, which in turn stabilizes lower species. One of the most famous cases of rewilding is the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995.

"Cities too have begun rewilding; but, although these were spaces were once as wild as Yellowstone, introducing apex predators to New York City or Tokyo might not be the best method for success. Rewilding in urban areas might instead include reintroducing native plant species, building parks on empty lots, incorporating more biophilic design when building new structures, or simply allowing nature to reclaim space. A major draw to rewilding in urban areas is the proven positive impact of nature on human health – particularly for city-dwellers with less access to outdoor spaces."

Read more:
https://www.ecowatch.com/cities-rewilding-2653383263.html
#RewildingCities #GreenCities #Greenspace #SolarPunkSunday

Mentioned in Gen Daquinan's article "Degrowing towards a Solarpunk Future," the city of Almere...

"Almere: A Solarpunk City

"Almere, the youngest city in the Netherlands, is known for its Garden City movement. The Garden City is one of Ebenezer Howard’s utopian city visions. A distinctive feature of urban planning in Almere is its commitment to giving residents greater freedom to design their own homes. As a relatively new city, this freedom to design homes is important as it disrupts the monotony of cookie-cutter houses in the Netherlands. A garden city, as shown in the map above, contains elements of accessible greenery, particularly parks and farms. This solarpunk aesthetic is something that Almere is attempting to achieve. Moving beyond the traditional ‘garden city’ model, Almere aims to amplify the processes of nature, creating life-supporting urban habitats for people and other living things by becoming a ‘green city’ by 2040."

Almere is already a pretty green city...

The Natural World of Almere

"Come to Almere; you'll discover woodlands, parks, beaches and an abundance of water. Where once was seabed, it has all been reclaimed by nature to create various wildlife habitats. Unique, not just in the Netherlands, but in the whole of Europe."

https://www.visitalmere.com/en/discover/nature/nature
#SolarPunkSunday #AlmereNetherlands #AlmereNederlands #SolarPunkCityPlanning #GreenCities

Wir waren dabei beim 1. Neckarthon in Tübingen! Vier Teams haben an unserer Challenge "Das vernetzte Mobilitätskonzept der Zukunft" getüftelt und tolle Ideen entwickelt. Danke für eure Impulse, eure Energie das ganze Wochenende und die gemeinsame Zeit! Es war inspirierend, die Mobilität von morgen mit euch zu gestalten!

In praise of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs)
#LTNs #Cycling #Urbanism #GreenCities
https://youtu.be/FDsOXDT7yw4

@SheDrivesMobility Perfekt für dich: #CitiesSkylines. Gleich eine Edition holen wo die Erweiterungen #MassTransit und #GreenCities drin sind.

Oder sie separat kaufen

https://store.playstation.com/de-de/concept/10005732

"This one-hectare rooftop oasis has become one of the largest places for animals to touch down, uninterrupted by chemicals and humans, from Monterey Bay all the way to Marin – a distance of about 190 kilometres.

"Though the living roof is small in comparison to other whole-landscape #rewilding projects, the hidden secrets and history of this patch of green hold inspiration and lessons for small-scale rewilding efforts in cities everywhere."

#restoration #greencities

https://www.rewildingmag.com/living-roof-california-academy-of-sciences/