How to make a country unsustainable
The New York Times this week ran an opinion piece by Patricia McArdle (19 June) about how the US has gutted and is ending one of Earth’s most sustainable food systems. Where would they do such a thing? In a place where they mean to do ‘good’; Afghanistan. Read this and try not to open your mouth with amazement: www.nytimes.com… As some counterpoint, however, trivial by comparison, there’s this: www.abc.net… “And... Read More
Special series on cities
This week The Australian newspaper carries a series of articles on cities, here: www.theaustralian.com… There’s an interesting one about planning, here: www.theaustralian.com… I’ve written one about the future of roads, here: www.theaustralian.com… Enjoy, Michael Read More
Heat island goes mainstream at last
On 30 June the Melbourne Forum will host a free conference, Combating the urban heat island. The flier for it says: Urban development dramatically changes the landscape. Buildings, roads, and other infrastructure replace open land and vegetation. Surfaces that were once permeable and moist become impermeable and dry. These changes cause urban regions to become warmer than their rural surroundings, forming an “island” of higher temperatures... Read More
Yummoh garden design
Suspended flower garden by Tig Crowley This suspended ‘flowering roof’ by designer, Tig Crowley, at North Sydney Girls High includes these features; inclined to allow the winter sun in recycled turpentine pole from a demolished wharf And, of course, simplicity. Nice work, Tig, (Tig Crowley is a registered member of the Australian Institute of Landscape Designers & Managers (A.I.L.D.M.), the Australian Institute of Horticulture (A.I.H.),... Read More
New York plans for 3 degree heat rise by 2020
In The Daily Beast: “New York, which is looking at an average temperature increase of up to 3 degrees Fahrenheit by 2020, is planning to paint 3 million square feet of roofs white, to reflect sunlight and thus reduce urban heat-island effects.” See the full article here: www.thedailybeast.com… Change we can believe in, M Read More
