Cities

Carbon-positive Otago plan before council

Wednesday - The Otago Regional Council is considering joining a Carbon Zero Alliance proposed by the Dunedin City Council late last year.

Councils debating Climcom recommendations

Tuesday - Greater Wellington and Waikato regional councils’ climate change committees both meet this afternoon to consider, among other things, responses to the Climate Change Commission’s 2021 draft report.

Grass keeps cities cool when heat goes on

23 Jun 20 - Keeping suburban parks green year-round can lower city temperatures by up to 12 deg during summer heatwaves, researchers say.

How the super-rich conquered London

2 Jun 20 - Over cups of tea in his ramshackle London home I chatted with a novelist. Talk inevitably turned to its expanding population of wealthy residents.

Covid sees bikes pushing cars out of cities

11 May 20 - Curfews paralysed traffic as the covid-19 pandemic hit many cities, but now the cities have started to promote the bicycle revolution and ban cars.

In 50 years, some cities will be too hot to handle

6 May 20 - Unless steps are taken to check global warming, up to three billion people will find themselves in areas too warm for human comfort, a new study finds.

Living in the Rainbow Tree with 30,000 plants

6 May 20 - Assuming the Rainbow Tree is actually built, the greenery-covered timber tower will rise to an impressive height of 115 m in Cebu, the Philippines.

Auckland air pollution quickly back in business

1 May 20 - Auckland’s air pollution is higher than ever, suggesting any cut in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the covid-19 pandemic shutdown will be short-lived.

Will climate change end waterfront living?

23 Apr 20 - Developers are creating waterfront homes in Boston with innovative seawall defences but is this a model for other cities? Or a sign of climate gentrification?

It's positively alpine!: Cities taste fresh air

14 Apr 20 - Many of the world's major cities are enjoying improved air quality since restrictions were introduced due to the covid-19 coronavirus.

Hamilton wants covid cash for raft of projects

8 Apr 20 - Hamilton is going after a $1.5 billion share of the Government’s covid-19 recovery package with a suite of environmental projects.

Cities turn to freewheeling public transport

14 Feb 20 - In the United States, once the home of car culture, cities are increasingly experimenting with free public transport. But the idea is not an American preserve: it’s catching on fast across the globe.

BARS NOT CARS: What to do with your old parking buildings

19 Nov 19 - Shopper numbers in UK city centres are falling, leaving car parks empty – and councils are finding innovative ways to repurpose the space.

Can nests and eco bikes cut impact of delivering parcels?

6 Nov 19 - Cities are testing new systems to reduce the pollution and congestion caused by of the final leg of a package’s journey from warehouse to doorstep.

New Dubai city green revolution in the desert

31 Oct 19 - Fenced off by a wall of trees, about 20km from the high rises towering over Dubai’s city centre, lies a small solar-powered settlement aiming to become a green oasis in the desert.

Why don't all buildings have green roofs?

15 Oct 19 - Rooftops covered with grass, vegetable gardens and lush foliage are now a common sight in many cities around the world.

SURVIVAL CITY: What happens if cities act but nations don't?

15 Oct 19 - It is cities, not national governments, that are most aggressively fighting the climate crisis – and in 30 years they could look radically different.

Can cities save the planet?

7 Oct 19 - By 2050 about two-thirds of the human population — that is six out of the world’s nine billion people — will be living in cities.

Welcome to Welly ... the Paris of the southern hemisphere

13 Sep 19 - Wellington is the new Paris of the South, according to the latest cities’ liveability index.