September 2010
06 Sep From Arsenal of Democracy to Ecocity Launch Site
by Richard Register[caption id="attachment_1656" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Garden Tour, Genesis"]
[/caption]What a beautiful day! I’m floating across the vast landscape of Detroit
under bright blue skies with big white clouds billowing up, enormous
distances between. My rental bike from the Wheelhouse downtown by the river
feels like a magic carpet and the air temperature is perfect for a thin
shirt, fresh breeze on the skin. One surprise: the waters of the Detroit
River are deep and clear blue almost like those of the Bahamas and not at
all like the Mississippi and muddy rivers of China, India and Brazil I’ve
visited lately.05 Sep Editorial September 2010
Our big news item: We just launched our new website! We hope you will take a few minutes to take a look. https://www.ecocitybuilders.orgOur new site makes it easier to learn about our mission and programs. Our sincere thanks to Diana Divecha for sponsoring our website project and to Design Action Collective for creating the design. We like the new clean and light appearance, we hope you do too! Most of all, we'll be able to build up this site to become a real resource for the international ecocity community of students and practitioners. Keep checking back as we continue to upload all kinds of useful information that has been heretofore tucked away in various files, CDs, DVDs and computer drives, just waiting for an opportunity to be properly posted and filed onto our website.05 Sep ISOCARP Partners with Philips on Livable Cities Award: Now Open for Entries
The Award is open for entries, with the deadline for submissions being 5pm CET, 28 October 2010. ISOCARP is actively supporting the Philips Livable Cities Award, a global initiative designed to encourage individuals, businesses, community and non-governmental groups to develop practical, achievable ideas for improving the health and well-being of people living in cities - ideas which can then be translated into reality.05 Sep Establish an adaptive and livable city – Declaration for Ecopolis Construction, Chengde China, 2010
The world is experiencing rapid urbanization and industrialization, this process has not only enhanced the progress of urban civilization, but also extensively and deeply threatened the urban environment, as well as regional and global life supporting system and ecosystem services, it is a paramount mission for modern cities to seek a socio-economically as well as ecologically harmonious urban society, meanwhile, achieve civilized transformation and innovation.05 Sep Ecocity Builders’ Project Update – International Ecocity Standards
We've created an early version of the top tier standards for the following categories: materials, food, water, energy and air. Furthermore, we've created a land use classification to identify areas of concentrated human use (C) and areas to be set aside for relief and restoration (R) like wilderness, natural parks and organic agriculture.05 Sep Rediscovering Simplicity: The Cyclists of Italy (a photo diary)
by citisven
Fri Aug 27, 2010 at 02:40:37 PM PDT
Whenever I travel to different countries and cities, one of the things I'm interested in is how locals move around in their daily lives. Call me a transportation glutton, but I'm a sucker for trains, boats, rickshaws, trams, buses, gondolas, back alleys, and sidewalks.Then, of course, there's the most sublime transit invention of them all: the bicycle. It's so simple — even a non-techie like myself understands how it works — and yet so deliciously useful, relieving traffic, getting you anywhere quickly, reducing CO2, keeping you in shape, letting you see a place and interact with its people. One thing I noticed on my trip to Italy a few months ago was how much bikes were part of everyday life. With David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries as my companion I strolled through the streets of cities and towns, trying to capture the mundane beauty of cycling.
- citisven's diary :: ::
One of the biggest stumbling blocks in changing the ways we move around, eat, or do business, is the common perception that living a less fossil fueled life means sacrifice and inconvenience, even drudgery. In the case of the bicycle, the danger factor is often added to the list of reasons of why it would be such a bad idea to get out of our cars.