Blogs

Why farm vertically? Even in comparatively open landscapes with large areas of agricultural land, such as South Australia, there are benefits to this style of farming. Despommier lists these advantages as: Year-round crop production with no weather-related crop failures, eg. floods, drought No use of herbicides, or fertilizers and within a closed, controlled ... Continue Reading »

New York City’s population is changing rapidly, and so is the Earth’s climate.  In 2007, New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched PlaNYC, a 135 point plan that aims by 2030 to accommodate 1 million more New Yorkers and reduce the city’s carbon footprint by thirty percent. The highly ... Continue Reading »

Prize-winning architect and urbanist, futurist and professional writer on architecture, ecocities, environment and the arts, Dr Downton has an established and respected practice in ecological architecture and bio-urbanism and consults on urban ecological issues and ecocity design. The practicality of his visionary proposals for ecological cities is underscored by years ... Continue Reading »

Can sustainable housing help turn our large cities from environmental disasters into dynamic eco-cities able to shelter large human populations with minimal environmental impact? A panel of experts joined eco-city pioneer Dr Paul Downton to present their visions of what a city could, and should, be. Is it possible ... Continue Reading »

Jon Kellett is the Head of Urban and Regional Planning for the University of South Australia (UniSA). He has taught urban planning and environmental management for more than 25 years at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK and the UniSA. His research interests include planning policy responses ... Continue Reading »