Cities plan for the future

  Climate change and its amplification in large cities as urban heat islands is a great concern for all of us. These phenomenons are happening and have life threatening potential for many people in the developing world. As nations keep failing to agree on regulations for greenhouse gas emissions the future does not look great.

  However, on a city scale action is being taken much more effectively. National Public Radio aired a discussion about sustainable practices in Chicago and Salt Lake City in July of this year. Professor Brian Stone joins the conversation to present the science behind the necessesity to take measures against climate change in the city.

  The next few posts will explore the variety of action that is being taken to tackle climate change on an urban scale. To start with I want to warmly  recommend a fellow bloggers site. When thinking about a city that is at the forefront in the struggle against climate change and has already built a community which is closest to be considered 'sustainable', most of us would probably come up with Copenhagen. And indeed, Copenhagen has the ambitious goal to become the first carbon neutral capital in the world. The Danish capital wants to be carbon neutral by 2025. In addition to cutting carbon emissions, investment in renewable energies will be boosted and more trees planted around the city. All of these goals want to be achieved without impeding economic growth. The Copenhagen Design Week in 2011 presented many ideas. One of them deals with the expected population growth of 100 000 by 2025. New housing must be provided, Copenhagen does not go for the cheap and easy solution. The North Harbour is an excellent example of clever planning, it is one of the largest new urban development areas in Europe and will house 30 000 people. This city quarter is planned to be sustainable in every aspect. Other projects place family houses with attached gardens in inner city locations, watch this cnn report or go for a swim in Copenhagen's old industrial harbour.

  A very good resource on Green Copenhagen is provided by Anne Haugvaldstad in her Blog post Copenhagen: The First CO2 Neutral Capital. Follow her blog and you can also find out more about your personal climate impact and what you can do to stop the world from overheating.


Still to come...
How major cities around the globe work together to tackle climate change. Also, I want to run a special on my native Berlin and efforts to prevent climate change in the German capital.

To all Berliners:

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