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Rethinking the Lawn
Edible Estates: Multiple Locations

[Image Credit: Ed Morris and Curtis Hamilton]

Rethinking the Lawn
Edible Estates: Multiple Locations

Fritz Haeg

The suburban American lawn is the country’s largest irrigated crop. Consumers spend $11 billion per year on water, pesticides, fertilizers and gas. The environmental cost are high; they include chemically-tainted streams, excessive water and energy consumption, and air pollution from mowers and leaf blowers. Edible Estates is an ongoing project by Fritz Haeg that replaces front lawns with productive food gardens. The first regional prototype garden was planted in Salina, Kansas, on July 4th, 2005, and it included fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs and vegetables. Edible Estates owners report that gardening in the front yard has reconnected them to their communities. In addition, the increased biodiversity of multicrop planting enriches the soil and attracts beneficial insects. One California couple says their new yard garden supplies about 40 percent of what they eat.

[Image Credit: Ed Morris and Curtis Hamilton]

Farm to School Program
Durango and Southwest Colorado School Districts: Southwest Colorado

Institutional cafeterias serve millions of children and adults every day; due to purchasing restrictions, few serve locally grown food. Farm to School is a successful nationwide program that connects schools with nearby farmers with the goals of serving healthy meals, educating students about nutrition and supporting local growers. In Durango, Colorado, local farmers and ranchers have been providing farm-fresh foods on school breakfast and lunch plates since 2005.

[Image Credit: Jim Dwyer + Krista Garand]

Community Garden
Growing Gardens: Boulder, Colorado

U.S. community gardening associations provide resources and space to those who wish to grow their own food, in the process helping to provide fresh local food and to reduce the energy footprint of what we eat. In Boulder, Colorado, the non-profit Growing Gardens manages 1,128 community gardeners yearly on more than 400 individual plots covering nine acres. The program supplies gardeners with water, mulch, tools, compost and training. In exchange, gardeners pay a modest fee, maintain their sites and agree to plant organically. Growing Gardens defines itself as a human services and youth development organization that uses sustainable gardening practices to assist immigrants, seniors, at-risk youth, people with disabilities and families.

[Image Credit: Kevin Pierce]

Community Garden
Growing Gardens: Boulder, Colorado

[Image Credit: Kevin Pierce]

Large-scale Organic Farming
Martens Farm: Pen Yann, New York

Klaas and Mary-Howell Martens

Organic farming is often small-scale; but with careful management, growers can expand their operations without compromising sustainable ethics. Klaas and Mary-Howell Martens have been sustainably farming 1,300 acres of organic fresh vegetables and grain since 1991. To control weeds and improve soil fertility, they rotate crops, under-seed fields, and actively increase soil organic matter. The Martenses produce much of their grain for Lakeview Organic Grain, a company they founded, which distributes feed to organic dairy and chicken farms throughout the Northeast.

[Image Credit: Mary-Howell Martens]

Urban Agriculture
City Farm, Chicago, Illinois

Resource Center

Urban Agriculture reconnects city residents with their food sources, shortens the distance food has to travel, reduces transportation costs and increases green space in urban areas. Many urban food projects are small-scale neighborhood programs that convert vacant lots into private gardens. City Farm operates on a larger scale; the sustainable, organic farm uses large, vacant properties to grow vegetables and make compost. The farm produces 20 varieties of tomatoes as well as other fruits and vegetables that are sold to local restaurants and the public. The Resource Center operates City Farm to create jobs. Center founder Ken Dunn notes, ”We found that by planning and planting carefully, you can create a job for an individual on about 10,000 square feet, or about four lots.”

[Image Credit: Kevin Pierce]

Urban Agriculture
City Farm, Chicago, Illinois

[Image Credit: Kevin Pierce]

Food Distribution Systems
Beeline: Portland Oregon

Dawn Danby, Mary Rick, Jyoti Stephens, Kevin Etra, Daniel Wilhelm

In the United States, our food travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to plate. Local food offers many benefits: cost, freshness, security and the preservation of open land. But merely localizing food production does not guarantee efficient delivery or the profitability of small farms. Beeline is a virtual marketplace and distribution system for fresh produce in the Pacific Northwest designed to support local farms by reducing retailers’ transportation costs. An online network connects retailers and restaurateurs to growers. As orders are placed, Beeline automatically plans transportation routes to “pool” pickups and deliveries. Beeline’s system saves time and reduces driving miles; it also provides small farmers with greater access to marketplaces, helping them stay competitive. A version of Beeline is currently being tested in Portland, Oregon, by Ecotrust’s Food Hub initiative.

[Image Credit: Dawn Danby and Paul Waggoner]

Food Distribution Systems
Beeline: Portland Oregon

[Image Credit: Dawn Danby and Paul Waggoner]

Production Facilities
The Farmers Diner: Quechee, Vermont

Tod Murphy

For regional food economies to grow and mature, local food must become more affordable. Founded in 1999, the Farmers Diner spends 65 percent of its food budget within 70 miles of the restaurant. This is not a high-end restaurant, but a reasonably priced establishment committed to locally sourced meals. The Farmers Diner is planning two more restaurants in Vermont. The next step will be to establish a regional, government-inspected commissary serving local restaurants; the commissary will centralize the processes of locating and regulating fresh foods

[Image Credit: Melissa Bagga]

Wind Energy
The Galveston Offshore Wind Project: Galveston, Texas

Wind Energy Systems Technology Group

Wind is an inexhaustible natural resource that produces clean energy. New turbine technologies have made the cost of wind power competitive with natural gas and eight times more efficient than solar power. Because many large U.S. cities are coastal, offshore wind projects can be sited relatively close to population centers. One of the more unconventional projects is being built near Galveston, Texas. Beginning in 2010, Galveston Offshore will repurpose decommissioned oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico retrofitting them with turbines and running power lines through existing undersea pipelines, thus avoiding the expense of burying electrical cables under the ocean floor. In addition to the decommissioned rigs, 64 additional platforms will be built; the resulting wind farm is expected to power 40,000 homes. The photo shows an anemometer measuring wind speed at a decommissioned rig.

[Image Credit: Ian Gedge]

Power Cogeneration
Cogeneration Power Facility, TransGas Energy Systems: New York, New York

Michael Singer Studio, Cannon Design, Oest Associates, William Reed, Sustainability Education Center

Many U.S. power plants produce electricity by burning fuel to turn generators. Cogeneration practices collect excess heat, usually in the form of steam, to turn additional generators, achieving production efficiencies of 75 percent or more. In 2002, Michael Singer was approached by TransGas Energy Systems to work on an early-stage design for a cogeneration facility. Singer’s team explored how the new plant could support the local community. As a result it is designed to direct excess heat from the gas-fired generators to warm public greenhouses, community spaces and administrative offices. This shows that we can wring still greater efficiencies from the fossil fuels that we will likely rely on for years. The TransGas buildings and site are intended to become an armature for an ”Urban Eco-Sustainable Network” including habitat creation, education, recreation areas and water preservation.

[Images Credit: The Singer Studio]

Power Cogeneration
Cogeneration Power Facility, TransGas Energy Systems: New York, New York

[Images Credit: The Singer Studio]

Carbon Offset Markets
SF Carbon Fund, San Francisco Department of Environment: San Francisco, CA

Emissions trading programs have successfully reduced the pollution that causes acid rain. Carbon markets follow a similar model, offering investments in carbon neutral or carbon sequestration projects to offset emissions. Energy producers will be major players in these markets. Through the newly established Carbon Fund, San Francisco is managing carbon-offset purchases within the city. Offset payments are being invested in renewable energy projects such as solar installations and a biodiesel conversion program. The first phase requires municipal offices to buy offsets for official travel. The second phase will offer residents, institutions, businesses and visitors the option to buy offsets. By balancing its own accounts, the San Francisco Carbon Fund creates a financial tool to spur green investments. The goal is to promote green infrastructure, increase green-collar jobs and reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

[Image Credit: © SFMTA/Carmen Magana]

Turnkey Energy Services
SunEdison

Renewable energy sources typically require higher capital investments from users than fossil fuels. These upfront costs hinder individuals and companies from investing in renewables. A number of companies are now offering to cover these costs in exchange for long-term contracts. SunEdison is the largest solar energy provider in North America, providing turnkey services for installing and maintaining photovoltaic panels on commercial, governmental, institutional and utility properties. SunEdison leases space from the property owner and installs and maintains solar panels; it then sells the power generated back to the property owner at below-market rates in exchange for federal tax credits.

[Image Credit: Sun Edison]

Kinetic Energy
Sustainable Dance Club LLC: Rotterdam, Netherlands

Doll - Atelier voor Bouwkunst, Enviu-innovators in sustainability, Cultural Development

Every step you take exerts a force. Designers and engineers are exploring ways to channel those everyday forces into electricity. Relying on great volumes of users, they hope to transform revolving doors, turnstiles, exercise bicycles and floors into power sources. The Sustainable Dance Club in Rotterdam converts the kinetic energy of dancers into electrical energy. Mechanical actuators beneath the floor generate between three and twenty watts of power with every step. Moving together, a roomful of dancers can turn the dance floor into a giant generator, producing enough energy to power the lights in the floor. The National Japanese Railway Ministry is exploring similar technologies for use on commuter train platforms. In Tokyo alone, 20 million people use rail and subway lines every day, which could create an amazing amount of power.

[Image Credit: Frank Hansjwik]

Cooperative Utilities
Benny Farm Redevelopment, Canada Lands Company: Montreal, Canada

L’OEUF Architecture

Rather than seeking private profits for shareholders, publicly held energy cooperatives produce affordable power for community stakeholders. The Benny Farm housing redevelopment has established a cooperative to finance investments in renewable energy. Created in the 1940s to house World War II veterans and their families, Benny Farm underwent a multiphase renovation and construction effort that created 550 affordable housing units, of which 187 are part of a green energy program. “Green Energy Benny Farm” was created as a non-profit, community-run utility that will oversee the water, energy and waste systems. The program’s cooperative business model allows Benny Farm to align its commitment to affordable housing with the long-term, cost saving effects of renewable energy.

[Image Credit: Pearl, Poddubiuk Architectes, L’Oeuf]

Green Roofs
Smart Roofs, LLC: New York City, New York

Sustainable South Bronx

Green roofs are structured plantings that cover, or replace, the roofs of new and existing buildings. A green roof can extend the life of roofing material and reduce cooling costs by deflecting summer heat. In addition, green roofs absorb storm water, improve air quality and reduce noise pollution. Sustainable South Bronx runs a green roof design, installation and maintenance company, as well as a policy department to drive demand for these services. Since 2005, the organization has installed six green roofs throughout the Bronx, and led a coalition to pass two new laws that support green roofing and other urban horticultural infrastructure. These initiatives support its pioneering “green collar“ job-training program and placement system.

[Image Credit: Sustainable South Bronx]

Super-Insulated Buildings
Rocky Mountain Institute Headquarters: Old Snowmass, Colorado

Imagine living in a building with no central heating in a climate where temperatures can fall as low as 30 degrees below zero in winter. Such extreme energy efficiency is made possible by super insulating buildings. The Rocky Mountain Institute keeps its inhabitants comfortable as a result of 16-inch-thick walls that allow the building to heat itself largely through passive solar gain from a central greenhouse that serves as the main “furnace,” with two wood stoves as backup. Constructed in 1984, the building was an experiment in energy efficiency and alternative technologies, and remains an important benchmark. RMI estimates that the savings on a traditional heating system, combined with the efficiencies of insulating walls and windows, paid for themselves in 10 months. In 1989 dollars, the building saved $19 of energy per day‚ or the equivalent of a barrel of oil per day.

[Image Credit: Rocky Mountain Institute]

Prefabrication
2005 Solar Decathlon Competition: Rhode Island School of Design

In 2005, RISD entered a prefabricated house in the U.S. Solar Decathlon, a biennial event sponsored by the Department of Energy to spur design research into energy efficient buildings. RISD’S 800-square-foot solar home re-imagines two features of prefabrication — the “service core” and the “pre-constructed skin“ — to maximize performance. The building is well insulated, allowing the heating and cooling systems to be half the usual size. A solar hot water system heats the space; water stored beneath the building cools it. These mechanical systems complement a louvered cladding system that moves with the sun to control heat gain. In the winter, the louvers allow the sun’s warmth to hit the building; in the summer they reflect heat and light away.

[Image Credit: RISD Solar]

Historic Renovation
Cherokee Headquarters: Raleigh, North Carolina

Tise-Kiester Architects, Carter & Burgess, Engineered Designs, Inc., Thompson Consulting

The reuse of existing buildings is an inherently green practice. Old structures can save almost 30 percent of the carbon footprint of new buildings, given the carbon costs of clearing land and producing materials. Cherokee Investment Partners’ corporate headquarters is a 100-year-old building in downtown Raleigh. The building was one of the first historic renovations to achieve LEED platinum certification. At Cherokee, upgrades to the heating and cooling systems, coupled with retiling the roof with well-insulated, reflective material and solar cells, helped reduce energy use by 25 percent. Perhaps the most important savings came from reusing an existing building rather than constructing a new one. Through careful planning, approximately 86 percent of construction and demolition waste was diverted from the landfill.

[Image Credit: Cherokee Investment Partners]

Building Systems Integration
One Bryant Park Tower, Durst Organization: New York City

Cook + Fox Architects

Buildings contain technical systems that determine the quality of life inside them. Yet heating, cooling, plumbing and ventilation systems remain largely invisible to inhabitants. Integrating these systems and increasing their efficiency decrease operating and environmental costs. Now under construction, the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park in New York City will be one of the greenest office buildings in the country. The 55-story tower will produce 70 percent of its energy needs and reduce its water use by 50 percent (compared to a conventional building). These efficiencies result from the careful integration of technical systems. For example, an underfloor displacement system provides heating, cooling and ventilation; with the duct systems in the floor, convection currents help move the air, allowing fan speeds to be reduced while delivering air to where people are (rather than overhead).

[Image Credit: Cook + Fox Architects]

Zero Energy Housing
RuralZED, ZEDfactory architects

Zero-energy structures produce enough electricity and heat to supply their own needs. Pioneered by backcountry homes, “off the grid” strategies are now being used by urban developments. By ending their reliance on fossil fuels, these buildings reduce operating costs, save energy and have low carbon footprints. One of the most prominent zero-energy developments is BedZED, in the London suburb of Beddington. BedZED is a multi-family complex with 100 homes and office space for 100 people. It incorporates proven and low-tech methods to reduce energy use. For example, electricity is produced by photovoltaic panels (around 11%) and by a small-scale combined heat and power plant (a type more commonly used in commercial buildings). The architects have developed a building system called RuralZED that can be purchased by homeowners, developers or municipalities. The units can be customized with different cladding and energy systems, permitting owners to achieve the United Kingdom’s highest standards of sustainable construction.

[Image Credit: ZEDfactory Architects]

Zero Energy Housing
RuralZED, ZEDfactory architects

[Image Credit: ZEDfactory Architects]

Xeriscaping
Demonstration Garden, Denver Water: Denver, Colorado

Xeriscaping reduces water use by replacing water-hungry plants with drought-tolerant species. Colorado pioneered xeriscaping: the term “xeriscape” — “xeros” is Greek for “dry” — was coined by the Denver Water Department in 1981 to promote water-conserving landscapes. The department constructed xeriscape demonstration landscapes in 1983.These covered a quarter acre and featured six turf types and 90 plant species. Most of the plants and turf types in place today survived minimal to no watering during the dry summer of 2002. The Denver Water garden offers an alternative to the standard American turf lawn — which uses between 65,000 to 80,000 gallons of water per year. In dry regions this water would be better directed to humans and animals.

[Image Credit: Denver Water]

Wastewater Recycling
Denver Water Recycling Plant, Denver Water: Commerce City, Colorado

Water recycling is critical in semi-arid regions where scarce resources are being further stressed by climate change. Municipal facilities recycle wastewater for non-potable uses such as irrigation and industrial processes. Along the South Platte River, the Denver Water Recycling Plant is projected to draw 9,100 acre-feet of water from a neighboring sewage treatment facility. At full capacity, the plant will augment Denver’s water supply by cleaning 17,000 acre-feet of “used” water that can be reused for cooling power plants, irrigating crops and filling lakes. This saves millions of gallons of fresh water for drinking. Non-potable water is delivered through a separate system of purple pipes directly to customers including the Denver Zoo, a power plant and the Denver Public School System. Segregated pipelines ensure that there is no mixing with fresh water. The purple pipes are a conspicuous symbol of Denver’s commitment to recycle water.

[Image Credit: Denver Water]

Stormwater Management
Portland Green Streets, Bureau of Environmental Services: Portland, Oregon

Kevin Robert Perry, ASLA, Sustainable Stormwater Management Program

Roadways, sidewalks and parking lots limit the absorption of rainwater into the soil. The resulting runoff increases erosion and flooding and lowers water quality. Sustainable stormwater management uses plants and soil to slow and filter runoff, allowing it to percolate into the ground. The Green Streets program is a city-wide initiative to promote and implement swales and planters that manage stormwater at the source. The runoff is captured and allowed to pool where soil and plants can filter it. The planters and swales support diverse organisms, including earthworms and bacteria that aerate the soil and consume waterborne pollutants. Portland has monitored Green Streets facilities and concluded that they can cut peak stormwater flows into the municipal sewer system by an average 85 percent, helping to reduce the need for costly sewer upgrades and investments.

[Image Credit: Portland Bureau of Environmental Services]

Constructed Wetlands
Herman Miller Parking Facility, Herman Miller: Cherokee County, Georgia

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Wetlands act as natural biofilters, removing sediments and pollutants from the water. Constructed wetlands are designed to treat waste water or manage stormwater. The Herman Miller manufacturing facility is located on 70 acres within a fragile creek ecosystem. Without careful design, runoff from parking, roadways and buildings would have devastated the local waterway. To prevent this, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates constructed a wetland to collect water and direct it away from the creek. Without pipes or curbs, runoff is directed into grassland plants that filter the water before releasing it into the wetlands. This controlled release also decreases erosion. Via a low-cost and low-maintenance solution that provides habitat for wildlife and picturesque views for workers, the facility effectively neutralizes the impact of runoff.

[Image Credit: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates]

Constructed Wetlands
Herman Miller Parking Facility, Herman Miller: Cherokee County, Georgia

[Image Credit: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates]

Grey Water Reuse
Drumless Laundry: Berkeley, California

Greywater Guerillas

Grey water is water that’s been used for a household purpose other than the toilet‚ such as washing dishes, cleaning clothes or showering. Grey water is an excellent source for irrigating outdoor gardens or flushing toilets in larger buildings. Unfortunately, regulations in many states forbid grey water reuse. The Greywater Guerrillas, founded in 1999 by Cleo Woelfle-Erskine and Laura Allen, design small-scale urban grey water systems. The “drumless laundry” is a low-cost, low-tech system for a single-family home. A three-way valve is added to the washing machine outflow pipe, allowing the water to be diverted for irrigation. Such reuse can dramatically decrease fresh water demand and the volume of wastewater discharged into sewer or septic systems. This reduces the costs of utility bills and of municipal water treatment. When used for irrigation, grey water helps recharge groundwater and allows plants to reclaim otherwise wasted nutrients.

[Image Credit: Laura Allen]

Watershed Conservation
Quabbin and Wachusett watersheds, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

Watershed conservation helps to protect drinking water. Sediments and pollutants are naturally filtered as water is absorbed into the soil. Maintaining open land enables the process and keeps water reserves clean. The Quabbin and Wachusett watersheds serve 2.2 million people and 5,500 industrial users in greater Boston, which as a result is one of only five major U.S. municipalities with water pure enough to drink with little more than chlorination. A combination of conservation measures ensures Boston’s water quality. Massachusetts owns over 100,000 acres of property in the watershed; the state’s 1992 Watershed Protection Act regulates land use and activities on properties in watershed areas. These strategies have allowed the MWRA to avoid creating a costly facility to filter Boston’s drinking water.

[Image Credit: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority]

Bike Sharing
Paris Velib, AFA JCDecaux: Paris, France

Patrick Jouin

Riding a bicycle reduces your reduce your carbon footprint. Bike sharing programs encourage an easy and flexible form of public transportation without the aggravations of bicycle ownership in the city. The Velib bike sharing program, inaugurated in July 2007, has 20,600 bikes stationed at 1,451 locations throughout Paris. Users pay an initial subscription fee (daily, weekly or annual) that makes the first 30 minutes of every rental free. Rented bicycles may be returned to any Velib station. This encourages short trips and frequent usage. Velib bicycles and bicycle stations are supplied and maintained by the media conglomerate JCDecaux in exchange for dedicated advertising space. This allows Paris to collect 100 percent of the subscription fees, estimated to reach 30 million Euros next year. The mayor of Paris predicts that a more physically active citizenry will lower overall health care costs.

[Image Credit: JCDecaux]

Congestion Pricing
Greater London Authority: London, England

City centers are notoriously frustrating to drive through. Traffic hinders public transportation, fills the air with exhaust and wastes time. Congestion pricing addresses these problems head-on by charging private vehicles a fee to use main roads during busy commuter hours. Before congestion pricing, central London had the worst traffic of any major UK city. With congestion pricing, motorists pay a charge of eight pounds ($16) on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. The revenues fund improvements to public transportation. Transport for London is now investing in hybrid technologies for its bus fleet to further reduce emissions and promote more travel choices. Since the program’s introduction in 2003, traffic flow has improved, with a 21 percent reduction of vehicles entering the zone. Carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by more than 15 percent. Contrary to what detractors predicted, the retail and theater sectors have actually experienced above-average growth. London’s experience suggests that limiting automobile traffic in city centers is a realistic measure to create more people-friendly cities.

[Image Credit: ©Transport for London 2005]

Congestion Pricing
Greater London Authority: London, England

[Image Credit: ©Transport for London 2005]

Light Rail
Denver Regional Transportation District: Denver, Colorado

Rail is the most fuel-efficient way to travel over land. Light-rail systems offer cities an inexpensive alternative to subway lines by running on existing surface roads or separate rights-of-way. Denver’s light-rail program consists of four lines with 36 stations and 35 miles of track. It serves the metro area and the southeastern and southwestern suburbs. Over the next decade, the system expects to add six new lines and expand to 57 stations. Denver’s light rail has reduced urban sprawl by making areas near stations desirable places to live.

[Image Credit: Denver Regional Transportation District]

Car Sharing
GoLoco, Robin Chase

Once limited to individual actions and office car pools, new businesses are providing car and rideshare services that allow members to use fewer vehicles, combat high fuel costs, reduce congestion and save money. Hourly rental services, like ZipCar, and private rideshare programs, like GoLoco, are good examples. GoLoco is an online ridesharing program that allows members to find passengers or drivers to share travel costs. Members of the GoLoco network “post” trips for other members to ”join.” Travelers can automatically share trip costs through GoLoco’s automated online payment system. The system is not limited to car owners either. Members may share costs on car rentals and taxi rides. Ridesharing makes efficient use of cars (without hindering the user’s ability to get around), reduces traffic volume, decreases emissions and cuts demand for parking in congested urban centers.

[Image Credit: GoLoco]

Bus Rapid Transit
Integrated Transport Network: Curitiba, Brazil

Modeled on the convenience of trains and trolleys, bus rapid transit raises the efficiency of city buses, creating a low cost “surface metro” for cities that do not have the density or capital to support subways. Curitiba, Brazil, is home to one of the most successful and best-known BRT systems in the world. Curitiba’s system is defined by three important design innovations that speed travel. First, riders prepay for tickets as they would on a subway. Second, they wait on a platform that is at the same level as the bus, expediting loading and unloading. Finally, buses travel in dedicated lanes. High-speed bus transit shows that efficient commuter travel can be achieved without costly investment in subway or light rail infrastructures. BRT systems reduce commuting times and individual fuel costs to create attractive transport options. By prioritizing public transportation, Curitiba has preserved green space and limited sprawl.

[Image Credit: Prefeitura Municipal de Curitiba/Instituto Jaime Lerner/Lina Favia]

Bus Rapid Transit
Integrated Transport Network: Curitiba, Brazil

[Image Credit: Prefeitura Municipal de Curitiba/Instituto Jaime Lerner/Lina Favia]

Compact Urban Development
Stapleton, Inc., Forest City Enterprises: Denver, Colorado

EDAW

The redevelopment of urban land, sometimes known as brownfield development, takes advantage of preexisting resources by revitalizing disused industrial and commercial properties. It helps preserve green space that might otherwise have been developed. Denver, Colorado, is home to one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in the country. Located on the former site of Stapleton International Airport, it comprises 4,700 acres; it also recycled more than six million tons (1,000 acres) of concrete from the former airport. Approximately 25 percent of the Stapleton land is reserved for open space, much of it restored to its ecological function. The development provides a high quality of life by blending the convenience, diversity and sophistication of city life with safety and community of suburban living.

[Image Credit: Forest City]

Adaptation
Solar Village: Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin

The hurricanes and floods of recent years may only hint at the severe weather expected to accompany global warming. Adjusting to changing weather patterns will be a necessary strategy to make communities more resilient. After a devastating flood in 1978, the village of Soldiers Grove took the bold step of moving its town center out of the floodplain. Rather than building costly new dam and levee systems, village leaders used federal assistance money and state, local and private investments to relocate municipal buildings and convert the riverfront into a municipal park. Motivated by the energy concerns of the time, village officials also mandated that all structures in the new town center use solar power, leading to the development of 20 solar buildings. The relocation project has benefited Soldiers Grove immensely, helping local businesses grow and prosper, while the solar buildings have kept operating costs low. When the Kickapoo River flooded at record levels in 2007, the town was virtually unscathed.

[Image Credit: Jerry Quebe]

Sustainable Reforestation
Las Gaviotas: Gaviotas, Colombia

Paolo Lugari and Gunter Pauli

Each year, tropical deforestation releases an estimated 1.5 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Local business people often assert that cutting down trees is necessary to support local economies. Sustainable reforestation proves that healthy, managed forests can balance ecological benefits with the need for good jobs. Since 1983, more than 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of tropical pine have been planted in Las Gaviotas, which has produced an incredibly diverse forest of nearly 253 species. The new forest has restored the hydrological cycle, increasing local rainfall by 10 percent. The restored forest purifies the existing groundwater, which was formerly dangerous to drink because of microbial content. In addition, the program provides 200 full-time jobs and part-time work for about 3,000. The community sells high-quality resin harvested from the pine forest, bio-fuels and turpentine refined from that resin, and good drinking water. Through the Massachusetts-based Marion Institute, Las Gaviotas also sells carbon offsets. The proceeds of the program fund further forestation projects.

[Image Credit: Peter Dean]

Shared Space
Exhibition Road, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea: London, England

Dixon Jones Architects, Hamilton-Baille Assoc. Ltd.

Shared space is an approach to street design that integrates pedestrians and cars to create public, “shared” spaces. Pioneered by Hans Monderman, the concept is to make drivers more attentive to pedestrians by redesigning the visual and physical cues — signs, lighting and paving — that influence drivers. Exhibition Road, home to some of London’s finest museums, is being redesigned: sidewalks will be removed to create a single shared surface of interlocking granite pavers, spanning the street and running several blocks. Such redesign promises environmental benefits as well. Replacing tarmac with cobbles or other pavers decreases stormwater runoff and better supports street trees. The shared-space approach suggests new ways to repurpose urban and suburban streets, reclaiming public space and creating new opportunities for greening our cities.

[Image Credit: Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea]