Back to the forest

A case for urban agroforestry We often think of agriculture as separate from nature, a highly controlled system created to produce the most food at the lowest cost. A forest appears to be the polar opposite of this, a space protected from human intervention where nature can run wild. Yet, increasing evidence shows that many […]

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Benchmarking the Benchmark: Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of Malaysia’s Green Building Index

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Good intentions notwithstanding, Green building rating tools can evoke a certain degree of consternation within the construction industry. These tools are far from immaculate entities, but rather dynamic and sometimes imprecise instruments whose efficacy is often a function of how, why and where they are employed. Just as how a hammer could be used to […]

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Rural-Urban Dichotomy: Dhaka

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HARSH REALITIES OF IN-MIGRATION Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has been infamous for its place among the five most ‘unliveable’ cities in the world since 2011. One of the major factors for the ‘uninhabitable’ status of the city is the ever-increasing phenomenon of rural to urban migration within the country. Sixty-three per cent of the […]

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China & India

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HOW RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION SHAPES OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT: A SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA & INDIA In Asia, we are in the midst of a significant demographic shift, as rural populations flock to urban centres to share in the region’s economic rise. As they do, they are radically transforming both the urban and rural landscapes. Some of the […]

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The Digital Bridge

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How can global society strengthen its rural areas and reverse a decline in countries such as the United States that is now more than a century old? Slowing down urban migration and building up skills and opportunity for rural inhabitants is an oft-cited goal for many sustainability thinkers. In one example, Amory Lovins told this […]

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Functionality, quality, quantity: an overview of public housing in Hong Kong

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As home prices continue to escalate in the world’s most expensive property market, fear of the ability to provide a basic shelter over one’s head continues to grow, and the provision of sufficient affordable housing has been one of the major challenges faced by the government of Hong Kong today. While the soaring demand for […]

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