Twenty-five years ago, the advent of Green building created a brand new market. Today, this industry is worth a trillion dollars worldwide. The stipulations about energy and water efficiency as well as waste and greenhouse gas reduction that underpin every building certification have been widely accepted as best practice across the globe. Health and well-being […]
Read More… from The built environment: Its role in improving health and well-being
With the dramatic changes swept in by COVID-19, rigid school and office hours have given way to a more flexible system of working, hence putting less pressure on transport systems and energy grids. This was heard at a net-zero cities panel organised by the World Economic Forum. Image from C40 Cities “If you can actually […]
Imagine a world with no wastes, no pollution; where animals and plants on land and in the oceans prosper from the existence of humans as much as we do from the biology and geophysics of the Earth. Is this impossible? Or must life on Earth be a zero-sum game between humanity and other species? A […]
Read More… from The circular economy could save life on Earth – starting with our cities
Why is it so important to decarbonise cities? Cities represent humanity’s greatest achievements—and greatest challenges. From inequality to air pollution, poorly designed cities are feeling the strain as 68 per cent of humanity is predicted to live in urban areas by 2050. The cities in which more than half of us live account for nearly […]
Read More… from Decarbonising cities: How to harmonise buildings, mobility and infrastructure
The energy sector, still dominated by fossil fuels, is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. We know we need to switch to sustainable energy. Yet, despite progress, we are not on track to meet our climate goals and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7: universal access to clean, affordable and reliable energy. Much more needs to be done. 1) […]
Read More… from Five reasons to be optimistic about clean energy in 2021
“A triple threat of coronavirus, climate change and conflict means an ambitious goal to end extreme poverty by 2030 looks increasingly unlikely,” said the World Bank in its Poverty and Shared Prosperity report. 7 October 2020 — Extreme poverty will rise for the first time this century as COVID-19 hammers the global economy, as stated […]
Read More… from COVID, climate and conflict conspire to push up poverty
25 September 2020 — I thank the Singapore Institute of Architects for continuing with Archifest this year, and adapting it to a digital setting. Technology has made it possible for us to continue meeting and networking virtually. Your efforts to stay in close touch with your community and support one another is very encouraging. The […]
COVID-19 shutdown measures have had economic impacts far beyond city boundaries as urban economies account for 80 per cent of global GDP. The response should tackle the inequalities and long-term development deficits that have been exposed and made marginalised groups more vulnerable. The UN SG’s Policy Brief on COVID-19 in an Urban World estimates that urban areas […]
Read More… from COVID-19: Cities in the frontline of response and recovery
How often do we say in the workplace that we could use a little vacation? And more often than not, what are the places we think of when we envision that place? Perhaps we think of a beach, a trail through the forest, the mountains or a quiet place in our very own backyards. When […]
Read More… from The biophilic office: Reconnecting nature to the workforce
During the first in a series of roundtable discussions on responding and recovering better from the global crisis, this one with women economists, Secretary-General António Guterres painted a grim picture of acute suffering, saying that extreme poverty and hunger are set to increase drastically. Many healthcare systems are already at breaking point; and a whole […]
Read More… from ‘Bold and creative’ solutions needed for a sustainable, post-pandemic economy
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), alongside several partners in the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP), developed a set of ten principles for post-COVID-19 recovery focusing on investing in sustainable and resilient infrastructure. To avoid future crises, the Principles recommend that infrastructure ensure resilience through integrated, systems-level planning and built-in flexibility and redundancy. The Principles state that […]
Read More… from Principles for recovery: Sustainable and resilient infrastructure
Not only is there a twin health and economic crisis, but the long-standing international order has been weakened at the very time we need it to underpin our response to climate change and ease rising geo-political tensions. We need to reimagine how to strengthen cooperation between governments, businesses and our communities in Asia-Pacific, to build […]
