New urbanists step up their progress toward ‘green’ design
New Urban News Article with images, graphs, tables, sidebars, 1/1/2008
A council highlights green architecture initiatives of the New Urbanism while the trend gains recognition for fighting greenhouse gas emissions.
The inherently climate-friendly aspects of New Urbanism have recently attracted a burst of public attention, at the same time that new urbanist designers and developers have increasingly incorporated environmentally advanced energy and stormwater technology into their projects.
With popular awareness of global warming intensifying, the appeal of compact, mixed-use, transit-accessible communities appears to be on the rise. Among the signs of this trend:
• Time magazine on Dec. 19 published an essay arguing that “technological fixes” like hybrid cars, wind turbines, and algae biofuel will not be enough to get us out of “the climate change mess.” Writer Bryan Walsh said purported solutions “like rooftop solar panels or energy-efficient insulation” do not go to the heart of the difficulties facing the country and the world.
