Sustainable Urbanism Articles
An selection of professional writings on sustainability, climate change, and the built environment.
Why I Started Tangible
Real estate has a climate problem, and everybody knows it.
The real estate industry produces about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions–more than any other industry.*
According to research from the latest IPCC report, every 1,000 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) results in about 0.45 degrees of warming. So far the world has emitted 2,390 GtCO2e since pre-industrial times, warming the planet by about 1 degree already. The real estate industry was responsible for emitting 10 GtCO2e in 2019, alone. That’s 1/200th of a degree of warming, in one year, by one industry. Absolutely nuts.
Energy efficiency: The unsung hero of Net Zero Carbon
It is now business as usual for the private sector to at least consider sustainability and account for climate change in their operations. However, making ambitious public commitments, like Science-Based Targets or an RE100 goal, is still a mark of leadership.
AP/BRENNAN LINSLEY
The Certainty of a Warming Planet
March 2015 was the first time that scientists saw atmospheric carbon dioxide levels remain at over 400 ppm for more than a month. Then in September the levels stayed above that point, usually the time when CO2 is at its lowest. If this trend continues we are unlikely to ever see levels below 350 ppm again in our lifetimes. But what does this concentration really mean? ATTN: spoke to experts in the field of climate change to find out.
What is embodied carbon?
Whilst most of the focus on “green building” has been about converting towers, offices and everyday infrastructure to using renewable power, this is only half of the story. The materiality and composition of buildings is equally as important when accounting for architecture’s carbon impact.
The 3 Green Building Legislation Trends You Need to Know
The United States has not always been a world leader when it comes to buildings that are good for the planet or supportive of human health.
Rather, the market has long been fragmented between different regions, with some states and cities leading the way on environmental regulation and market-driven solutions.
Not Investing in Public Transportation: A Long-Term Cost
On your way to work, you squeeze on the crowded train, in between briefcase-toting businessmen and mothers bringing their children to school. On the weekends, services are delayed or suspended. Late night services run express from your stop, making you transfer trains to get to your favorite bar. These scenarios may be inconvenient, but imagine if the subway weren’t there at all.
Cities and companies: The real heroes of climate change
Behemoth problems like climate change can seem intractable, particularly if the responsibility is on individuals. With the Paris Climate Agreement only being upheld by a handful of countries, and the U.S. government rolling back regulations meant to curb emissions, one might wonder how we will ever make the necessary progress to avoid the worst of climate change.
Enter the role of cities and companies.