Texas Central, the private company developing the Texas Bullet Train, announced it had signed a deal with Salini Impregilo, the Italian construction giant, and its American subsidiary, Lane Construction, to design, construct and install the 240-mile high-speed rail line using Japan’s Shinkansen trains. — The Houston Chronicle
The plan to build a 90-minute bullet train between Dallas and Houston still requires a number of local, state, and federal approvals before it can move forward. Nonetheless, backers of the project are raising funding for the initiative and setting out to complete early design work. Texas... View full entry
Under the 25-year deal with developer 8minute Solar Energy, the city would buy electricity from a sprawling complex of solar panels and lithium-ion batteries in the Mojave Desert of eastern Kern County, about two hours north of Los Angeles. The Eland project would meet 6% to 7% of L.A.'s annual electricity needs and would be capable of pumping clean energy into the grid for four hours each night.
The combined solar power and energy storage is priced at 3.3 cents per kilowatt-hour [...]
— Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti praised the approved Eland Solar and Storage Center as an integral part of the city's climate commitment to reach 55% renewable energy by 2025, 80% renewable energy by 2036, and 100% renewable energy by 2045. "Located on 2,650 acres in Kern County, California, the... View full entry
This Friday, the University of Pennsylvania will hold Designing a Green New Deal, a day-long symposium aimed at articulating a design perspective for "a still-abstract set of proposals for decarbonizing the economy, eliminating poverty, creating green, working-class jobs, and retrofitting... View full entry
It is estimated that up to 1 billion birds die every year in the United States due to collisions with glass facades and buildings, according to experts at the American Bird Conservancy and the Smithsonian. This worrisome statistic has prompted municipalities to institute "bird-friendly"... View full entry
The B.C. Parks Foundation, an independent charity that works with B.C. Parks, was able to raise $3 million to buy [1,977 acres] in Princess Louisa Inlet from a private seller. — CBC News
According to CBC News, the B.C. Foundation aims to bundle the new nature preserve with a series of surrounding properties to create a 22,200-acre provincial park around the entire inlet. View full entry
In a recent article in The Guardian, architecture critic Rowan Moore asks, "So what would architecture look like–more importantly, what would it be–if all involved really and truly put climate at the centre of their concerns?" It's true, the architecture profession has created a... View full entry
Tom Bennett of Studio Bark was charged with breaching section 14 of the 1986 Public Order Act after his arrest earlier this year for his role in the mass demonstrations highlighting the planet’s growing climate emergency.
Arrested during XR’s blockade of Waterloo Bridge on Saturday 20 April, Bennett was among about 60 climate change activists entering their pleas for similar offences at the City of London Magistrates’ Court on (August 30th).
UK Architect Tom Bennett of Studio Bark was arrested during the April 20th Extinction Rebellion-led (XR) climate protests that gripped London and other cities. The protests, part of an "international rebellion" organized against climate inaction, were met with a heavy police presence in London and... View full entry
The Seattle City Council will consider a ban on natural gas for newly constructed homes and buildings, favoring the use of electricity for heating and cooking.
Councilmember Mike O’Brien plans to introduce legislation this week that would prohibit natural-gas piping systems in new structures, starting next summer. The ban would take effect for permitting on July 1, 2020, according to a draft of the legislation.
— The Seattle Times
If successfully implemented, the ban would position Seattle alongside Berkeley, San Jose, San Francisco as American cities that have recently banned new natural gas infrastructure. A 2016 report estimates that roughly one-quarter of Seattle's total greenhouse gas emissions come from... View full entry
The leadership of the American Institute of Architects organization has officially signed off on an ambitious climate agenda that was proposed during the organization's annual meeting in Las Vegas. The so-called "Resolution for Urgent and Sustained Climate Action," introduced at the meeting... View full entry
Twenty-two million trees are to be planted every year in Ireland over the next two decades as part of a plan to tackle climate change, the Government has said.
While the Government’s climate action plan, published in June, proposed 8,000 hectares – or 19,768 acres – of new forestry every year in a bid to capture carbon emissions, it did not specify the number of trees involved.
— The Irish Times
Ireland is aiming to turn a large portion of its agricultural land over to forestry as a plan to plant 22 million trees per year for the next 20 years takes shape. A Department of Communications spokesperson for the Irish Climate Action and Environment told The Irish Times, “The... View full entry
This year's first prize for the CHART Art Fair, a 72-hour competition inviting young designers working in the Nordic region to explore the crossovers between art, design, and architecture by creating temporary pavilions, went to Sultan, a project that utilizes discarded IKEA mattresses as its base... View full entry
This post is brought to you by AIA San Francisco The American Institute of Architects San Francisco (AIASF) and the Center for Architecture + Design are pleased to announce the 16th annual Architecture + the City festival September 1-30. One of the nation’s largest architectural festivals... View full entry
INFONAVIT, the federal institute for workers housing of Mexico, is the largest mortgage lender in Latin America. Founded in 1972, the Mexico City-based institute has played a critical role for families across Mexico attempting access decent housing. The institution, along with MOS architects, has... View full entry
We must continue to prepare for acute shocks—
events that could threaten our City’s ability to function, such as
natural disasters. We must also address chronic stresses—challenges that weaken our natural, built, or human resources, such
as income inequality and chronic homelessness. Stresses often
exacerbate the effects of shocks when they occur, particularly for
vulnerable populations.
— City of Seattle
The plan comes as Seattle, the fastest-growing city in the country, and the larger Puget Sound metropolitan region around it, prepare to nearly double in population by 2050. View full entry
Former President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote speech at the 2019 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo this year in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference is organized by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), and bills itself as "the only event genuinely dedicated to... View full entry
