Jonce Walker LEED AP, CSBA, Fitwel Ambassador

Overlooking “the crossroads of the world,” Times Square, Schrödinger’s new New York City office—occupying four floors of 1540 Broadway—is a reprieve from the hustle and provides a haven of wellness and sustainability.

Urban Acupuncture is a socio-environmental theory that combines contemporary urban design with traditional Chinese acupuncture, using small-scale interventions to transform the larger urban context. Just as the practice of acupuncture is aimed at relieving stress in the human body, the goal of urban acupuncture is to relieve stress in the built environment. Urban acupuncture is intended to to produce small-scale but socially catalytic interventions in the urban fabric. No needles necessary.

Have you ever wondered why the sound of waves, a walk in the woods or a secluded refuge are universally appealing? One school of thought says that man has an innate need to connect with the natural world.

As our cities expand and densify simultaneously, there is a need to design places to connect people to nature. If we are not careful, our commute and daily experience within the city will be nothing more than glass, steel, and concrete. This post articulates the need for biophilic interventions in urban places, offers good examples found in NYC, and suggests easy solutions you can take now to help.

~CONTRIBUTOR~
By tapping into billions of years of research and development, innovative companies are abstracting strategies from the natural world and developing truly transformative technologies. Organisms have flourished on Earth for nearly 4 billion years, continuously adapting to our planet’s diverse environments and diffuse energy flows. Tapping into Nature explores how pioneering companies are leveraging these adaptations and demonstrates the vast and largely untapped market potential… Show more

~CONTRIBUTOR~
By tapping into billions of years of research and development, innovative companies are abstracting strategies from the natural world and developing truly transformative technologies. Organisms have flourished on Earth for nearly 4 billion years, continuously adapting to our planet’s diverse environments and diffuse energy flows. Tapping into Nature explores how pioneering companies are leveraging these adaptations and demonstrates the vast and largely untapped market potential of bioinspired innovation. Show less

There are several climate change-vulnerable areas in the U.S., but some of the most fragile ones include the cities of the arid southwest desert that have been developed with a manifest destiny ethic, turning a blind eye to geographical context. Unfortunately, this lack of regional mindfulness has begun to work against the resiliency of these cities as climate change tightens its grip.

~CONTRIBUTOR~
Biophilic design can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, improve our well-being and expedite healing; as the world population continues to urbanize, these qualities are ever more important. Theorists, research scientists, and design practitioners have been working for decades to define aspects of nature that most impact our satisfaction with the built environment. “14 Patterns of Biophilic Design” articulates the relationships between nature, human biology… Show more

~CONTRIBUTOR~
Biophilic design can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, improve our well-being and expedite healing; as the world population continues to urbanize, these qualities are ever more important. Theorists, research scientists, and design practitioners have been working for decades to define aspects of nature that most impact our satisfaction with the built environment. “14 Patterns of Biophilic Design” articulates the relationships between nature, human biology and the design of the built environment so that we may experience the human benefits of biophilia in our design applications.

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It’s become part of New York civic pride to boast that each of us creates just one-third the carbon pollution of the average American. But the subway deserves a lot of the credit, and those of us who work with buildings know there’s a long way to go until we’ve taken advantage of all the cost-effective efficiency gains we can.

I bundled up and made my way from my job in lower Manhattan to Bed-Stuy Brooklyn to see the new Social Bike (SoBi) space and chat with its founder and CEO Ryan Rzepecki. Social Bike is growing by leaps and bounds and I thought it would be fun to check in with them.

For the first time in human history over half of the world population lives in an urban place. This means that more people rely on a complicated network of electricity grids, sewer systems, and transportation networks. When disaster shocks this system, be it climate change related super storms or rolling black outs, the cities with the best resilient urban design will take care of their citizens better than the cities that remained too complacent to plan and design for these events.

What is driving demand for sustainable assets? What is the current momentum behind sustainability in the investment community? What is the perceived value of sustainability? How is sustainability viewed in the US vs. Europe?

Pedal Craft. The struggle to explain what it is has existed for a couple of years. Is it a show, an event, a movement? Does it lobby, advocate, promote? The answer is yes. Although, not by design.

The greatest cities in the world have made conscious decisions to create access to nature in the center of the built environment. Paris with over 400 parks, some dating back to the 17th century. NYC with Central Park and Prospect Park, which combined cover over 1,400 acres. Barcelona, which is home to the Jardins Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer, and it 100,000 plants that bloom year round. There are countless other cities that stand out globally as making an investment in its citizens by providing… Show more

The greatest cities in the world have made conscious decisions to create access to nature in the center of the built environment. Paris with over 400 parks, some dating back to the 17th century. NYC with Central Park and Prospect Park, which combined cover over 1,400 acres. Barcelona, which is home to the Jardins Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer, and it 100,000 plants that bloom year round. There are countless other cities that stand out globally as making an investment in its citizens by providing inspiring parks, and open spaces. Why? Why would these dense cities choose to spend millions of dollars on nature? Because humans need it in order to thrive. Think about it. Are you unhappy when you smell a rose, or when you take your shoes off in a grass park? Unless you are allergic to roses and/or have gnarly bunions, no. You do those things because they bring you joy. There is a reason for that, and its called Biophilia. Show less

Maricopa County has launched a new phase of its six-year-old Green Government Program. The county has implemented hundreds of green measures, such as recycling, energy conservation and installing four megawatts of solar panels. Jonce Walker, the sustainability manager for the county, will talk about sustainability efforts by the county.

At Urban Green’s recent Author Talk, illustrator Frank Ching and green building leader Ian Shapiro discussed their new book, Green Building Illustrated. Ching, an artist, author, architect, and professor, has influenced the majority of American architects since the early 1970’s. Shapiro, a longtime innovator in the sustainable building industry, is the founder and chairman of Taitem Engineering (short for “Technology As If The Earth Mattered”).

Cities now serve as living space and home for more than half of all
mankind. But what is it really like to live in a large city? What challenges are urban dwellers facing today in order to ensure a healthy life
tomorrow? What is the ongoing relationship of cities with their natural
environment? What kind of dynamic drives urban communities forwards, and what fascination do cities exert on their citizens? According to what rules do they continuously transform themselves?
Guided by… Show more

Cities now serve as living space and home for more than half of all
mankind. But what is it really like to live in a large city? What challenges are urban dwellers facing today in order to ensure a healthy life
tomorrow? What is the ongoing relationship of cities with their natural
environment? What kind of dynamic drives urban communities forwards, and what fascination do cities exert on their citizens? According to what rules do they continuously transform themselves?
Guided by these questions, D/A 18 explores life in three cities with
a photographic essay, showing crops of panoramic photographs of
London, Phoenix and Rio de Janeiro taken by artist Robert Polidori in
the spring of 2012. Show less