Have civil society and governments ceded too much power and influence to a few tech corporations? Why analysis of the smart city needs to include private sector data.
Dillon Mahmoudi (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and Alan Wiig (University of Florida) comment on the contributions of the Buildings & Cities special issue Data Politics in the Built Environment. This commentary considers how tech corporates such as Amazon are changing urban life and creating new forms of automated surveillance.
MoreEdited by: Vanesa Castán Broto, Enora Robin, Aidan While. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020, ISBN: 978-3-030-53386-1
Laura Tozer reviews this novel and thought-provoking book examining how climate urbanism is being embraced, promoted and contested. The book is a must read for researchers, policymakers, students and practitioners aiming to explore how climate action can move from being reactive to being transformative and more equitable.
MoreWhy more just and democratic ways are needed for living in smart built environments.
Miguel Valdez (Open University) comments on the contributions of the Buildings & Cities special issue Data Politics in the Built Environment. This commentary considers an additional perspective and provides an additional foundation to support more progressive data politics in the built environment. The three Aristotelian virtues of ‘techne’, ‘episteme’ and ‘phronesis’ and epistemic justice provide suitable lenses to critique smart city politics.
MoreBoth technical advancements AND human- and nature-centred solutions of culture & heritage are needed.
Lori Ferriss (Architecture 2030) reflects on her attendance at COP28. Although COP28 included many wins for the built environment, it also marked a moment of missed opportunity to include valuable indigenous and heritage knowledge and culture-based climate solutions in the built environment agenda. Recommendations are made for improving policy pathways and the role of research.
MoreWill space heating use hydrogen or electric heat pumps? The solution may not be that simple.
Jon Saltmarsh (Energy Systems Catapult; previously at UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) reflects on the polarised debate around how best to decarbonise homes in the UK. Lessons from the UK may have resonance for other nations in their own journey towards low carbon heating in homes.
MoreThe rationale and implications of ensuring adequate daylight provision are considered for designing cities and buildings.
The World Health Organization lists universal access to clean air, clean water, nutritious food and safe shelter as key components of public health, Lisa Heschong (author, architectural researcher & a fellow of the Illuminating Engineering Society), argues that access to ample daylight, both outdoors and indoors, should be added to that list. Evidence from many different scientific fields1 reveal that humans live healthier, happier, more productive lives with daily exposure to the natural patterns of sunlight.
MoreBy Felix Heisel and Dirk E Hebel, in collaboration with Ken Webster. Birkhäuser, 2022, ISBN: 9783035621099
Matti Kuittinen reviews this outstanding book on circular construction and circular economy, which not only discusses resource aspects of construction and architecture but also covers the underlying fundamentals. This can inspire building designers, construction professionals, authorities, and policy makers. Equally, it is an effective resource for builders and demolition professionals, building inspectors, product developers, and municipal authorities who may be considering embarking in the path of circularity.
MoreBy S. Pincetl, H. Gustafson, F. Federico, E.D. Fournier, R. Cudd & E. Porse. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020, ISBN: 9783030556013
Dominic Humphrey reviews this book which offers a practical approach for an equitable transition to net zero. It explains how different stakeholders can enable cities to adapt to changing climate. Thanks to its accessible language, the book will be of interest to a wide readership – from policymakers and researchers to parts of the general public.
MoreWhy urban spaces need to be reimagined from an intersectional perspective, incorporating the voices and experiences of women
Cities are hubs of economic activity and cultural vibrancy, however, urban growth policies and city governance that fail to consider gender and poverty have exacerbated socio-economic disparities, exclusion, and segregation. Nourhan Bassan (GamingX) discusses some of key themes from her forthcoming book “The Gendered City”. She argues that it is imperative to understand the historical context of urban design, to critically examine gender disparities in cities, and to advocate for women's rights in shaping and accessing urban spaces.
Moreby Matti Kuittinen (Aalto University & the Nordic authority group working for climate declarations for buildings 2020–2023)
For mitigating the built environment's large carbon footprint, regulation within the next 10 years is needed in all countries. The Nordic countries have been co-developing climate policies for buildings since 2018 and are already seeing the positive outcomes from joint efforts. COP28 can apply these principles and lessons elsewhere. To prevent duplication of effort in each country, international collaboration with climatically and culturally similar countries can be beneficial.
MoreRead this vital series of essays providing multiple perspectives on expected and needed outcomes from COP28.
For COP28, Buildings & Cities presents a series of short, learned commentaries from the built environment community that are primarily aimed at policy makers. These essays reveal the diversity of issues that need to be embraced and, most importantly, point to constructive approaches to climate action.
MoreBy Alexander Passer, Thomas Lützkendorf, Rolf Frischknecht (representing IEA EBC Annex 89)
The built environment contributes 40% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, is massively affected by the consequences of climate change and can itself be part of the solution. It is a cause, a victim and a solution at the same time and therefore urgently requires actions by COP28 and national governments. A specific GHG budget for national building stocks including a clearly defined reduction pathway towards net zero GHG emissions is needed, in parallel with a legal binding requirement to limit GHG emissions in the life cycle of individual buildings.
MoreBy Rihab Khalid (University of Cambridge)
COP28 must create transformative change to ensure gender equality and align with the framework of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender equality, a cornerstone of this agenda, holds a critical lens to examine and address the intersecting crises of climate change and social inequity. Climate change has differential impacts on men and women, with the latter often bearing the disproportionate burden of climate-related impacts and vulnerabilities. Although women play a critical and transformative role in both climate adaptation and mitigation, they continue to face substantial challenges and disparities in terms of sustainable development.
MoreSpecialist toolkits can help the built environment professions to design urban spaces with gender equality
In the past, planning and design decisions have resulted
in creating places that make the lives of women harder than men. Karen Horwood and
Charlotte Morphet (Leeds
Beckett University) discuss the use of toolkits that address gender equality in
town planning. They propose that toolkits
could help to achieve change and inclusivity in processes across all the built
environment professions.
Cities are beginning to address gender inequality and successful examples show what can be achieved
Jua Cilliers (University of Technology Sydney & the Commonwealth Association of Planners) explores how addressing gender disparities can create cities that are inclusive, safe and functional for all their inhabitants. Gender inequity intersects with access, mobility, safety, health, climate resilience and security of tenure. Women and other marginalized gender groups face barriers in accessing public services, navigating through cities and staying safe.
MoreIs managed retreat or abandonment an appropriate alternative if investment in building resilience is no longer possible?
When thinking about the future of our cities in the context of the ongoing climate crisis, what insights arise from the collapse and abandonment of pre-modern cities? Dan Penny (University of Sydney) considers what lessons these historical events have for modern societies, for our policies and planning.
MoreWhy lessons from vernacular buildings need to be rediscovered and transferred into better practice.
Robyn Pender (Whethergauge Ltd) argues that to reduce our dependence on energy to deliver resilient, comfortable and healthy buildings, we must recover vernacular knowledge of ‘pre-carbon’ buildings, i.e. buildings that existed before widespread fossil fuel exploitation.
MoreInvolving women in urban development processes and decisions will make cities better for everyone.
Elin Andersdotter Fabre (UN Habitat) and Tove Levonen (Shared City Foundation) explain why cities need to be more inclusive for women. The UN Habitat ‘Her City’ project provides a participatory toolkit and process to include women in urban planning, design and development.
MoreA forthcoming Buildings & Cities special issue will examine ways to identify and disrupt ill-suited approaches to urban adaptation. Societies need a more pluralistic, inclusive approach to make adaptation work.
Urgent climate adaptation action is needed in cities all around the world, but progress is slow, and responses tend to be technocratic. Vanesa Castán Broto (University of Sheffield), Marta Olazabal (Basque Centre for Climate Change & Ikerbasque) & Gina Ziervogel (University of Cape Town) explain why disruptive adaptation narratives are needed to align the interests of multiple actors and achieve meaningful change.
MoreBy Kian Goh. MIT Press, 2021, ISBN: 9780262367066
Linda Westman applauds this book which eloquently explores the intricacy of how plans to protect cities against the impacts of climate change are devised, by whom, and with what socio-spatial consequences. The book is worth reading for its ability to hold on to hope and its search for emancipatory action despite all odds.
MoreSuburban climate adaptation governance: assumptions and imaginaries affecting peripheral municipalities
L Cerrada Morato
Urban shrinkage as a catalyst for transformative adaptation
L Mabon, M Sato & N Mabon
Maintaining a city against nature: climate adaptation in Beira
J Schubert
Ventilation regulations and occupant practices: undetectable pollution and invisible extraction
J Few, M Shipworth & C Elwell
Nature for resilience reconfigured: global- to-local translation of frames in Africa
K Rochell, H Bulkeley & H Runhaar
How hegemonic discourses of sustainability influence urban climate action
V Castán Broto, L Westman & P Huang
Fabric first: is it still the right approach?
N Eyre, T Fawcett, M Topouzi, G Killip, T Oreszczyn, K Jenkinson & J Rosenow
Gender and the heat pump transition
J Crawley, F Wade & M de Wilde
Social value of the built environment [editorial]
F Samuel & K Watson
Understanding demolition [editorial]
S Huuhka
Data politics in the built environment [editorial]
A Karvonen & T Hargreaves
European building passports: developments, challenges and future roles
M Buchholz & T Lützkendorf
Decision-support for selecting demolition waste management strategies
M van den Berg, L Hulsbeek & H Voordijk
Assessing social value in housing design: contributions of the capability approach
J-C Dissart & L Ricaurte
Electricity consumption in commercial buildings during Covid-19
G P Duggan, P Bauleo, M Authier, P A Aloise-Young, J Care & D Zimmerle
Disruptive data: historicising the platformisation of Dublin’s taxi industry
J White & S Larsson
Impact of 2050 tree shading strategies on building cooling demands
A Czekajlo, J Alva, J Szeto, C Girling & R Kellett
Social values and social infrastructures: a multi-perspective approach to place
A Legeby & C Pech
Resilience of racialized segregation is an ecological factor: Baltimore case study
S T A Pickett, J M Grove, C G Boone & G L Buckley
Latest Commentaries
The Data Politics of Tech Corporations
Dillon Mahmoudi (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and Alan Wiig (University of Florida) comment on the contributions of the Buildings & Cities special issue Data Politics in the Built Environment. This commentary considers how tech corporates such as Amazon are changing urban life and creating new forms of automated surveillance.
Phronesis and Epistemic Justice in Data-Driven Built Environments
Miguel Valdez (Open University) comments on the contributions of the Buildings & Cities special issue Data Politics in the Built Environment. This commentary considers an additional perspective and provides an additional foundation to support more progressive data politics in the built environment. The three Aristotelian virtues of ‘techne’, ‘episteme’ and ‘phronesis’ and epistemic justice provide suitable lenses to critique smart city politics.