Commentaries

Designing Beyond Climate Change

Challenges ahead: sustainable design is much more than addressing climate change

Humanity is changing the Earth's climate quickly and substantially. Huge impacts are now evident on the weather, oceans, ecosystems and certainly on buildings and cities. So much remains to be done around the world to reshape our infrastructure for the ongoing and coming impacts from human-caused climate change. Ilan Kelman (University College London) explains why the challenge is doing so without losing sight of other minor and major dangers.

Future Urban Research: Focus on the Commons

Challenges ahead: framing urban research as a commons activity and as a research agenda

The focus of urban research has shifted in recent years.While the traditional focus was on aspects of urban provision (e.g. mass transit, housing, other infrastructure), the recent emphasis has shifted to the 'end goals' of urbanisation - e.g. sustainability, resilience, well-being, etc. In all these, a constant underlying theme has been the emphasis on creating and managing places. Rohinton Emmanuel (Glasgow Caledonian University) explains why future research needs to focus on the urban commons.

Research in a Rapidly Changing and Increasingly Uncertain World

Challenges ahead: how the conduct of research needs to change

How might the conduct of research need to change in the future? What are the lessons for built environment research from the Covid pandemic? Raymond J Cole (University of British Columbia) considers whether and why knowledge production outside the purview of disciplinary-based research is increasing needed. Addressing rapid change and the complex multi-faceted consequences of a warming climate will challenge existing research methodologies and is likely to require increased interdisciplinarity. New ways of working will also require overcoming organisational barriers and a deeper understanding of the needs of decisionmakers.

Disruptive Technologies and the Regulator's Dilemma

Why regulatory interfaces should be re-opened and re-experimentalised to produce more socially just data-driven cities.

Andrea Pollio (Polytechnic of Turin and University of Cape Town) comments on a paper in the Buildings & Cities special issue Data Politics in the Built Environment: 'Disruptive data: historicising the platformisation of Dublin's taxi industry'. This commentary considers the broader political economy logics that underlie the datafication of cities. There is an important (often missing) role for the state to have an active role in creating planning, regulation and state entrepreneurialism in relation to the private sector.

Assessing Political Manifestos for Climate Change

A new process for evaluating political parties' manifestos for climate mitigation

Many voters in many countries accept that climate change is more important and more urgent than other political drivers - yet governments all around the world have consistently failed to act forcefully and quickly enough to turn the tide. The imminent elections could be an opportunity to change this - but only if voters have the information they need to rank political parties coherently with regard to climate-change policies. Jason Palmer (Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd, Cambridge Energy, University College London) describes a process for assessing political parties' manifestos for action on climate mitigation.

Decolonialising Urban Planning

Applying lessons from indigenous urban planning can make Nigerian cities more sustainable

Mokọ́ládé Johnson (University of Lagos) explains why Nigerian cities have lost their vernacular approaches to urban planning and the resulting negative impacts that arise. Could former indigenous urban design principles be adapted to inform contemporary urban planning practices?

Climate Resilient Vernacular Architecture in Turkey

Lessons on how vernacular design is informed by the local climate.

One of the characteristics of vernacular architecture is that it is a process involving continuous adaptation as a response to social and environmental constraints (ICOMOS 1999).  C. Irem Gencer (Yıldız Technical University) considers how modern architecture in Turkey can embrace principles from vernacular designs to become more climate resilient.

Stone: An Ecological Construction Material

Could stone help to lower the ecological footprint of buildings?

Summarising a recent research paper, Timothée de Toldi (Bouygues Immobilier SAS) makes a case for the increased use of stone as a building material. In the transition to a low-carbon economy, stone has attractive qualities in terms of durability, low embodied energy, a robust life cycle assessment, and can assist with passive cooling thereby lessening the need for operational energy.

Time to Question Demolition!

Demolition has far-reaching consequences for people, nature and the climate. What can be done to slow its rate?

André Thomsen (Delft University of Technology) comments on the recent Buildings & Cities special issue 'Understanding Demolition' and explains why this phenomenon is only beginning to be understood more fully as a social and behavioural set of issues. Do we need an epidemiology of different demolition rates?

Where are Women of Colour in Urban Planning?

Why urban planning needs to become more diverse and inclusive.

Safaa Charafi asks: is it possible to decolonialise the planning profession to create more inclusive and egalitarian urban settings? It is widely accepted that cities are built by men for other men. This male domination in urban planning results in cities that often do not adequately address challenges encountered by women or ethnic and social minorities. Although efforts are being taken to include women in urban planning, women of colour are still under-represented in many countries, resulting in cities that often overlook their needs.

The Debate around Low-Carbon Heating Systems: Part 2

Governments need to provide a clear policy and strategy for low-carbon heating so implementation can gather momentum.

Engineer Chris Twinn (Twinn Sustainability Innovation and LETI member) argues that the urgency of decarbonisation means that UK (and other countries) must make clear decisions about a heating system strategy and its implementation. Prevaricating will make the transition slower and risk missing important climate commitments.

Social Value: An Architect's Perspective

How can research assist architects & others to substantiate the intended social benefits in an architectural project?

Edward Ng (Chinese University of Hong Kong) provides an architect's perspective on the Buildings & Cities special issue 'Social Value of the Built Environment'.

The Data Politics of Tech Corporations

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.

Phronesis and Epistemic Justice in Data-Driven Built Environments

Why 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.

COP28: Bridging Technical & Cultural Climate Solutions

Both 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.

The Debate around Low-Carbon Heating Systems

Will 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.

Daylight: A Basic Human Right?

The 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.

Vernacular Lessons for Mitigating Overheating

Important lessons for keeping cool in summer can be adapted from cities with hot climates

Samantha Organ (University of the West of England), Stephanie Organ (science communicator) and Quentin Deronzier (NTN Europe) respond to the Buildings & Cities special issue 'Alternatives to Air Conditioning: Policies, Design, Technologies, Behaviours' by considering how vernacular architecture and modern technology could provide solutions for the increasingly severe problem of summer overheating in European cities.

Sustainable Homes in Nigeria

Can vernacular design features make Nigerian housing more sustainable?

Cordelia Osasona (Obafemi Awolowo University) considers whether and how traditional architecture can be harnessed and combined with modern approaches in southwestern Nigeria to improve environmental, cultural and technological sustainability.

The Gendered City

Why 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.