Eco-Sensual: LEED certified sensual healing in Montreal
“Eco-sensual design” – it's got a Marvin Gaye kind of ring to it – but I like it. It's Montreal architect Owen Rose's (meme-worthy) shorthand for the relationship that exists…
Alex Aylett
Jay Carson, Cities, and Climate…no wait Donald Trump & Tori Spelling!
I rarely read Fortune magazine. OK, that's an overstatement. But it came across my desktop last week when they ran an interview with Jay Carson, disheveled CEO of the newly…
Railway Opens Tokyo’s Largest Rooftop Farm
JR East railway, one of Tokyo's largest railway operators, has opened a 535 sq.m. (5758 sq.ft.) rooftop farm on top of the company's Lumine Ogikubo Building. Part of a series…
Small-Scale Water Systems take on Drought, Urban Decay, and Climate Change
By 2025 two-thirds of the global population will live in conditions of at least moderate water stress. According to an interesting piece by Howard LaFranchi in last weekend's CS Monitor,…
Cities Running Huge Risks by Ignoring Climate Change II: UN Habitat Report PDFs
I've been amazed at how little attention UN Habitat's Report on Cities and Climate Change has garnered since its release at the end of March. The report (which I contributed…
Bixi Sighting: New Ads Mark Roll Out of 2011 Bikes
Here are some of the first bixis of 2011, notice anything different? New ads, mounted above the wheel and on the baskets, have raised a lot of criticism on Twitter…
Canada’s Crumbling Intrastructure – The Big Non-Issue of this Election
It's no secret that Canada is running a massive infrastructure deficit. Four years ago the Canadian Federation of Municipalities pegged the price tag for renewing aging bridges, roadways, transportation and…
Bixi Rolling Out for 3rd Season In MTL
If you are in Montreal right now you've seen it: the Bixi docking stations are popping up all over the city. Sitting empty they have a strange sci-fi ghost town…
America’s Smallest Apartment: Walkable Micro-living in NYC
New York-based writer Felice Cohen lives in an amazingly small apartment -- 90 sq.ft. to be exact. Since it was profiled in the Daily Mail, this video of her micro-abode…
Cities Running Huge Risks by Ingoring Climate Change: UN Habitat Report
I'm one of the many contributing authors for this year's UN Habitat Global Report on Human Settlements, launched in London on Monday (see also BBC). This is the first time…
New Landmark Greenroof for Montreal
Montreal is set to build a new landmark green roof on it's eccentrically colored convention center. This summer the Palais des Congrès de Montreal – better known for being clad…
Carbon Zero: A Short Tour of Your City’s Future – Kickstarting A New Book
Alex Steffen, the founding editor of the excellent worldchanging.com (who I wrote for during the blog's seven year run), has announced an interesting new project. His new book-in-the-making "Carbon Zero"…
Flying Car Not Included: Getting Real About Urban Sustainability
I've got a short opinion piece running in the new March/April edition of Water Canada magazine. Water infrastructure is a favourite of mine. It tends not to be as glamorous…
DIrt! The Movie: Montreal Green Drinks Feb. 22
For my Montreal readers, the local Green Drinks event tomorrow will be screening the movie Dirt! I haven't seen it yet, but the trailer looks excellent. Particularly the urban gardening…
Cities, Green Development, & Politics: Passing the Buck or Jumpstarting Change?
I've been meaning to write about Steve Cohen (director of Columbia Universty's Earth Institute) Valentine's Day piece in the Huffington Post since it came out on Monday. It's an interesting…
Sustainable Systems as if People Mattered – WEBCAST
The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) is hosting a fascinating sounding lecture next week called "Sustainable Systems as if People Mattered." Not in Vancouver? No worries the full proceedings…
The Big Picture Approach to Cities and Climate Change
It was former London Mayor Ken Livingstone who started the ball rolling in 2007 when he announced that “Urban areas are responsible for over 75 per cent of greenhouse gas…
Jane Jacobs in Cowtown
Calgary's new Mayor Naheed Nenshi seems intent on shaking things up, and the Globe and Mail this weekend has a snapshot on some of the green shifts that he is…
Canadian Cities Begin to Assess Climate Risks
Writing for The Montreal Gazette this weekend, William Marsden had an excellent front page article on the challenge that Canadian cities face to adapt to climate change. All I can…