Can we Quake-Proof a City?

Community-led mapping and risk assessments by Pamoja Trust enabled informal settlement residents in Nairobi to document accurate data showing more accurate counts of people at flood risk (nearly 12 times more than official estimates identified). This gave communities evidence to advocate for inclusion in government recovery programs and influence official regeneration planning.

A survivor of Haiti's earthquake sought out a new home on an unclaimed plot of land which is home to one of the country's largest cemeteries. Madame Roy built a neighborhood from the ground up with the help of architects and funding from people who wanted to be residents of the future city. Roads, homes, a cistern, a soccer field, and a school were all built without the help of the Haitian government. 200,000 residents who lost everything in the earthquake have found a chance to start over in the new city of Canaan.

As climate change causes global sea levels to rise, nations around the world are increasingly concerned about threats to infrastructure and livelihoods. But the Dutch have been keeping the sea at bay for centuries using a variety of methods and technologies. Their designs and plans - such as floating buildings - may provide solutions for other countries looking to evolve and adapt to changing ocean levels.

A cooperative in Switzerland is building sustainable apartments using recycled materials and green building practices to create carbon-neutral communal living spaces. These “cluster apartments” cut down on living space per person and save energy.

Architects across Asia are taking inspiration from a traditional form of agriculture called rice terraces to create flood-resilient infrastructure in cities that lack places for excess water to go. In Bangkok, for example, a university’s roof mimics the step-like design, and the water it holds is used to grow rice.

Frankfurt is changing the way it designs its buildings to adapt to extreme heat. The city works with urban climatology researchers to ensure new housing and skyscrapers won’t impact the wind corridors that keep residents cool, and it promotes practices like installing green roofs.

Google’s Green Light project uses data from internet-connected vehicles and navigation apps to adjust the timing of traffic lights to be more responsive to real-world traffic patterns. The project is already in operation in several cities — from Hamburg to Seattle — and data in those cities suggest the system yields a 30% decrease in stop-and-go traffic at intersections.

Home builders in the United States are producing homes up to 50% quicker with modular housing. This process involves manufacturing different parts of the home in a factory and assembling all of those parts on-site.

Babcock Ranch, Florida, weathered Hurricane Ian with minimal damage and full power because of development decisions like installing solar power, underground infrastructure, and building every building above code.

Gipave is a new type of asphalt technology that combines plastic waste with bitumen, a material already used to pave roads, to make recyclable road surfaces with longer lifespans and reduce emissions from road work by 70%.