Cities that are generating more solar power globally
Author | Raquel C. Pico Renewable energies are a cornerstone in the journey towards city sustainability. Without transitioning to clean energy sources and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, achieving the established sustainability goals that are essential for addressing the challenges of the climate emergency will be impossible. It is within this context that the […]
UrbanTech: The ecosystem of tech solutions that makes smart cities possible
This is a guest post by Lucía Bellocchio, founder and executive director of Trend Smart Cities. Lucía has extensive experience working on urban innovation, and has written in leading media outlets in South America like La Nación, El Observador, Clarín or TN. The urban world is in a process of constant transformation and evolution; a […]
What is self-healing concrete and how does it promise to revolutionize the field of construction
Author | Elvira Esparza Concrete is the most commonly used construction material, yet it also ranks among the most environmentally taxing substances. Self-healing concrete based on bioconstruction techniques, enables the material to repair itself, thereby preventing cracks from compromising the structural integrity of buildings. According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the […]
How augmented reality can improve urban planning
Author | Raquel C. Pico For a long time, every adjustment and urban planning change in cities demanded a considerable amount of imagination. Those involved had to rely on a combination of mock-ups, technical drawings, and calculations to visualize potential interventions and assess their outcomes, although this approach was not always reliable. However, technology is […]
Biomimicry: Engineering and technology inspired by Nature
Author | Elvira Esparza The maxim “nature is wise” serves as the foundation for biomimicry, a methodology, and perhaps a philosophy, applied to engineering, which draws inspiration from the environment to enhance human activities, aiming for greater efficiency, resilience, and sustainability, whether applied to transporting people and goods or the construction of buildings. What is […]
What effects could a solar storm have on our cities?
Are our cities prepared for a solar superstorm? In this post, we analyze the effects that a solar flare could have on the cities we know today.
Baia Mare, Romania: A journey from a polluted past to a sustainable future
This is a guest post by Amaia Celaya Álvarez about SPIRE, a project in the framework of the European Urban Initiative funded by the European Regional Development Funds. The Smart Post-Industrial Regenerative Ecosystem (SPIRE) project embodies a transformative journey from a polluted past to a sustainable future in Baia Mare (which means Big Mine in […]
Can citizens design their own streets?
Could you imagine a city created by its citizens? Their experiences and recommendations may help create a better urban plan, as shown in Salt Lake City.
What is the blue economy and how it may save our oceans
Author | Elvira Esparza The concept actually stretches back to ancient times, but it has evolved significantly in the past decade. The blue economy now advocates for a sustainable economic model centered on oceans. The goal is to fully leverage marine resources, taking into account that seas and oceans cover over 70% of the Earth’s […]
Pecan Street Project: How Austin, Texas, has adopted smart grids to create more efficient neighborhoods
Author | Raquel C. Pico What is the consistent electricity consumption of a community of residents? And an entire block? And a neighborhood? Every situation varies, but one way to explore this is by conducting an experiment where we walk through each room in our home, noting the number of devices that are consistently switched […]