Urban footprint

ISSUES

The Ecological footprint of cities

Despite the hostile environment, animal and plant life manage to develop in cities. It occupies parks or fallow lands; not only rats and cockroaches proliferate, but also foxes and birds of prey. In certain neighborhoods of Zurich, for example, the density of foxes is 10 times higher than in the countryside! If for some, there is no nature in the city, the city being by definition the opposite of nature, there is however a very particular form of biodiversity.
The urban ecosystem distinguishes itself from natural eco-systems due to the creation of artificial environments that change, amongst others, the climate (bursts of heat, less powerful winds) and disturbs the water cycle (water runoff,…) Air pollution directly affects plants; noise, vibrations, lack of light and space underground harm the development of trees.
Maybe expectedly, studies show that salt spread about in order to melt snow is the first enemy of vegetation in...

NEWS

31/01/2012

China detains seven over river pollution scandal

30/01/2012

Cadmium spill threatens water supplies of major Chinese city

27/01/2012

Haiti should brace for more devastating quakes: study

DEBATES

Growing food in greener cities

FAO

Urban horticulture supplies fresh food, creates jobs, recycles waste. By 2025, more than half the developing world's population -...

Brasilía: from utopian city to today’s urban agglomeration

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The Challenge of Urban Slums

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FOCUS

The Aarhus Convention

The Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters was signed 25 June 1998. It entered into force 30 October 2001 and was ratified by 41 Parties.Purpose...

VIDEOS

27/09/2011

Westside bike ride on the freeway of Los Angeles
11/01/2011

A green roof can certainly make a building look nicer, but can it...

22/12/2010

At the 2010 American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco,...
02/09/2010

This summer, CAN brings you a brand new public service announcement...

GREEN TIPS

North-South solidarity

Development aid is a transfer of funds and skills to help poor countries and populations towards development....

INDICATORS

Urban population
IT indicators
Electricity use
Ecological footprint

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27/09/2011	Westside bike ride on the freeway of Los Angeles	11/01/2011	A green roof can certainly make a building look nicer, but can it...
22/12/2010	At the 2010 American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco,...	02/09/2010	This summer, CAN brings you a brand new public service announcement...