Eco-cities

ISSUES

Pioneering town planning
The sustainable town tries to reduce its carbon footprint. Buildings are built to consume less energy [see energy in buildings]. They favour the use of renewable energy: photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and solar and geothermal water heaters. They are insulated to the optimum level way to reduce heating energy consumption and are built with materials that are less harmful to the environment (wood, hollow bricks, vegetal insulation…). (1) Wastage is avoided on both an individual and collective level : recycling, rain water recuperation, …
The sustainable town is dense: it takes up less space and encroaches less on the environment. It favours walking, bicycles and public transport. It is also greener: new urban landscapes include vertical gardens, green roofs and even local parks and gardens. (2)

NEWS

Sorry, most of the news are only available in French language for the moment.

FRANCE - PARIS - Les travaux de construction de la plus grande centrale solaire urbaine de France pourront commencer début 2010...

FRANCE - CARRIÈRES-SOUS-POISSY - Une ferme photovoltaïque verra le jour d'ici 2001 à Triel-sur-Seine, dans les Yvelines, a...

FRANCE - PARIS - Balayer, ramasser les ordures, transporter les voyageurs: les chevaux reprennent le collier en ville face à une...

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DEBATES

Auroville on the path to sustainable development

Nature & Progrès

Among the villages of IndiaAs you leave Pondicherry, the city begins to dissipate and the old colonial residences give way to...

Small-scale renewable power - low-wattage thinking?

To prevent global temperatures rising by 2 °C above...

Half of the world’s population lives in cities

More than half of the world’s population now lives in...

FOCUS

New cities

The building sector is the sector in which greenhouse gas emissions could be greatly reduced: -29% by 2020. This would not cost much as the technical solutions already exist. Good double glazing reduces heat loss...

VIDEOS

10/11/2009

Près de 39% des déplacements se font en vélo dans la capitale danoise. Un...

30/12/2008

La ville de Fribourg en Allemagne est souvent citée en exemple de ville...

GREEN TIPS

Plots on the roof

Two years ago, an organic producer set up plots of land on the roof of his headquarters in Richmond. Each of...

INDICATORS

Ecological footprint
Population
Urban population

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