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

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

FRANCE - LA ROCHE-SUR-YON - Après le passage de la tempête Xynthia qui a fait 53 morts, dont 41 en Vendée et en...

PERU - LIMA - Une centaine de cyclistes peu vêtus ou entièrement nus ont participé samedi à une manifestation dans le centre...

FRANCE - PARIS - La tempête Xynthia a remis un coup de projecteur sur les règles de construction dans les zones inondables où...

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DEBATES

Brasilía: from utopian city to today’s urban agglomeration

L'Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD)

Brasília represents the most complete example of the form of urban planning prevalent until the 1970s. It was built in three...

The Challenge of Urban Slums

Between 2000 and 2050, there is little population growth...

Questioning Urban Sprawl and Political Answers

Density has a cost, and so does urban sprawlThirdly, let us...

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

03/03/2010	Unchopping a Tree, part of Maya Lin's last memorial entitled What is...	10/11/2009	Près de 39% des déplacements se font en vélo dans la capitale danoise. Un...
23/07/2009	Chaque fois q'un cycliste est tué à New York, un vélo est peint en blanc...	20/04/2009	En Inde, la récupération et le recyclage des déchets est une pratique...

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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