Sustainable Cities - Cases

Aalestrup/Himmerland: on the right track – towards connectivity and healthiness

Signe Cecilie Jochumsen — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:44:33 +0000

Less than 50 years ago a large network of railtracks covered the entire landscape of Denmark. Yet, even though the majority of the tracks are gone today, few have been preserved either in their original form or reconstructed in order to fit today's needs and demands environmentally and socially. Today the former railway from Løgstør through Aalestrup to Hobro and Viborg is changed into a cycling trail the 'Himmerland path' which passes no less than 12 former station cities on its way through the scenic landscape.

Adelaide: A downtown sustainable oasis

Astrid Svane — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:20:02 +0000

The neighbourhood of Christie Walk in downtown Adelaide was built as a demonstration project to show that it is possible to create a neighbourhood that focuses on sustainability in every respect. Christie walk is tucked in between existing urban buildings in a 2000 m² closely developed area. Housing Association has 27 homes, including a townhouse, a block of flats and four straw-bale cottages. None of the privately owned houses are higher than three storeys and have shared outdoor areas. The residents helped to design the houses according to their own individual needs.

Adelaide: A sustainable neighbourhood created by local residents

Astrid Svane — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:49:44 +0000

Adelaide, Australia's fifth largest and most densely populated city, enjoys a Mediterranean climate with a mild, wet winter and a very dry, hot summer. The city only has a few playgrounds and green areas where children and adults can meet, play and enjoy each other's company. In south-western Adelaide, however, one finds a small green oasis - the new residential neighbourhood Christie Walk. Here, the residents live in small housing units in close proximity to each other. The streets are green with trees, bushes and flowers growing in front, behind and between the houses.

Akureyri: From Refuse to Resource

Eva Kirstine Fabricius — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:27:16 +0000

In Akureyri there are about 12000 family cars in the municipality, yielding the estimated emissions of 36,000 tonnes of CO2 in the region. Also about 15,000 tonnes of organic waste accumulates every year from domestic consumption. This causes annual gas emissions of approximately 24,000 tonnes from the old Akureyri landfill.

Albertslund: Energy efficient renovation of homes

Eva Kirstine Fabricius — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:38:46 +0000

The project targets houses built during the period 1960-1980. All buildings under the project are prefabricated.

Amsterdam: Urban acupuncture creates new life in the suburbs

Astrid Svane — Tue, 25 May 2010 11:20:13 +0000

Bijlmermeer was built in the 1960s to give Amsterdamers an alternative to living in the densely populated city centre. Enormous concrete blocks with large, well lit flats were to entice people out of the centre, but people moving out preferred to have a house and garden and the flats were left standing empty.

Århus: Allotments more popular than ever

Sarah Armitage — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:27:29 +0000

In Denmark, allotment gardens are a popular breathing space for many town and city dwellers. Small houses, often not much bigger than a shed, gorgeous flower beds, red chequered tablecloths, chats across the garden fence and the Danish flag flying on a Sunday are the idyllic image many Danes have of life in an allotment garden. Allotments in Århus’s Skovlunden association, not far from the city centre, can only be bought by people who live in flats and have no garden. Some have even been on the waiting list for as long as 14 years.

Augustenborg: Green roofs and storm water channels

Kit Sand Ottsen — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:55:04 +0000

In 1998, the Augustenborg district in Malmo, Sweden, initiated an extensive renovation under the name of 'Ekostaden'. The neighbourhood, which consists of low-rise apartment buildings from the 1950s, was very popular when it was first constructed. However, due to poor maintenance, many of these original occupants have moved out over the years and left the area dilapidated, economically challenged, and socially deprived. Recently, Malmo Municipality and the housing company MKB have cooperated in an attempt to regain the area’s original status.

Barcelona - Biking club for city residents

June-Catherina Starling — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:18:49 +0000

Barcelona, like many other cities, suffers from massive amounts of atmospheric CO2, released from both private and public transportation. Consequently, the city council has been striving to make the city more environmentally friendly and has worked hard to increase public transportation use.

Barcelona: Leader in solar energy

Sidsel Overby Hartlev — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:06:03 +0000

Since 2000, all new buildings and those undergoing major renovation have had to have solar energy sources installed to provide most of their hot water. What is truly groundbreaking in this respect is the fact that Barcelona has ventured to regulate rather than simply encouraging people to make use of solar energy.