Esegui ricerca
Society
Green living: encouraging investors to go retro
Green living: encouraging investors to go retro
Just because your home was built in the 1950s or 60s doesn’t mean it can’t be green. Retrofitting – the process of modernising properties using the latest technologies – can save energy and reduce CO 2 emissions.
Could bio-based materials help earthquake-proof buildings?
Could bio-based materials help earthquake-proof buildings?
In April 2009, a devastating earthquake destroyed one of Italy’s most beautiful ancient towns, L’Aquila, killing more than 300 people and injuring 1600.
Are smart buildings safe from hackers and privacy breaches?
Are smart buildings safe from hackers and privacy breaches?
Smart buildings offer better energy efficiency and the kind of futuristic mod cons that appeal to many consumers, but some experts warn our appetite for new technology is putting us at risk from increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks .
Smart cities and innovative financing schemes
Smart cities and innovative financing schemes
The pioneering city of Stuttgart, Germany, was one the first to apply an innovative financing scheme back in 1995 and since then it has been bearing its fruit: energy-efficiency funding has reduced the city’s CO 2 emissions by tens of thousands of tonnes.
Meet the Atom
Meet the Atom
The quantum world is something that many talk about but no-one sees. There must be something special if it exerts its fascination well beyond the circles of what many imagine as a mainly male community of rather eccentric scientists, to the point of attracting the attention of provocative artists and spiritual leaders.
The shape of the invisible
The shape of the invisible
The artistic partnership of Evelina Domnitch and Dmitry Gelfand started in 1996 in New York when they were in their early twenties. They were both born in the Soviet Union, Belarus and Russia respectively, and their paths crossed in the US city.
“That’s another fight. Big data as a commons”
“That’s another fight. Big data as a commons”
For David Bollier, cities are at a crossroads. As smart city initiatives and data collection increases, it’s essential that citizens use the ideas of the commons to retain control of the services that matter to them, and to ensure these work for the people of the city, not just for business or bureaucracy, he argues.
Tackling the ethical challenges of big data
Tackling the ethical challenges of big data
The coming tech disruptions and revolutions have at times been predicted to fix all manner of societal and environmental ills, so at first glance Susan Etlinger’s warning to exercise caution and restraint can seem odd.
Rooting sustainability starts on school benches
Rooting sustainability starts on school benches
Do young people know what a smart city is? Do they care about saving energy and preserving the Earth’s resources? “Rooting sustainability starts on the benches of schools,” affirmed UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova at the recent UN Climate Change Conference ( COP22 ) in Marrakech, Morocco.
A smart city means an inclusive city
A smart city means an inclusive city
Like every year, December 3 will be a United Nations sanctioned International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) . The aim is to increase public awareness of the conditions of disabled people and, at the same time, to celebrate their achievements and contributions.
Levelling food price volatility, while supporting the poor
Levelling food price volatility, while supporting the poor
The worst food crisis in 30 years looms for 50 million people across southern Africa from Mozambique to Angola. Two years without rain has destroyed harvests. Food prices have skyrocketed.
Robots in distress in the Venetian Lagoon
Robots in distress in the Venetian Lagoon
Can mathematics be expressed poetically through computational technologies? Visual artists Vicky Isley and Paul Smith believe it can be and are collaborating with the Artificial Life Lab of the University of Graz, in Austria, on the Subcultron project (Submarine Cultures Perform Long-Term Exploration of Unconventional Environmental Niches).
Bioeconomy: the ideal mix to pave the way for investments
Bioeconomy: the ideal mix to pave the way for investments
Investors look for a number of things before betting on a company or product in the bioeconomy sector: prestigious and experienced team, economic sustainability, competitive advantage, and potential users.
Brexit: a chance for European countries to deepen cooperation on renewables?
Brexit: a chance for European countries to deepen cooperation on renewables?
After the Brexit shock in Europe, an intensive debate has started to figure out the future energy strategy of the European Union without the UK.
Cyber attacks – Are smart cities safer or more vulnerable?
Cyber attacks – Are smart cities safer or more vulnerable?
In the wake of the Brussels bombings, the French blogger Francis Pisani addressed the quandaries of modern, connected European cities facing terrorist threats .
How to measure the quality of life in smart cities?
How to measure the quality of life in smart cities?
From pollution levels and the number of traffic accidents to safer public spaces and more efficient heating in buildings:  to what extent can the smartness of a city be quantified?  And  is it possible to measure the quality of life  for an urban area through numerical parameters? It’s all about collecting data that is reliable and making sense of the numbers afterwards.
Together is better: when engaging citizens makes cities smarter
Together is better: when engaging citizens makes cities smarter
Imagine living in a building that once leaked heat in the winter and baked in the summer, now retrofitted to be a haven of comfort and efficiency.
Image credits: Espaço Municipal
Cities for all: when inclusivity is key for tackling climate challenge
Where once there were tanks, today there is a residential centre for the disabled , an art laboratory for people with mental health problems, a training centre for immigrants and ex-convicts, a restaurant, a hall for cultural events and a co-working space.
Tourism in war torn Ukraine: when visiting help recover
Tourism in war torn Ukraine: when visiting help recover
When the premises of the American Civil War forced the textile mills of Mississippi to a virtual stop, and the Russian Empire started seeking new cotton suppliers for its huge domestic market, Ludwig Knoop had a brilliant idea.
When heating is a luxury: countering energy poverty to save the planet
When heating is a luxury: countering energy poverty to save the planet
After working all of his life as a sound technician for the Bulgarian state television, Emil is now retired. He lives in a 120 square meter house in Gorni Lozen, a village not far from Sofia, but only uses its ground floor and basement because he can’t afford to heat the whole of it.
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8