City Branding in the Environmental Era

City Branding in the Environmental Era BY AMAYA BRAVO-FRANCE April 8, 2019   In a quest to demonstrate their environmental friendliness, cities across the world are competing for sustainability accolades as metrics of their small ecological footprints. But measures of cities’ environmental sustainability are misleading and incomplete until they incorporate measures of social equity and

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Public Housing in Hong Kong: The Challenge of Housing the World’s Most Populated Region

Public Housing in Hong Kong: The Challenge of Housing the World’s Most Populated Region BY JEREMY PI March 30, 2019   Introduction Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated regions of the world, and through a combination of factors including historical patterns, geographic conditions, and public policy is facing severe challenges regarding its

Why Megaprojects Aren’t the Answer

Why Megaprojects Aren’t the Answer BY KEVIN BORJA March 30, 2019   Abstract This paper is framed by a course entitled Mega-projects in Global Cities, taught by Adam Lubinsky of WXY Architecture at the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation in the fall of 2018. The course sought to critically examine the shift

An Economic Success, A Complicated Legacy: Austin’s Smart Growth Initiative

An Economic Success, A Complicated Legacy: Austin’s Smart Growth Initiative BY ETHAN LEVIN March 30, 2019   Abstract This urban study reviews how Austin City Council’s 1998 Smart Growth Initiative (SGI) valued eco-friendly building and the emergence of a rising tech economy over racial equality and economic diversity. Under a newly elected mayor who eased