Buildings

Infrastructure

Flood-Resistant Communities

Transit

Active Transport Infrastructure

Passive Transport Infrastructure 

Passive transport refers to any transport that doesn't require the user's energy, including cars, trucks, planes, and ferries.

Combinations of Infrastructure & Buildings

Buildings and infrastructure interplay in a variety of ways. Roads and rail help deliver building materials to communities, while harbors, warehouses, train stations, and airports are key to the storage and transition of resources which traveling along our infrastructural routes.

Pocket Neighborhoods

"Pocket neighborhoods are clustered groups of neighboring houses or apartments gathered around a shared open space — a garden courtyard, a pedestrian street, a series of joined backyards, or a reclaimed alley — all of which have a clear sense of territory and shared stewardship. They can be in urban, suburban or rural areas.

These are settings where nearby neighbors can easily know one another, where empty nesters and single householders with far-flung families can find friendship or a helping hand nearby, and where children can have shirttail aunties and uncles just beyond their front gate." - Pocket Neighborhoods

Skyways

Also called skybridges, skywalks,  or sky walkways. These have connected two or more buildings since at least the Han Dynasty, though modern examples are usually less pretty, and use glass panes to protect people from harsh weather.

Drawbacks & Dangers

This article warns that elevated pedestrian bridges can be uninviting to pedestrians, and encourage more dangerous driving, making roadways more dangerous instead of less so.

There's also the prohibitive cost of raised transit routes, so it is vital that planners assess whether this infrastructure is the best course of action, or if safer roadway design or even eliminating heavy vehicles from an area would be the safer and cheaper choice.

Building Materials

The (Modern) "Holy Trinity of Construction"

Concrete  

Produces around 622Kg of CO2 for every 1 tonne of cement produced. Cement is an ingredient of concrete, and we make about 4 billion tonnes every year. That's roughly equivalent to 700 pyramids. This single construction material makes up about 8% of global CO2 emissions (3 times more than aviation). - Why We Should Paint Our Roads White

Glass

Steel

Energy

Parking Lot Solar Canopies

Buildings

Energy use in buildings makes up 27% of all global energy needs. This includes heating, cooling as the major energy users, followed by heating water, and other uses such as lights, security, and appliances.

By building new buildings and retrofitting existing buildings to use passive heating/cooling elements, communities can massively reduce their energy needs. At the same time, those in charge of those buildings will benefit from massive energy and money savings over the lifetime of each building.

• International Making Cities Livable (IMCL) was founded in 1985 by the late Dr. Henry L. Lennard, a Viennese medical sociologist, and the late Dr Suzanne C. Lennard, an English architectural scholar. The Lennards were passionate about sharing the best evidence-based lessons of great cities and towns to improve the quality of life for all. To do it, they brought together many of the world’s most innovative and successful mayors, planners, economic development specialists, designers, developers, NGO officials, and researchers and scholars.
  
  The mission of the IMCL has always been to raise awareness, through conferences and publications, of the effects of urban planning on livability, health and social well-being. Conferences have been held annually in the United States and Europe. They are unique in enabling city officials, architects, planners, developers, community leaders, behavioral and public health scientists, artists and others responsible for the livability of their cities to exchange experiences, ideas and expertise. The varied perspectives provide deeper understanding of the issues and generate creative solutions."

Asia

• GENOA (Global Ecovillage Network Oceania & Asia) "is a network of people, ecovillages and organisations in Oceania & Asia. GENOA promotes Ecovillage living where people live together in a sustainable way, with dignity, in harmony with each other and with nature."

• Livable Cities "... has three operational approaches or pillars: Improve coverage, quality efficiency, and reliability of services in urban areas; strengthen urban planning and financial sustainability of cities; and improve urban environment, climate resilience and disaster management of cities.
  
  With 65% of people in Asia and the Pacific set to live in cities by 2050, we have gathered stories and lessons that will ensure cities in Asia and the Pacific are inclusive, competitive, environmentally sustainable, and resilient."

North America

• CASA Latina "is the Council of Sustainable Settlements of Latin America, which coordinates and strengthens regional and national networks that promote, educate, investigate and disseminate sustainable lifestyles."

• Congress for the New Urbanism The organizational center for the New Urbanist movement, promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.

• GEN North America (GENNA) "has created the Regenerative Communities Alliance (REGEN ALLIANCE) – an emerging collaborative platform for organizations and individuals serving the regenerative communities network within North America and beyond."

Canada

• Congress for the New Urbanism The organizational center for the New Urbanist movement, promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.

Mexico

• Consejo de Visiones – Guardianes de la Tierra 

USA

• The Clean Energy States Alliance "is a national, nonprofit coalition of public agencies and organizations working together to advance clean energy.
  
  CESA works with state leaders, federal agencies, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to develop clean energy programs and inclusive renewable energy markets. CESA members—mostly state agencies—include many of the most innovative, successful, and influential public funders of clean energy initiatives in the country."

• The Cohousing Association of the United States An active organization that promotes cohousing in America through conferences, workshops, tours, database directory, networking and more.

• Congress for the New Urbanism The organizational center for the New Urbanist movement, promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.

• Gen US

• National Complete Streets Coalition News of complete streets activities from around the country and proposed federal legislation plus resources including fact sheets and a PowerPoint presentation.

• Smart Growth America "empowers communities through technical assistance, advocacy and thought leadership to create livable places, healthy people, and shared prosperity. We work with elected officials at all levels, real estate developers, chambers of commerce, transportation and urban planning professionals, and residents to improve everyday life for people across the country through better development."

• Walk Friendly Communities is a national recognition program developed to encourage towns and cities across the U.S. to establish or recommit to a high priority for supporting safer walking environments. Communities are recognized for working to improve a wide range of conditions related to walking, including safety, mobility, access and comfort.

• YIMBYAction "55 Chapters across the US fighting for abundant housing that’s ✊ inclusive, 🌎 sustainable, 💰 affordable."

California

• Civic Well "supports leaders responding to the climate crisis and its impact on their communities. As a nonprofit organization, we inspire, equip, connect, and cultivate leaders working toward a more sustainable and resilient future.
  
  We know that innovation happens when communities name their own challenges and define their own visions. Through policy guidance, collaborative partnerships, and direct assistance, we support and equip communities to bring those visions to life."

Oceana

• GENOA (Global Ecovillage Network Oceania & Asia) "is a network of people, ecovillages and organisations in Oceania & Asia. GENOA promotes Ecovillage living where people live together in a sustainable way, with dignity, in harmony with each other and with nature."

South America

• CASA Latina "is the Council of Sustainable Settlements of Latin America, which coordinates and strengthens regional and national networks that promote, educate, investigate and disseminate sustainable lifestyles."

Colombia

• Llamado de la Montaña Colombia 

Companies

The following include architecture companies and others who are focused on creating more sustainable and livable communities.

Europe

Denmark

• Ghel "We inspire positive change in the communities we serve by putting human needs at the center of urban design and planning."

North America

USA

California

• Ghel "We inspire positive change in the communities we serve by putting human needs at the center of urban design and planning."

New York

• Ghel "We inspire positive change in the communities we serve by putting human needs at the center of urban design and planning."

Maps

International

• NextGEN Youth Network Map (interactive) "This is a map of the active faces and regenerative projects in NextGEN – the youth movement of the global ecovillage network. This map aims to showcase the beautiful inspiring work that young NextGEN-ers are doing around the world, as well as facilitate the connection amongst members and inspire others to join the NextGEN network."

Asia

• GENOA Ecovillage Map

North America

USA

• Stormwater Management and Restoration Tracking (SMART) Tool (Interactive) Tool tracks storm water management practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed which spans, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia

Oceana

• GENOA Ecovillage Map

Grants & Funding

Asia

• Livable Cities: Financing Partnership Facility "The urban operations of ADB benefits from the support of notable trust funds, which are collectively referred to as the Urban Financing Partnership Facility. Under this umbrella, strategic, long-term, multi-partner investments on innovative urban solutions are implemented. These investments help to achieve the vision of livable cities." These include:

  • ASEAN Australia Smart Cities Trust Fund

  • Cities Development Initiative for Asia

  • Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF) eligible countries include Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Vietnam.

  • Urban Environmental Infrastructure Fund (UEIF)

North America

USA

• The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) Program "provides $5 billion in grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. Authorized under Section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act, this two-phase program provides $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants, and approximately $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants."

• Power Forward Communities "is a coalition of some of the country’s most trusted housing, climate, and community investment groups dedicated to decarbonizing and transforming American housing. We’re saving homeowners and renters money, reinvesting in communities, and tackling the climate crisis."

• Self-Help Credit Union "Our mission is creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all, especially people of color, women, rural residents and low-wealth families and communities.
  
  Self-Help Credit Union has branches in NC, SC, FL and VA, and we offer remote services like online and mobile banking to make joining us easy no matter where you live." "We're poised to use a major funding award from the EPA to help create a clean energy future for all."

Connecticut

• The Connecticut Green Bank "is the nation’s first green bank"