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Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature

By: Douglas Farr

One Line:

A well-crafted overview of sustainable planning strategies with a broad lens that is valuable for a range of readers as a foundation to a library of stewardship.

Review:

The complexity of sustainability is one of its worse enemies. Our modern attempts to condense information can run counter to helping others understand the intricacies of our biosphere. With only portions of information the solutions can see deceivingly easy, mistakenly small in number or both. Some of the stronger voices end up being the ones […]

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Explosion Green

By: David Gottfried

One Line:

A low-stress read for an informative look behind the curtain from a key figure responsible for the start of the green building movement. 

Review:

For over two decades the USGBC’s LEED rating system has been an undeniably important part of the story of sustainability entering into the industries responsible for our built environment. Thanks to the work of countless individuals and organizations LEED is now a term known broadly outside of the cadre that designs and constructs buildings as well […]

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A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America

By: Vishaan Chakrabarti

One Line:

Nice graphics tell a familiar urban story more fit for casual readers than seasoned design professionals.

Review:

In the midst of a global economy that is already migrating towards cities, Chakrabarti adds his voice to the drumbeat of density in a pitch for focusing development towards our urban cores. Pulling on some of the usual suspects for data, the author focuses his sermon on why dense urban centers are the smart future […]

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