Sustainability has to do with behaviors that allow us to survive. In general, increased sustainability allows us to survive longer. The primary motive for this change in behavior is to avoid a world wide crisis. The crisis was first described by Thomas Robert Malthus in 1798. The crisis results from an increasing human population running out of the resources that will allow our planet to continue supporting life. Sustainable design would also provide for an increase in wealth by facilitating improved productivity.

Three sets of behavior are associated with sustainability; 1) consume less, 2) produce more, 3) waste nothing. This sounds simple, but it requires a dramatic change in a North American lifestyle, a radical redesign of our urban centres, reformation of the means we use to produce goods and fundamental shifts in provincial and federal policies.

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Which infrastructural improvements do you anticipate for the districts, in which such arenas are going to be built?

The main infrastructural improvements concern transport: public transportation infrastructure and road network/parking. Arenas are able (and are made) to host big events, like concerts or sport’s games. Therefore, it is crucial to guarantee the access, both by public and private transport, to that place of the city, in those specific periods.

This poses a challenge for transport and urban planning. Public transport is made to serve large numbers of people, on a regular basis. Events, on the other hand, create a very high demand in a very short period of time and in specific days, often in offpeak hours. How to conceptualize a public transport system that is suited for that?

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Regarding our PerfectCity Charter we want to start a new topic: Environmental Conditions and Sustainability. The topic will be introduced by a study of global pollution.

In heavy polluted cities it not only the air that is a little dirtier – their inhabitants particularly children often suffer from serious and chronic diseases. Green Cross International and the US-American Backsmith Institute have published a list of the World’s Worst Polluted Places 2007.

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What makes cities most liveable? Cities of the future should provide space for comfortable conditions for as much people as possible and for a long time. Therefore we should not forget to suggest Environmental Conditions and Sustainability in our PerfectCity Charter. Especially after hearing about resources dwindling every day, sustainable city planning is becoming a vital asset to our survival.

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Regarding our PerfectCity Charter the current topic on City Architecture is coming to an end. You’ve still got a few days left to vote. If you think that there are more important factors of City Architecture than currently reflected in our poll, please do not hesitate to express your opinions through voting. After ending the topic you will find the results in the PerfectCity Charter.

The next issue coming up will concentrate on Environmental Conditions and Sustainability.

We are looking forward to presenting the factors of the new poll to you, accompanied by a few interesting posts on this topic.

This January, The History Channel (an American cable television channel) initiated a design and engineering competition called “City of the future”. Together with sponsors Infiniti and IBM architects and designers from all over the United States were challenged to compete in City of the Future competitions in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Atlanta.

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In March 2008, Phaidon Press will publish an authoritative and richly illustrated survey of the modern city.

The Endless City has been produced in collaboration with The Urban Age Project at the London School of Economics, and brings together extensive research and analysis from experts in sociology, engineering, architecture and urban policy.

Taking six major world cities as a focal point – New York, Shanghai, London, Mexico City, Johannesburg and Berlin – this book provides an unprecedented insight into both the built environment of these cities and the economic, social and political policies that shape them. With texts written by international experts supported by newly commissioned photographs, maps and diagrams, The Endless City is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of our cities.

Check out the sneak preview here.

The special edition of our User Interview ”Post&Win” ended on 31th January. In this survey we wanted to know your opinion on venues like the ”O2-World” Arena in Berlin. How they affect our cities in general as well as their influence on regional aspects like infrastructure, employment etc.
The response rate has been good and the submissions are of high quality. We would like to thank everyone who has completed our survey. We look forward to announce the six winners each of whom will receive a voucher worth € 80 for a concert ticket in arena close to there homes. Of course, we will also present the winners’ survey responses to you. By now we are evaluating the submissions and choosing the winners. Every winner will be contacted by mail.