How the Built Environment Can Help the Climate Crisis

Image © Gensler

According to the report, the world may be able to avoid this level of catastrophe by reducing greenhouse pollution by 45 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050. That’s an enormous undertaking. And while there many ways to go about enacting this reduction, those of us in the design industry have an opportunity to make a positive and lasting impact on the built environment. Luckily there are some simple steps we can take to help. Here are our top 5.

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Introducing Sustainable Design Early Leads to More Resilient Projects

The G.T. "Mickey" Leland Federal Building in Houston. Image © Joe Aker.

Ten years ago, the goal was to convince clients that sustainable design was the solution to climate change. Those days are gone. Now, the majority of our clients have a deep understanding that climate change, air pollution, water quality, and deforestation are threatening the future of our cities. They also know that the built environment plays a significant role as both the cause and the solution. In fact, many Fortune 500 companies now see sustainable design as an opportunity to improve their social, environmental, and long-term economic performance—what many refer to as the Triple Bottom Line. Some have even hired “Directors of Sustainability,” employees whose sole focus is to develop corporate sustainability strategies that align with the company mission statements.

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Why Branding Is Critical to a City’s Success

San Francisco’s Visitor Information Center. Image © Gensler / Michael Townsend.

There is something about the size and scale of a city that just feels right. Cities feel attainable, relatable, and ripe to drive change. Recently, California surpassed the U.K. as the fifth largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $2.7 trillion. In a state of this scale and influence, we have a huge responsibility to drive new behaviors and change, and that can start at the city level.

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Why Planning Is Essential to Solving California’s Housing Crisis

California needs more sustainable, transit-oriented, urban development, like that being developed at Metro’s North Hollywood station in Los Angeles. Image© Gensler

Cities across the country need more housing but aren’t building it. In California, this challenge has become a crisis. Despite the state’s booming economy, which recently surpassed that of the United Kingdom to become the world's fifth largest economy, California is struggling with record levels of homelessness and has lost more than one million residents to other statesover the past decade as middle and low income families flee the highest-in-the-nation housing costs. In response, politicians and policymakers are considering dramatic changes, which could have profound effects on the planning, design, and development of cities across the state. For planners, architects, and designers this presents opportunity to rethink our role in shaping how our cities grow and change.

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Five Drivers Influencing the Future of Learning

Image © Gensler

It used to be that learning was relegated to the classroom. But now, learning happens everywhere. The future of education is learner-centered, tied to a world that is under constant change. The path of the learner has evolved: education is now learner-centered and multiple pathways to success are the norm. At the same time, the role of the educator has also changed from purveyor of knowledge to facilitator, mentor, and enabler of experience. These changes have broad implications for the learning environment.

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