Building the World

February 16, 2023
by Building The World
0 comments

TRANSPORT: Building urban transit, unearthing ancient treasures

Building an urban transit system in an already dense city is a case study in retrofitting. But what happens when cities dig deep and uncover archeological treasures? During the construction of Boston Central Artery (known at the time as “The … Continue reading

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

November 11, 2022
by Building The World
0 comments

WATER: Armies, Veterans, and Peace

Today is Veterans Day, observed in the United States on November 11 since 1919, and founded to commemorate the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (in 1918) when an Armistice ended World War I. Soon thereafter, … Continue reading

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

October 26, 2022
by Building The World
0 comments

TRANSPORT: If cars could fly

If the car changed history, even more so: the airplane. Now these common modes of transport must, themselves, change. Transport contributes 25% to CO2 emissions, from the burning of fossil fuels. We are seeing adoption of electric vehicles, encouraged by … Continue reading

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

May 18, 2022
by Building The World
0 comments

WATER: Mapping YOUR Climate Risk

Climate change brings risk. For some, it is water: floods, storms, and sea-rise. For others, it is drought: water shortages, crop losses, and wildfires. Floods killed 920 people in Belgium and Germany, 192 in India, 113 in Afghanistan, and 99 … Continue reading

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

October 5, 2021
by Building The World
0 comments

ENERGY: Physics of Climate Change

Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann, and Giorgio Parisi “demonstrate that our knowledge about the climate rests on a solid scientific foundation,” stated the Nobel Prize Committee, when awarding the Nobel Prize for Physics 2021. Half of the prize went to Parisi … Continue reading

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

September 9, 2021
by Building The World
0 comments

WATER: Foreseeing the Future

Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana, in August 2021, bringing severe wind and water. New Orleans was watching. After Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, the city built a flood-prevention system of gates, levees, pumps, and walls. Sixteen years later, almost to the day, … Continue reading

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

April 16, 2021
by Building The World
0 comments

WATER: Self-healing systems

Houston is rebuilding. A severe winter storm knocked out power, in February, leaving families and businesses huddled for elusive warmth. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), supplier to 26 million people, proved not as reliable as its name. Collateral … Continue reading

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

March 12, 2021
by Building The World
2 Comments

CITIES: Higher Ground

Waterfront property is causing real estate prices to rise – but not in the usual places. Miami’s 2017 Hurricane Irma caused billions of dollars in damage to beachfront properties. Just after that storm, real estate further inland saw price increases. … Continue reading

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

February 24, 2020
by Building The World
0 comments

WATER: Time and Tide in BOSTON

Coastal communities around the world are preparing for rising seas. Boston, a port city built on landfill, with a harbor renowned for freedom and liberty, is fighting a war. Last century, the Atlantic shore of Boston saw a persistent nine … Continue reading

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Skip to toolbar