#- Environmental Planning

[inexplicablej373]

Minor detail from Illustrhater with absolutely no relevance to the plot, but I adore:

The rooftops now have solar panels and small garden panels.

The s5 finale talked about Ms. Bustier's environmental commitment to as mayor of Paris, but I expected to feature as the occasional environmental advocacy episode like in the past (I'm going to make another post about those). But working this into the background, especially of a setting that is both important and rather unique to the show (rooftops)? I love it. Deliberately showing what a green city could look like and normalizing it? Amazing.

The best part? Rooftop plantings are a real tool used by city planners with the following benefits:

Reduce stormwater pollution

Increase pollinator habitat + connectivity

Decrease urban temperature

Increase mental health

Increase albedo (sunlight reflectivity, which can play into the greenhouse effect)

As an environmental planning major, I could talk about the importance of each of the points quite a bit. This sort of thing is my passion, and I'm delighted to see that my hyperfixation show includes it.

[itsbansheebitch]

Rants at the Hairdresser

her, behind me trimming my hair: "it's so wild how big cars are. Seems a bit dangerous, ya know?"

me, enjoying the smell of the stuff she sprayed in my hair: "Yeah, apparently that's because it's cheaper to have a car classified as a 'light truck' since you can get past safety regulations and they have different frames."

her, who has paused working on my hair: "Wait, are you serious?"

me: "Yeah, apparently it's a lot cheaper for companies to do that. And it really sucks since driving one of those cars is super dangerous, but it's even more dangerous for other people, especially if they're in a smaller car. Since it would be more safe to be another driver if they ALSO have a 'light truck,' everyone is caught in a cycle of getting bigger and bigger cars. All of which are extremely dangerous and have made being a pedestrian even more dangerous."

her: deep in thought, silent.

me, happy that someone is letting me rant about this: "Oh, the new Cadillacs are the size of tanks. That's not an exaggeration, by the way."

her, stunned: ???? "what the actual hell???"

we're silent for a bit

her, hesitantly, since I look like white trash and she has at least 10 piercings and pink hair: "I feel like America has been that way for a while... ya know?"

me: "Oh yeah, I totally get what you're saying, like, putting profit over people's safety?"

her, assured now that she knows we're both too commie pilled for this kind of conversation with someone else: "Yes! Exactly! It really sucks, right?"

me: "God, tell me about it"

I was very happy with my haircut, btw. She's so good at her job. :D

[biblically-accurate-dca]

rainbow moon :]

[avorbl]

Mr. Mitsuya’s Planned Feeding / Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke. Episode 7

[wasianexpress]

the funny thing about hydra

is that hydrogens not a fuel source, just a storage system

not only that, but the most common way of making hydrogen involves using methane to make hydrogen gas

although there are no emissions USING hydrogen, there can be a lot of emissions making the fuel in tbe first place (methane may be the ‘cleanest’ greenhouse gas but is STILL a greenhouse gas)

yes you can make hydrogen gas w/out methane through electrolysis but it STILL COSTS ENERGY

that being said the environmental friendliness of hydrogen fuel cell and electric vehicles rely on the fuel source (eg. west virginia gets most of its power from coal v california getting most of its power from renewables and nuclear)

imagine how disappointed hydra is that despite his best attempts, he still runs on unsustainable infrastructure :(

[anarchistfrogposting]

Our urban landscapes are grey, controlled spaces because cities see the incorporation of nature into the framework of our built environment as an aesthetic choice; a design option. But more and more evidence arises every single day that urban spaces with deeply integrated natural environments aren’t just nice, they’re essential for our health and well-being. I’m not talking about manicured lawns and tree-lined streets, I’m talking about incorporating spaces of real natural biodiversity in and around us; spaces that animals can make their home - where we aren’t exerting control over the forms of our natural landscape. Leaving rivers and streams with their natural banks, trimmed by their natural flora - creating forested walkways - setting aside difficult terrain for natural settings as opposed to levelling it - making park spaces that function as managed and cultivated fragments of the ecosystems our cities flattened and paved; all of these things help improve not only the presence and health of our flora and fauna, but our levels of stress and our sense of belonging. The lack of real, thriving corners of nature are a health issue, not an aesthetic one.

[clonerightsagenda]

I am once again thinking about an Arcane alt ending where the hextech damage topside is bad enough that Piltover residents are forced to flee from toxic industrial magical waste to the undercity and they have to beg for scraps from Zaunite leadership instead of the other way around. And we finally check back in on Ekko's fucking tree.

[rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world]

Repost from @sim_bookstagrams_badly:

HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD!!! Liberals, suspend your disbelief for just a mo, challenge.

Support the Refaat Alareer camp organized by @thesameerproject, more info in bio

[maisycoded]

So I know everyone is distracting themselves from trump’s inauguration today, but I hope everyone realizes that literally one of the first things this man does besides helping people by making rent and healthcare affordable, stopping or aiding stores that are still dealing with food shortages and not to mention recent environmental issues and other conflicts is to make and sign orders against trans and people with different expressions

And while these are only half of what is trying to be set into place, please as a community and people with rights that the government tries to take away from us stand up and be aware of this! Because truthfully, one of the reasons why he’s even the president again is because some of us where naive and thinking “ well we got through it for 4 years back then, we know his tricks we will be fine”…..No, we won’t!

Because since conservatives have the house too that means this will be more enforced! And that comfort in “ well that wouldn’t get through ( insert part of government here)” is now gone. Idc from now to 2028-2029 about what celebrity/internet fuck shit has happened or someone has done or about any useless and time wasting shit we all focus on, sure don’t over whelm yourself with the news but don’t be surprised or not start planning on how to navigate moving forward

Because it may seem like just orders or bills now, but then it can evolve to over militarizing police to attacking and stopping innocent people even if they are queer, poc and even people who have came here to escape problems going on in other places. Shit is going to be dangerous and rough, and we all need to be aware, be careful, don’t be friendly with everyone (especially someone who has any form of involvement with trump or the ideology, honestly we should be past the whole “ everyone was differences” shit especially when that difference is tearing families and jeopardizing people’s safety). Cut them off, even if it’s family and move towards your safety and wellbeing especially with people who your love and care about

These are going to be shit times, we will lose somedays and win others, but that does not mean we have to not pay attention, plan and help not only ourselves but people in need too. Because like fuck the government is going to help us now

[bitchesgetriches]

You Have the Frugal Right to Repair Your Shit. Or Do You? 

Did we just help you out? Tip us!

[takingtheacademicscenicroute]

I am not a fish: Introduction

"Looking at their work I would be expecting 8s or 9s"

My biology teacher said that when I was in year nine. It was not the first time someone had said something to that effect, and it was not the last.

The fact of the matter is that I spent most of my time, up until year 11, being told how far I would go, how high my grades were expected to be and how I could do anything that I wanted. People have said that, I just about nudged into the gifted category(though that is a nuanced discussion for another time), not like some of my friends who passed everything with their eyes closed, I definitely had to work, but I was honestly doing well.

My first set of mock GCSEs in year eleven came back and I was broken. Not one of my grades was above a six. This continued through year 11, I was not living up to the expectations that were set. This all came to a head on results day when I discovered that I had only just scraped a 6 which was not enough to do maths A-level, and without maths, I couldn't do physics. This was an issue. I want to be an astrophysicist, however, I have always been in a complex "situationship" with maths, and honestly, I think we might need couple's counselling, but I'm stretching this metaphor too far so suffice to say, I was not too proud of my performance.

So here I am, the day before my first day of college and getting set to do Biology, Environmental science, and Geology. And I will be the first to admit, I am still bitter, I am still upset, I am not over it, but if I could do all the subjects I wanted too, they would be next on my list after physics and maths. The idea is that I will retake my maths GCSE and then go back after college to do physics and maths, so really, in essence I am just taking the scenic route, and maybe, I will end up somewhere wonderful that I could never have dreamed of.

take it easy and good luck to everyone starting this new year

written: 03/09/2024

posted: 03/09/2024

[justalittlesolarpunk]

Solarpunk Sunday Suggestion:

Ride on public transport

[lavampira]

I don’t actually have a modern au but I’ve been having so many thoughts about modern d’alia lately lmao

[ciquery]

Fantastically informative summary on the present nuances for public transit, commuter psychology, and city design.

[useless-catalanfacts]

Túria Gardens in València (capital city of the Valencian Country). In the 1st and 2nd photos, you can see the València Fine Arts Museum from the back. The museum is located in a Baroque building from the 17th century.

The Túria Gardens are a 10-kilometre long park that crosses the city of València following the Túria river. Originally, in the 1960s and 1970s, the plan for this area was to be turned into a highway, but the city's population organized to protest to turn it into a park instead. They chanted "el llit del Túria és nostre i el volem verd" (meaning "the Túria banks are ours and we want them green" in the Valencian/Catalan language) and fought until they won. Since 1986, it's open as a public park. Thanks to the neighbours' fight, nowadays it's a beautiful green lung for the city, and the biggest urban park in the state of Spain.

Photos: Experia and Sergio Formoso.

[romaticiseadarkcity]

i'm not sure if you have already answered a question like this... but this is a two parter so buckle up! i'm a high school senior (in the US) and i'm very uncertain about my future and need a nice big GOAL to push for. right now i think urban planning is it. i'm hoping your answers might clear some stuff up for me.

number 1- what got you into urban planning/urban design? was it something you saw in your community? at what age did you realize this? what kinds of things did you do when you were younger that you realize now could have indicated your future interest in this career path?

number 2- materials. do you have a list of literature, articles, resources, or creators that you like to go to for indulging personal interests in urban planning/design. this can include university assigned literature too ofc, i'm just wondering if you have any recs of materials to consume that could kind of point me in the right direction. (aka help me see if my current interest is real by seeing if i'm geniunely interested in literature on the subject of urban design)

anyways, ik that was a long one!!! pls take your time 😭 and cool sideblog you have just gained a follower :)

hi pluto! no worries about the length, I have a science degree so I'm used to 2000 word papers ahaha (this is not to brag btw it was a pain in the ass the whole time I studied it, would only recommend if it's your jam)

so glad to hear you have a goal and I get that feeling! tbh when I look at the many multifaceted things I want to make a difference in, being able to do something that influences people's lives in such a fundamental and behind-the-scenes kind of way really keeps me going.

OKAY so the thing that got me into this was actually permaculture! when I was your age we did a geography unit on feeding the world while conserving the environment, and, for context, my high school also had what was basically an accelerated design program at the time (totally by accident, one dedicated teacher and my grade who were Very Into this kind of thing). basically, back to geography, where that unit landed was

"Permaculture is a design system for the creation of socially, economically and ecologically sustainable settlements, whether in rural areas or metropolitan cities.” – Bill Mollison

and I was like! aha! design! see at this point, roughly 7 years ago, urban design wasn't that big of a field yet (most degrees in it have only popped up in the last decade or so) and so I thought a career in design at that point meant one of three options that didn't really appeal to me: architecture/ landscape architecture / interior design, industrial design/ engineering, or graphic design/animation. BUT!! on this day I was proven wrong!! because the definition in itself said design! and it was about being socially, economically and ecologically sustainable so I'd get to do Social Justice Things and Environment and Biology Things as well as use my knowledge of smallholder farming and business running from my side gig of breeding guinea fowls. At that point I knew what I wanted to do! I looked up permaculture degrees, and found nothing at a university level--which I knew I wanted to study because to understand the planet and our design needs, I thought I needed a lot more education.

Instead I applied to a bachelors of environmental science at several universities in Australia. The employment prospects were good, and I did biology in high school, and climate change was a Big Talking Point I thought I'd do well to understand a bit better. As well as ecology--living in Queensland at the time, it's one of the most rapid areas of land clearing. Urban design came later; for my fourth year I was required to do a year-long research project and write a thesis on it. There was a lot of emphasis on choosing something you know you can do for an entire year, and at this point I had three and a half years of backlogged ideas on how to make changes to our civilisations to be better for the environment, so I knew I wanted to do something that would allow me to express them in design. One of my capstone subjects was one on river catchments, and in it we studied something called water sensitive urban design. I arranged a crossover project between my lecturer for that subject and someone from the school of design at my university I later found out was the course coordinator of the master of urban design. She suggested this degree to me, and I enrolled--just at a different university to where I did my undergrad. tbh, it's everything I wanted at 17 when I wanted to design human scale civilisations that incorporate the principles of permaculture. I only wish working in the industry was more activism-led and less following a status quo that has historically been terrible for the environment and nonwhite people, and is making much too slow progress to remedy this.

PART 2: okay this will be a short one because I am that student who literally NEVER does any of their readings. I do them, eventually, at the end of my degree (like I did for environmental science) where I just save all the links and read through EVERYTHING for my entire degree at once. so I could not tell you what the good readings are. HOWEVER I want to push something: this field is NOT about reading. it is rooted in science, yes, but unlike something like biology it is a much more applied science. At its core, it is about problem-solving and innovation. It's about listening to your users. It's about holding their perspectives and their longings, and that of the land as well. It's about listening and creating. So I want to ask you these questions: 1) can you draw, whether on paper or digitally? Can you visualise things in your head and then translate that to a document? 2) can you collate several genres of information (planning law, ecology, social needs of MANY groups of people, stakeholder conditions, hydrology, the user experience, just to name a few) and use this to create a solution that covers all bases? and 3) can you listen to the land and the stories it tells, and would like to tell? Have you listened to you local Indigenous community about who they were before colonisation, how they feel now, and what they want to be? Are you ready to be the person who helps them see that vision? Are you ready to be the person who helps us see a vision of less traffic, of low carbon lifestyles, of being outdoors and meeting each other in peace?

I'll put up some links for reading sometime down the line when I hunt down where I saved them all to, but the reason I tend away from making this discipline too academic is because you're designing for the everyday person. You're not designing only for the small percentage who are capable of having academic conversations. You need to understand what someone on the street is saying behind their words, at least as much as you need to understand something some academic wrote in a paper or a book or even a council website. You're here to listen to the marginalised, listen to the need for connection of the wealthy who are hiding it behind accumulating things, and then have those perspectives in mind when you build up a collection of tools on how to make those needs a reality.