Shedding a little Light onto the Current Environment
As recently as ten months ago, “In light of the recent environment” used to be a term coined mostly by environmentalists to push for cut backs in consumption and production in order to curb carbon emissions. It used to be followed by phrases such as:
“In light of the recent environment…”

“…UNEP is calling on governments to push for stricter carbon emission standards at the upcoming G8 summit.”
“…NGOs are asking people to refrain from buying Christmas trees this year to discourage further felling of our already depleted forests.”
“…the Dutch Government is developing a plan to place solar panels on Amsterdam’s roofs as a way to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.”

Before, the “recent environment” referred to a planet plagued by climate change due to human induced degradation of our atmosphere and ecosystems. Today, it is a term used mostly by economists to refer to the economic recession (which is ironically resulting in cutbacks in consumption and production and curbing carbon emissions). Now, newspapers and publications are covered with statements such as:
“In light of the recent environment ….”
“…132 companies canceled their conferences and incentive trips to the Island of Hawaii.”
“…private jets are being viewed as objects of shame and extravagance, and are now confined to airport hangers as owners are unable to afford fuel costs.”
“…British holiday makers who once favoured resorts in Greece and Spain, are choosing to vacation in small inns around the UK.”
“…starting salaries for 2009 computer science graduates are down from an average of $70,000 to $60,000 a year.”
“…real estate development in tier II Indian cities has stopped as finished projects are going unsold. “
“…European no frills airlines are forced to cut the number of flights in previously popular connections.”
“…sales at American fine dining restaurants are falling by 12-15% as families choose to eat food cooked at home.”
“…plastic toy factories in China are scaling down and decreasing their production as export opportunities reduce.”
“…companies are asking employees to print back to front and reduce air-conditioning temperatures by up to 3 degrees to reduce energy bills.”


There is a funny irony in the phrase “in light of the recent environment” is being coined by economists for what could possibly be the worst time for our market, but one of the best for our planet. The amount of flights, manufacturing plants, and exporting that has been stopped or cancelled has notably reduced the amount of carbon dioxide that is going into the air.
Now more than ever we are truly seeing consumerism in terms of carbon. Each dollar less I spend, is that much less carbon I have pumped into the atmosphere. This is what environmentalists have been saying for decades. We will not survive (in the stock markets or on our planet) if we believe that our resources are inexhaustible and so are the limits on our credit card.
Now, whether Americans and Europeans like it or not, the current environment is forcing them to cut down their consumption patterns. They are downgrading to smaller more fuel efficient vehicles to save on gas. They are choosing to buy locally grown produce instead of imported options. They are opting out of distant holiday destinations to save on flight costs. All in all doing their part to save the environment, but the driving factor is their pocket books.
The question we should now be asking is: how can we take advantage of this shift in preferences? How can we make it something sustainable that will continue beyond the economic recession?
By establishing an eco conscious consumer society today. We can change the recession blues into proud greens, as people see their curb in consumption not as a limiting factor, but as a conscious reduction of their carbon footprint.
For the most part, when people are looking to purchase, they take into account several factors:
1. Will it be useful and satisfy need requirements?
2. Is it the preferred option?
3. Is the cost appropriate to my financial situation?
What if we ask them to consider a fourth factor? :
4. Is it made in an environmentally sustainable manner or will it become a pollutant once I discard it?
This means that every time they make a decision to buy something, they are looking at the item’s footprint on the Earth. Since it becomes a part of the decision process, no matter how little weight is put onto the answer, carbon footprints will be lowered. Eventually one will choose the eco option more often than they would have had they not considered this factor.
The most impactful part of this change is that manufacturers will have to calculate point number four into their production process. THIS is where the real change comes since an efficient system requires the manufactures to tailor to consumer interests. As “going green” becomes more hip and popular, more affordable eco options and investments will be introduced to the market.
A new psyche comes into the market at both the consumption and production level. The new market equilibrium will help restore the one we lost in the carbon cycle. There could be a beautiful (perhaps sourced from solar?) light at the end of the current environment’s tunnel.


The Architecture of Community

Is there an art to building cities? Do modernist towns have the same beauty and aesthetics as traditional historic settlements? Does the extraordinary technical and scientific inventiveness of the industrial age have a parallel in its architecture and urban planning?

Leon Krier addresses these questions and more in his highly anticipated new book, The Architecture of Community that I co-edited. Despite America’s immense achievements in the areas of law, science and technology, modern urban planning in the United States has remained uninspired. Our public spaces languish in shocking contrast to the seductive comforts of our homes, and American development model has laid waste to the natural and man-made landscapes worldwide.

Krier is widely acknowledged as one of the most provocative architects and urban theoreticians of our time, but his unique perspective is not readily recognized or understood in the U.S. His latest written work, The Architecture of Community, Krier’s visionary planning philosophy, is now available for an American audience and offers a cure for the problems of modern urbanism and a practical, contemporary roadmap for the creation of livable towns.

Best known for his design for the highly influential town of Poundbury in England as well as the Krier House and Tower in Seaside, Florida, Krier has designed and consulted on projects all over the world. Commissioned by the Prince of Wales in 1988, Krier’s design for Poundbury in Dorset has become a reference model for ecological planning and building that can meet contemporary needs.

Today more than ever, with our cities becoming increasingly congested and natural resources rapidly depleting, it is necessary to find innovative, sustainable ways to build and rebuild our urban communities. In The Architecture of Community, Krier provides detailed drawings and images of his built work to illustrate his theories on traditional urbanism and architecture, while providing practical guidelines for creating attractive towns.

The Architecture of Community outlines a diagnosis and a cure, a critique and a project. Until now, Krier’s ideas have circulated mostly among a professional audience of architects, city planners and academics. The Architecture of Community is accessible to a wider public, encouraging and illustrating a common-sense approach to urban planning.

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James Howard Kunstler in the Afterword.

“This book is Mr. Krier’s gift to the coming generations who, otherwise, have been left saddled by us with little more than extravagant debts in every way you could imagine. They are going to have to inhabit what remains of this planet, along with whatever remains of its resources, when we are gone, and Mr. Krier’s heroic, often lonely labors, have produced this indispensable beacon of principle and methodology to light their way home.” — James Howard Kunstler from the book’s afterword

About Leon Krier

Born in 1946 in Luxembourg, Leon Krier is one of the most influential architects teaching and writing today. He has taught architecture and urbanism at the Architectural Association and the Royal College of Arts in London, and in the United States at Princeton University, Yale University, the University of Miami, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Virginia. He has worked extensively in Europe and North America and is currently consulting on projects in Guatemala, Romania, England, Belgium, Italy, France, and the United States. In 2003, he received the inaugural Richard Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture.

About Publisher

Island Press was established in 1984 to stimulate, shape, and communicate the ideas that are essential for solving environmental problems. Publishing approximately 40 books and other information tools a year, we use a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed approach that brings practical solutions to complex challenges like climate change, the depletion of our oceans, sustainable energy and agriculture, and species extinction. A nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, Island Press publishes for scientists, policy makers, environmental practitioners, students, journalists, and the general public. Island Press – Solutions that inspire change.

The conflict between heritage and development that is being played out yet again over the past few months stands to hold the Mumbai’s future at stake if not resolved pragmatically. The extremist positions that are being illustrated in the media is visibly pointless- On one side there are lobbyists who claim that the new developments will “destroy our heritage” ; even as the pro-development lobby talks about how the heritage lobby arrest any move towards regeneration of the inner of core of the city thereby ensuring our “economic ruin”. The answer lies in between. We need get out this of the heritage or development mode and stop viewing them as opposite ends of the spectrum. Heritage and development are not contradictory to one other. In fact, a great city is a fusion of the old and the new. There is clearly a need to discourage divergent positions and look for balanced solutions that integrate the past as we progress.
Even as it is important to respect the legacy of our city’s architecture and public spaces; one also has to dig deeper to recognize that a number of dilapidated sections of our old city that have been categorised as heritage. Often, a number of activists use the idea of preservation to freeze a place in time and fight against any sort of development. It is this type of mindset that I question. The manner in which neighbourhood after neighbourhood is being classified as a heritage zone is something I don’t agree with. Who are making these decisions on our heritage? A number of the cities neighbourhood that require desperate revival are being labelled heritage zone. This type of approach will be disastrous for the longer term health of the city. A city cannot be frozen in time and we need to appreciate that greatest allure of any city is the element of change.
There is absolutely no question that Mumbai is home to some of the worlds most valuable architectural jewels and I concur that these landmarks and their immediate precincts need to be protected. But to have a blanket law that classifies large parts of the city as heritage and thereby demand total preservation of those areas is unreasonable.
Internationally there are many great cities that have preserved their heritage while allowing new development. The addition of the glass pyramid designed by I.M Pie in three-sided western courtyard of the Louvre, which is arguably among the worlds most prized architectural heritage is an example of integrating the old and the new. Barcelona is another city that allows the vibrancy of past and present to come together to create a dynamic cityscape. The city has the radical architecture of Antonio Gaudi and the more recent Santiago Calatrava coexisting close to the historic core. We need to look at such strategies of preserving our heritage precincts while allowing progress. Solutions that would prioritize different aspects of urban growth should be explored in such a way that it does not deter developmental growth and at the same time does not fade the city’s heritage values
Also it is important to note that architectural conservation is costly, and as a result a lot of private property owners are unable to manage the upkeep of these structures leading to decay of neighbourhoods. They are also often unable to redevelop these buildings due to monetary impracticality. A number of these old buildings had a higher FSI than the current 1.33. Without higher FSI projects are usually not financially feasible. As a consequence, few buildings get renovated and the city is saddled with inefficient, obsolete neighbourhoods.