In the past week, New Orleans faced a Category 4 Hurricane Ida, 16 years after Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane took out all the power throughout Louisiana and blocked access to essential pumps to drain storm water which were installed after Katrina hit the city. The storm intensified prior to reaching …
As extreme weather events become more frequent and devastating due to climate change, a company called AquiPor created a material that will allow rain to flow through it to prevent flooding. Pavements are part of the problems in cities during extreme weather events, as they allow water to collect on …
Like many island nations, Kiribati is being threatened by the rising sea level. But it has no plans for sinking down, only one to rise above the ocean. Researchers at Simon Fraser University studied the country’s satellite images from the past decades and found that many islands have been rising …
The City of Calgary is bringing ten new inclusive playgrounds in various locations this year. This project will be a partnership between the city and the Calgary Parks Foundation and will be coordinated by Joan Macdonald, the capital projects coordinator for city parks. The project is estimated to cost $4.2 …
This video explores Ginkgo Bioworks, a company based out of Boston, MA, which has created the largest DNA factory in the world and hopes to use cutting edge synthetic biology to solve some of humanity’s biggest problems. The factory has categorized and logged huge amounts of digital code through DNA …
Are you feeling uneasy about talking to people again after almost a year-long of social distancing? Neuroscience might be able to explain that. Maintaining social networks is essential for survival in the animal kingdom, and humanity is no exception. We are hardwired to crave social interaction and maintain what is …
Heart failure is a serious issue, the only current method to alleviate heart failure is through donor transplants. However, demand for hearts exceeds supply here, the heart must be healthy meaning the donor must have died in such a way that didn’t affect their heart. The ideal solution here is …
After the Second World War, the United States government wanted to support soldiers returning from the frontlines. It implemented a range of new policies aiming to make homeownership more affordable. The government introduced 15- and 30-year mortgages, mortgage insurance, tax incentives, and additional subsidies. As a result of these policy …
The organizations, Hey Neighbour Collective and Happy City hosted a virtual workshop to explore how to build affordable multi-unit housing communities. They explored the topic through various lenses such as “cultural, financial and policy-level challenges”. The workshop was attended by “architects, community organizers, developers, funders, housing industry advocates, housing providers, …
Like the fleeting life of the cherry blossom, the cycle of renewal can also apply to Japanese houses. Contrary to the concept that housing is a long-term investment, houses in Japan are a short-lived consumer product that depreciates. There are several explanations for this. Firstly, Japan runs on a construction …