AUTHOR

Abbie Harby

20 POSTS
0 COMMENTS
"If we were meant to stay in one place we'd have roots instead of feet" and so I move - in cities, between cities, up mountains (and back down again!). And all that using my feet as much as possible - the first mode of transport known to man and the cheapest! I love the outdoors and being in green space. I'm passionate about trying to protect and improve all that we've got and all that we could have to give every single part of nature the best life possible.

What a Waste: Global Good Practices of Urban Waste Management

From lack of planning to a shortage of resources or an absence of imagination when it comes to strategies, there are many reasons why responsible waste management falls through our fingertips. However, with the world expected to be creating 3.40 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually by 2050,...

How to Revitalise Cities: Doughnuts in Urban Development

Urban development isn’t always about the brand spanking new. It’s all well and good to build new modern constructions, but it’s even more essential to give those run-down, if not abandoned areas some love and attention and use what we’ve already got. Caren Ohrhallinger, Chief Executive of Architecture at...

The Bigger Picture: How to Lead City-Wide Change

Adapting our buildings to be future-proof, incorporating greenery, using more sustainable materials: these are all great steps and ones to be encouraged. But, what about the bigger picture? If overall city development, urban planning, and wholescale change are your thing, stick around to get some top tips on how...

Cork: Fact File

Although currently not one of the most widely used bio-based materials, cork is still a viable option in construction, with countless benefits making it well worth considering. As more and more bottle stoppers are being made of plastic corks or screw tops, the sustainable cork industry could do with...

Hemp: Fact File

Hemp has become something of a miracle ingredient over recent years with hemp-based products popping up across the market. And the construction industry has followed suit. With environmental, pollution-mitigating, and health benefits, what’s not to love?! We’ve given you a run-down of all you need to know about hemp. The...

The Challenges of Sustainable Construction

Encouraging people to change the way they’ve always done things is never going to be easy. While calls to construct buildings more sustainably may be met with scoffs and points to the price tag, there’s so much more to it than that. Challenges to sustainable construction are not few...

Mud: Fact File

Half of the world’s population is living in mud constructions. And we can understand why. Take a look at the following facts, primary building methods, and the main uses of earth in construction to find out how the very substance beneath our feet can be utilised in buildings and...

Sustainable Construction: Facts & Figures

It’s always important to know your stuff and be able to back it up with solid data. That’s why we’ve collated all the essential facts and figures on sustainable construction that you CityChangers might need. These will be sure to get your adversaries thinking and your advocates firmly on...

Making Change Happen: Who to Involve and How to Get Them on Board

Wherever you’re at in your change-making journey, there’s no doubt that you’re going to need a bit of help somewhere along the line. In fact, it’s safe to say you won’t be able to implement the drastic, much needed changes our cities need without people. Other people. All people....

Straw: Fact File

Are you familiar with the fairy tale of the big bad wolf blowing the little piggies’ straw house down? Well, despite how this story ends, straw is actually surprisingly strong, and we’ve got a lot of it. So, we collated all there is to know about straw and how...

Chatting Your Way to Change: Jaffer Muljiani

Sustainability enthusiasts, city champions and urban development nuts, look no further. We’ve found a true zealot of all things urban: Jaffer Muljiani. From growing up in Muscat, Oman to becoming a ‘real’ Londoner, working as a sustainability consultant and recently being the youngest appointee to the Design Council’s Expert...

How Urban Mining Can Promote Circular Construction

Since writing his thesis on “Recyclable Building in Residential Construction” over 20 years ago, Thomas Romm has only delved deeper into how we can reduce the environmental impact of construction and planning practices. Cue: Urban mining. We sat down with Thomas to talk all things urban mining, circular construction,...

Building Sustainably: How to Get Started with Natural Materials

A house made of straw, an office block made of timber, or a shopping centre made with hempcrete – you might be thinking that this all sounds very hippyish, but this could be the vision of a sustainable future that the world desperately needs. We spoke to Janna Laan...

Wood: Fact File

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Well, hopefully just enough to help us construct some superbly sustainable and stunning structures made entirely from wood. It’s not exactly a major breakthrough, yet it is a significantly underestimated and underused material. Here is everything...

Guide to Natural Materials in Construction: More Than Hobbit Houses and Mud Huts

Deep in the depths of the construction world, among the steel, cement and concrete, there are materials hidden, just waiting to be utilised. We’ve put together this guide exhibiting some of the main natural construction materials along with a few facts, figures, and important points to factor into your...

How, When, and Where to Incorporate Participation into Urban Development

Constructing sustainable buildings in our cities is all well and good, but sometimes you’ve got to step back and look at the bigger picture: urban development. In order to create a city suitable for the present and the future, who better to consult than those living in that space?...

CityChanger Eugen Antalovsky: Participation, Inclusion, and Urban Development in Vienna

With an interest in architecture, cities, mobility, and society, it seemed like a natural step for Eugen Antalovsky to specialise in urban development, and for the last three and a half decades he’s been advising cities on just that. We sat down with Eugen to discuss all things city...

From Architecture to Urban Planning: Shweta Gandhi

From a naïve 19-year-old architecture student to working on government projects and helping achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Shweta Gandhi has already gathered a multitude of experiences. We spoke to this Young Leader from our 2020 cohort to find out more about what she’s been up to, what...