[LI] The poor & professionals in urban planning; responsibility & power in complex systems

Two quick takes on hierarchies of knowledge and power, posted to LinkedIn during February 2020. "What if the poor were part of city planning?" by Smruti Jukur Johari, TEDWomen 2019, December 2019 (posted February 2020) Interesting TED talk by Smruti Jukur Johari about involving poor city dwellers in urban planning. Appreciate her noting 2 myths …

Vertical forests in the Sahara?

According to a recent article in the New York Times on "The Allure of Vertical Forests," cities currently cover about 3% of the Earth's land. However, some forecasts say that population growth and migration could push that proportion up to about 10% by 2030. And it's pretty certain that almost all of that will go …

Settlements on Mars? Start in Earth’s deserts

Elon Musk's introduction of SpaceX's plans to go to Mars was long on the how to get there, but short on the "now what?" once passengers land. What would cities on Mars look like, and how would they solve the material and social challenges they would encounter from the moment they arrive at their destination? …