State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Urbanization18

  • The State and Future of Congestion Pricing in China

    The State and Future of Congestion Pricing in China

    To combat urban air pollution and traffic problems, some propose congestion pricing as a cost-effective policy to reduce pollution and improve productivity through improved travel speeds. Cities in China could implement this policy and ameliorate some of the negative effects of congestion-caused pollution. So why is congestion pricing dead on arrival in China?

  • Night-time Lights Can Help Illuminate Trends in Urbanization

    Night-time Lights Can Help Illuminate Trends in Urbanization

    Improved satellite technology can enable more detailed and precise analysis of urban development patterns over time.

  • Just How Effective is Green Infrastructure?

    Just How Effective is Green Infrastructure?

    Over the next 18 years, New York City’s 2010 Green Infrastructure Plan will spend $2.4 billion on green infrastructure— green roofs, tree plantings, and increased vegetation— to combat coastal pollution. But how does green infrastructure work and how effective is it really?

  • Lessons From Front Lines of Climate Change

    Lessons From Front Lines of Climate Change

    Cities already lead the action on responding to climate change. And cities are utilizing groups such as the Urban Climate Change Research Network to share lessons from implementation and scholarly research on urban climate change.

  • World Population Projected to Cross 11 Billion Threshold in 2100

    World Population Projected to Cross 11 Billion Threshold in 2100

    In 2011, the U.N. announced that the world population had reached 7 billion. This year’s new projections for future population growth are higher than previously expected. Projects like Millennium Cities hope to alleviate many of the pressures that crowded cities place on infrastructure, public services, and the environment.

  • Science in the Streets

    Science in the Streets

    What motivates artists may be different than what motivates scientists, but they can investigate similar ideas. Artists interested in sustainability issues might team up with scientists to make sure their work is accurate. Scientists benefit from art projects that communicate their research to a broader audience than would normally read a journal article. However, the…

  • Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    The impact of climate change on New York City could be even more severe than previously thought, putting more people at risk from increasingly frequent floods and heat waves, according to a report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change that was released Monday.

  • Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads data are critical to planning and development of rural transportation in developing countries, where better transportation systems can help improve livelihoods.

  • Students Work on Net Zero Energy to Adaptation Planning Projects

    By Noah Morgenstein This past May, seniors in the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development delivered their final presentations to fellow students and faculty at Columbia University. The workshop is a required course for students in the Sustainable Development major or special concentration. Unlike traditional courses, the workshop requires students to work collaboratively on a client project…

  • The State and Future of Congestion Pricing in China

    The State and Future of Congestion Pricing in China

    To combat urban air pollution and traffic problems, some propose congestion pricing as a cost-effective policy to reduce pollution and improve productivity through improved travel speeds. Cities in China could implement this policy and ameliorate some of the negative effects of congestion-caused pollution. So why is congestion pricing dead on arrival in China?

  • Night-time Lights Can Help Illuminate Trends in Urbanization

    Night-time Lights Can Help Illuminate Trends in Urbanization

    Improved satellite technology can enable more detailed and precise analysis of urban development patterns over time.

  • Just How Effective is Green Infrastructure?

    Just How Effective is Green Infrastructure?

    Over the next 18 years, New York City’s 2010 Green Infrastructure Plan will spend $2.4 billion on green infrastructure— green roofs, tree plantings, and increased vegetation— to combat coastal pollution. But how does green infrastructure work and how effective is it really?

  • Lessons From Front Lines of Climate Change

    Lessons From Front Lines of Climate Change

    Cities already lead the action on responding to climate change. And cities are utilizing groups such as the Urban Climate Change Research Network to share lessons from implementation and scholarly research on urban climate change.

  • World Population Projected to Cross 11 Billion Threshold in 2100

    World Population Projected to Cross 11 Billion Threshold in 2100

    In 2011, the U.N. announced that the world population had reached 7 billion. This year’s new projections for future population growth are higher than previously expected. Projects like Millennium Cities hope to alleviate many of the pressures that crowded cities place on infrastructure, public services, and the environment.

  • Science in the Streets

    Science in the Streets

    What motivates artists may be different than what motivates scientists, but they can investigate similar ideas. Artists interested in sustainability issues might team up with scientists to make sure their work is accurate. Scientists benefit from art projects that communicate their research to a broader audience than would normally read a journal article. However, the…

  • Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    The impact of climate change on New York City could be even more severe than previously thought, putting more people at risk from increasingly frequent floods and heat waves, according to a report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change that was released Monday.

  • Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads data are critical to planning and development of rural transportation in developing countries, where better transportation systems can help improve livelihoods.

  • Students Work on Net Zero Energy to Adaptation Planning Projects

    By Noah Morgenstein This past May, seniors in the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development delivered their final presentations to fellow students and faculty at Columbia University. The workshop is a required course for students in the Sustainable Development major or special concentration. Unlike traditional courses, the workshop requires students to work collaboratively on a client project…