Interview: Garden designer Dan Pearson on London's planned Garden Bridge. Plans for London's proposed Garden Bridge are beginning to flourish following the recent confirmation that the UK government and Transport for London (TfL) will each commit £30 million (US$50 million) of funding to the project.
Conceived by Joanna Lumley, designed by architect Thomas Heatherwick and to be planted by renowned horticulturist Dan Pearson, the bridge will provide a green public space and a link between the bohemian South Bank and lively Covent Garden. The design won a TfL tender to improve pedestrian access across the Thames and will span the river between Temple Station and the South Bank. It is currently awaiting the results a pre-planning consultation carried out by TfL, which are due in the next few months.
Application for planning consent is anticipated to be submitted in May 2014 and assuming it is successful, construction will begin in 2015. Gizmag spoke to Dan Pearson about his vision for the project. What did you think when you heard about the Garden Bridge concept? How smart cities reap the benefits of data analytics. The world population is expected to soar to more than 9 billion people by 2050.
Roughly 70 percent of the global population will live in cities, which today consume 70 percent of global energy supplies. That’s a concern for electric and water utilities, but there are ways to address these concerns. The best smart grid planning methodologies embody two related meta concepts called the “system of systems” and “network of networks” approaches. Both terms are defined in the Smart Grid Dictionary, and mean that planners must identify potential relationships between systems and/or networks and design solutions that leverage these synergies. These approaches encourage creative use and reuse of resources for multiple purposes instead of single-use applications, and are especially important when dealing with complex systems and networks like smart grids. First, we need to think differently about decision-making and time. Global Clean Technology Venture Deals Rise While Dollars Fall.
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cleantech Group™, a global market intelligence firm helping executives connect with cleantech innovation, today released preliminary 1Q 2012 results from its i3 platform ( for worldwide clean technology venture investments, totaling $1.81 billion. “North American cleantech investors are exhibiting caution on the large dollar deals that often drive total venture investment” 185 deals were recorded in 1Q12 – up from 176 in 4Q11 and flat year-over-year – and the tally may rise again once all investors have reported all deals.
Of these deals, 56 percent (104) were Series B or later rounds, accounting for 88 percent ($1.59 billion) of all money invested during the quarter. While deal counts rose, the total amount invested in cleantech companies dropped by 19 percent compared to the previous quarter ($2.23 billion) and was 31 percent lower than 1Q11 ($2.62 billion). AIR & ENVIRONMENT – $442 million in 9 deals. Pike Research Launches Smart Cities Advisory Service. Image via Pike Research Today (January 18th) Pike Research announced the launch of its new Smart Cities Advisory Service, a subscription-based information tool that provides market intelligence and strategy insights for city officials, service providers, and vendors seeking to more effectively harness smart energy and information technology to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, create more livable urban environments, and foster economic development.
Cities, which can have a lower environmental footprint per resident than rural areas, are becoming the focus for new approaches to energy efficiency, building design, transportation, waste management, and energy use. “For the first time in human history, more people now live in cities than in rural areas,” says research director Eric Woods. “The social, economic, environmental, and engineering challenges of this transformation will largely define the 21st century. Contact: Richard Martin. Search. Blog. WeSpire Taps Into The Groundswell Of Smart Employees Who Believe In Sustainability Goals Thursday, 10 April 2014 Achieving sustainability goals is dependent on getting employees jazzed about the initiatives and instituting behavior change.
Firms need to bridge the gap between corporate-wide sustainability goals and employee activities in dozens, hundreds or thousands of locations. While part of the challenge is a lack of access to information, a more deep-rooted hurdle is understanding how to establish long-term behavioural change within the workforce. ... Read more » OPOWER Soars Rather Than Floats Wednesday, 09 April 2014 Opower floated on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday 4th April with great success.
Read more » China Initiates National Mandatory Carbon Emissions Reporting Friday, 04 April 2014 Read more » White House Seeks Engagement With Public On Climate Change Monday, 24 March 2014. Welcome To The Canadian Professional Sustainability Institute in Vancouver, BC.