In both the environmental circles and city planning circles the idea of doing everything possible to increase the livability of city, and primarily the city core, has become a major discussion point.

A new study out from the Chicago-based nonprofit Center for Neighborhood Technology suggests that city dwellers emit up to 70% less carbon than people living in the suburbs. They concluded this by examining the emissions of carbon dioxide that resulted from household vehicle travel in 55 metropolitan areas in the United States.

"Cities are more location efficient – meaning key destinations are closer to where people live and work," said Scott Bernstein, president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology.

"They require less time, money, fuel and greenhouse gas emissions for residents to meet their everyday travel needs. People can walk, bike, car-share, take public transit," he said. "So residents of cities and compact communities generate less CO2 per household than people who live in more dispersed communities, like many suburbs and outlying areas."

Source: Environment News Service :: Study: City Living Helps Limit CO2 Emissions

Additionally they found that the transportation cost go from a low 14% of area household median income in the city centers to 28% in the outlying suburban areas. As Brian Merchant on Treehugger pointed out

So if you’re looking into a move, consider moving to an urban area–you’ll save $5,000 on gas annually, emit less carbon, and spend less time in transit. Cheaper, less environmentally taxing transportation is one of the primary reasons that urban areas are the more sustainable communities

I’ve never been a suburb type of guy myself. It has always been either live right out in the country or live as close as is comfortable to the downtown core.

photo courtesy of Seathttp://www.seattlechannel.org/issues/downtownGrowth.asptle Channel

The case for city living gets better is a post from: The Inquisitr

Man’s best friend, the dog, has been an inseparable part of our world for a very long time. They are also great survivors under all kinds of conditions and this is no different in Moscow. As we all know dogs are pretty smart but the idea that the stray dogs in Moscow have figured out how to become modern day commuters is pretty amazing.

It appears that these stray dogs spend their nights in the suburban shelters that they have created from empty buildings and then travel the subway to the city center where their for scraps is more productive. they have done this after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train. They also have figured out how to pick the quietest carriages on the subway train.

Dr Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He said: “They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.”

The dogs have learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr Poiarkov. And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow. They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas — then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.

Source: Nothing To Do With Arbroath

Moscow subway goes to the dogs [VIDEO] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Subway tracks – there is no denying it but the in-city rail systems can be nothing short of ugly. Barren cement landscapes that are cold and uninviting. Well it appears that some cities in Europe have decided that they don’t need to be this ugly and hard on the eyes. From Barcelona to Frankfurt and St-Etienne to Strasbourg these public transit pathways are turning green – green as in landscaped grass greenways.

Much like the idea of green roofs these tracts of land being changed into green beltways provide a host of benefits other than just making it all easier on the eyes. These benefits range from reducing urban heat, providing a permeable surface for storm waters to drain and reducing pollution.

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[pics courtesy of Inhabitat]

When ‘greening’ also means making the ugly beautiful is a post from: The Inquisitr