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Together? Architecture May Have New Allure in an Age of Climate Change
For centuries, towns with shaded paths for walking in them as well as building construction, have fought the sun’s heat, and this style may be revisited in new construction in the US.
Cities built in the brutal glare of the sun have always had architectural designs intended to lessen the heat islands and protect their citizens while offering convenience in shopping and neighborhood cohesion. Even the building materials and the colors have been utilized to add additional protection and comfort. With climate change breathing down our necks like never before, draining resources, and causing unheard-of deaths, the industrial world is looking backward for rescue.
Building and home design are receiving a backward refresh, and entire neighborhoods are returning to a time of walking instead of driving and strolling instead of hovering indoors with the A/C on full blast. Change is in the air, and with it will come a change in how we relate to one another once again.
Most of the older designs deal with outdoor “cooling corridors” or different restrictions on building height and greenery, but when new towns are built, the freedom to design infuses tremendous changes, both physical and psychological. One change is that it must be either car-free or lack a dependence on cars, encouraging…
