The Self-Sustaining, Solar-Powered Emergency Shelter

The Self-Sustaining, Solar-Powered Emergency Shelter: We’re Going to Need It - Environment - GOOD

YES.

Dutch-influenced New Orleans Water Management

I do agree with the style that the Dutch have taken, in terms of using natural systems to their best advantage (they are cheaper, durable and scalable in the long run, whereas most manmade infrastructure can be costly to maintain and even more difficult to upgrade). I'm not sure how easily and quickly they'll be able to implement it, based on the typical response to government in the area, with good reason.

The Dutch approach partially depends on cooperative agreement and large scale land-use changes. If they're able to couch their solutions by taking an urban design approach (i.e. canals or parks) they may have a better shot. Perhaps New Orleans citizens are more willing to try new and different things, since the old ways failed spectacularly. Or perhaps they're still gunshy. I could understand either, and the architects and planners should be prepared for both concerns, if they're using a combination of those approaches. I hope they're able to make the choices they want to, and they're able to communicate their intentions clearly and not in engineer-speak.

Architecture Firm Waggonner & Ball Tapped for New Orleans Water Management Project | News | Architectural Record

“The Daily Rind”, a Better Way to Plan the Day

Possible scheduling solution, which I desperately need:

“The Daily Rind”, a Better Way to Plan the Day — A. King in Society via Lifehacker.