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Cement/concrete is a MASSIVE contributor to global warming (8% of CO2).[1] Steel is not far behind at 5%.[2] I feel like we need to talk about this more. When

Cement/concrete is a MASSIVE contributor to global warming (8% of CO2).[1] Steel is not far behind at 5%.[2] I feel like we need to talk about this more. Whenever "urbanists" go on about the environmental cost of sprawl and transport, first thing I think about is all the concrete & steel their vision requires. At least we can make transport sustainable. [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46455844 https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46455844 [2] https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611961/this-mit-spinout-could-finally-clean-up-steel-one-of-the-globes-biggest-climate-polluters/ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611961/this-mit-spinout-c... (I guess the Economist cites different estimates, 6% and 8% respectively, but it's in the ballpark.)

ants_a 8y ago
You can use timber for high-rise buildings. [1] [1] https://archinect.com/news/article/150025665/the-world-s-tallest-wooden-tower-is-being-built-in-norway https://archinect.com/news/article/150025665/the-world-s-tal...
TheCoelacanth 8y ago
Most urbanists prefer putting buildings closer together with less roads and parking lots in between over building taller.
- abalone 8y ago
  What's your source? Most urbanists I read at least in the context of San Francisco definitely advocate building taller. Maybe not skyscrapers, but at least 4-6 stories. And the "formula" for that type of construction uses a concrete first floor.[1] I'm not against the urbanist vision per se. I've just found that it's very "politicized" and they tend to not want to talk about CO2 impact of dense urban construction like it's some kind of attack. Like, I got downvoted a bit for my comment. Why can't we talk about this? [1] http://archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com/2015/03/how-one-plus-five-is-shaping-american_27.html http://archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com/2015/03/how-one-plus-f...
  - TheCoelacanth 8y ago
    One floor of concrete plus five floors of wood is a common pattern, but it isn't necessary. You can easily build a six story building wood frame building. Also, a big focus of urbanists is the "missing middle"[1]. This is the idea that there is too much focus on single family houses and high-rises and too little focus on housing that is shorter, but still denser than single family houses. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_Middle_Housing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_Middle_Housing

ants_a 8y ago

You can use timber for high-rise buildings. [1] [1] https://archinect.com/news/article/150025665/the-world-s-tallest-wooden-tower-is-being-built-in-norway https://archinect.com/news/article/150025665/the-world-s-tal...

TheCoelacanth 8y ago

Most urbanists prefer putting buildings closer together with less roads and parking lots in between over building taller.

abalone 8y ago
What's your source? Most urbanists I read at least in the context of San Francisco definitely advocate building taller. Maybe not skyscrapers, but at least 4-6 stories. And the "formula" for that type of construction uses a concrete first floor.[1] I'm not against the urbanist vision per se. I've just found that it's very "politicized" and they tend to not want to talk about CO2 impact of dense urban construction like it's some kind of attack. Like, I got downvoted a bit for my comment. Why can't we talk about this? [1] http://archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com/2015/03/how-one-plus-five-is-shaping-american_27.html http://archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com/2015/03/how-one-plus-f...
- TheCoelacanth 8y ago
  One floor of concrete plus five floors of wood is a common pattern, but it isn't necessary. You can easily build a six story building wood frame building. Also, a big focus of urbanists is the "missing middle"[1]. This is the idea that there is too much focus on single family houses and high-rises and too little focus on housing that is shorter, but still denser than single family houses. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_Middle_Housing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_Middle_Housing