the united bike lanes of america
140 Notes
According to this map by The Economist, American consumption demands 7.2 global hectares per capita, while Denmark 8.3 per capita. This is rather striking at first, given Denmark’s global reputation for sustainability.
Deeper investigation into the background data from Global Footprint Network (explained in this document) reveals that though Denmark’s carbon output is considerably less than the United States, its consumption in the categories of cropland, grazing, fishing, foresting, and built-up land more than make up for the difference. I can’t say with certainty where exactly these issues lie in Denmark, but it is true that the nation’s economy is heavily dependent on exports of pork–an extremely resource intensive industry. This is only one of several issues to be found in a nation as wealthy as Denmark. As a casual observer in Copenhagen, I can say that consumer patterns are comparable to those in the US (i.e. people buy a lot of junk).
In any case, the western world has a lot of work to do.
The ecological footprint of nations (Graphic Detail - The Economist)
(via humanscalecities)
16 Notes
Here’s a screenshot of what’s been keeping me from posting much lately (or at least one of the things). The site is a mostly abandoned industrial waterfront site here in Copenhagen I’m attempting to redesign as a residential community. Excuse the roughness, it’s very much still in progress.
Perhaps I’ll post another as it begins to mature.
-Kasey
25 Notes