Cities Today According to the UN: half of humanity – 3.5 billion people – lives in cities today. By 2030, almost 60 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas. 95 per cent of urban expansion in…
11 Books that have inspired Architecture in Development
Architecture in Development is a community based open source platform. It is about collecting local architecture knowledge and make it accessible for everyone. It is also about learning from each other and collaborating. All the projects are collected on a…
The Pet Lamps and Indeginous People
(This post is part of the project: “The Social Impact of Milan Design Week 2013″). Background It was in summer 2011 that Hélène Le Drogou, a psychologist and activist concerned with the plastic waste of the Colombian Amazon, invited the…
Indego Africa: entrepreneurship and independence
INDEGO AFRICA is an innovative non-profit social enterprise, the name stands for “independence, development, and governance”—three life-changing attributes that Indego Africa is helping instill in 250 Rwandan women in order to lift them and their families out of poverty. The…
Fog Catching
The human body contains from 55% to 78% water. To function properly, the body requires between one and seven litres of water per day to avoid dehydration. Globally, one every five person doesn’t have access to clean drinking water.…
The Urban Physic Garden
The Union Street Urban Orchard is created by The Architecture Foundation, Bankside Open Spaces Trust, ProjectARKs and the Wayward Plant Registry. This summer they will transform a derelict site, 100 Union Street-Southwark-London, into the Urban Physic Garden, a pop-up community built…
Thailand’s Slow Hand Design at Milan Design Week 2011
One of the interesting things I saw in Zona Tortona during Milan Design Week 2011 was the exhibition Slow Hand Design: The heart value of Thai products. Thailand is considered one of the most experienced countries in the export industry…
The ECONOMICS of HAPPINESS: a must-see film in 2011
The Economics of Happiness is a film I’m looking forward to in 2011. Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick and John Page are the filmmakers. The film synopsis and trailer present a clear idea about the sense of well-being: life is becoming…
Experiencing the English countryside at London Design Festival by Mara De Matteis
The London Design Festival, a nine days celebration of design, ended in September 26. The Festival is an alternative map of the city (where you can get lost!). It is a different way to enjoy London space and time, looking…
Bringing Local Villages in Italy Back to Life by Vanessa Uvoni
Albergo Diffuso is an Italian model of hospitality and a sustainable concept for territory development. Its main objective is to bring local villages and towns back to life by renovating existing structures, involving residents and using local products. The Albergo Diffuso means…
best of made in
the best of made in is a research project that objective is to individuate the factors that: (1) enhance the value of high quality handmade products, and (2) empower local artisans, independent designers and micro/small enterprises from different countries. . The project…