The benefits and challenges of pedestrianizing Central London
Around the world, people are expressing the desire to live in a ‘walkable city’. Let’s look at some of the challenges of pedestrianizing inner-city streets, with London as an example, as well as some of the challenges to doing so. Whether or not a city is walkable greatly impacts...
Current in Design
The Manchester Museum is returning over 170 Aboriginal artefacts
The decision marks a breakthrough in Britain’s imperialist museological history. But is it as positive as it seems? In a world increasingly conscious of its colonial legacy, the Manchester Museum has made the rather groundbreaking decision to return hundreds of Aboriginal artefacts to their rightful homes. The Aboriginal Anindilyakwa community of...
Why aren’t cities just planting more trees?
We are all obsessed with plants and for good reason. They are proven to improve our mood, purify our air, and even keep cities dramatically cooler on hot days. So with mental health struggles, air pollution, and deadly heatwaves on the rise – why are governments so slow to...
Paris Olympics to seat thousands of spectators on recycled chairs
The Paris 2024 Olympics has set out to use its moment on the world’s stage to promote sustainability. Part of its multi-step effort to do so involves seating 11,000 spectators in chairs made from recycled plastic material. The Olympic Games are often regarded as a spectacular celebration of human ability,...
Could white paint help Barcelona cope with frequent heatwaves?
Spain is warming at a faster rate than any other European country. In an effort to protect city-dwellers from worsening heatwaves, the Spanish government is considering painting Barcelona’s iconic buildings white. Barcelona’s cityscape has long been hailed by urban planners and architectural novices for its practical design and abundant...
Designer Gyuhan Lee upcycles McDonald’s bags into lamps
These nongreasy upcycled lamps were made from McDonald’s paper bags by Gyuhan Lee. They’re a fun example of how packaging and waste can be repurposed to become useful decoration. Fancy yourself a midnight snack? Craving the golden arches of fast food convenience? Single-use packaging could be worth more than...
Why cork is becoming sustainable design’s favourite material
Members of the design world are on a mission to locate materials that bring us closer to achieving sustainability targets, while also being beautiful and long-lasting. Cork is becoming a prime candidate. When we think of cork, we’re likely imagining popping open a celebratory bottle of champagne or pinning our favourite photos onto a board in our living room. But nowadays cork is gaining popularity in the world of design for...
Utrecht’s newest apartment block will become a vertical forest
The Dutch city of Utrecht is getting a new apartment building covered in 10,000 plants and trees. It will emit 41 tons of oxygen annually once it is completed in 2024. In imagined depictions of a utopian future, it’s very often that we see views of cities full of buildings dotted with greenery. As the climate crisis worsens and urbanisation continues to expand over the coming decades, there is no...
Coca-Cola launches AI art contest using ChatGPT-4 and DALL-E 2
Coca-Cola is launching a competition prompting AI fans to create digital art using its iconic imagery. The best submissions will be showcased on billboards in Manhattan and London. The possibilities for generative AI are pretty much endless, and yet the assignment here is to create the coolest image possible… featuring a cat in a space suit. Okay, I’m being facetious. It’s more complicated than that. Coca-Cola is inviting digital artists, or just...
Three ways bioplastics are being turned into everyday objects
Once we find the right formulas, the use of eco-friendly bioplastics can be applied to create virtually any object. From its uses in the fashion industry to valuable pieces of art and even furniture-making, let’s take a look at some of the latest designs using bioplastic. I probably don’t have to tell you that finding an eco-friendly alternative to plastic is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our...
