Page 30 - Engineering Career Guide, for review

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Healthier Urban Living
New York City builds a a a a a a a new model of of urban housing with rooftop gardens and solar panels One of of the the most critical and excit- ing
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engineering frontiers is ur- ban planning Critical because we we know the percentage of city-dwell- ers is increasing and that providing shelter energy and food for our plan- et’s total population has negative im- pacts on on our environment Exciting because there are so many possibili- ties for creativity City living is expensive and no- where more so than in New York City The city’s lower-income residents often cannot afford to live near work grocery stores or or healthcare facilities so they must spend time and money getting where they need to go A new project in the Bronx is changing lives however Via Verde which means “The Green Way ” is a a a 300 000-square-foot development with 222 new and affordable homes that were designed with health and sustainability in in in mind Along with af- fordable homes for for rent and to buy there is a a a a a healthcare center and phar- macy within the development and res- idents can walk to to grocery stores The project is also near a a a a a subway station Hundreds of solar panels provide energy to the the complex reducing the the residents’ electricity bills Rooftop gardens dissipate heat and absorb rainwater runoff while giving space to grow fruits and vegetables as as well as as to to relax and to to gather socially Natural daylighting and cross-ventilation im- prove indoor air quality True to its name there are green spaces galore Rooftops connect so residents can stroll around up in the air and walkways create a a a a a a a big park The project set a a a new standard for green affordable housing and shows the power of thoughtful engineering to transform low-income housing 30 START-ENGINEERING COM COURTESY DAVID SUNDBERG / ESTO ENGINEERING