RAPID DEVLOPMENT

  What is green infrastructure and grey infrastructure? One of the challenges surrounding green infrastructure and grey infrastructure is a lack of clear, consistent definitions of the terms. Green infrastructure and grey infrastructure can both refer to work outside of water, such as buildings or transport; however, each of these can also impact water management. Green infrastructure is  the “strategic use of networks of natural lands, working landscapes, and other open spaces to conserve ecosystem values and functions and provide associated benefits to human populations”  Blue-green infrastructure is also a term used interchangeably with green infrastructure to describe things like rain gardens or reed beds that treat wastewater. Green infrastructure is generally decentralized; water is captured and treated where it falls, rather than being transported to a treatment facility.   Grey infrastructure  refers to the human-engineered infrastructure for water resou...

 1.  (DIGITALLY)RE-PROGRAMMABLE SPACE Why..?  Demands on space in cities are constantly changing as a result of economic growth, demographics and consumer preferences. As urban populations increase from 4 billion to nearly 7 billion over the next 30 years, the world will need to almost double its urban capacity by 2050. There is neither the time nor money to produce the required infrastructure conventionally through large-scale engineering solutions; focus should be on the better use of existing infrastructure. From intelligent street lamps to trees hooked up to social networks, the  Top 10 Urban Innovations  chronicles the best examples from around the world of how cities are creating innovative solutions to a variety of problems. To create the list, the Council drew on its experiences and networks working with city leaders around the world to select those that have had the most impact. Ranging from the high tech to the simple, and from the game changing to the...