In the heart of Lima, Peru, a stark paradox emerges. Despite being the second driest city globally, right after Cairo, Lima is nestled within Peru’s coastal desert, making the availability of clean drinking water a significant challenge.

A majority of its inhabitants are forced to depend on small wells, which unfortunately are often tainted and far from ideal. However, an intriguing fact is that the air hovering above Lima boasts a humidity level of 98 percent. This presents a unique opportunity to harness water from air.

Recognizing this potential, engineers from Lima’s University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) bridged the gap between Lima’s arid conditions and the moisture-laden air above. Their solution? Transforming a commonplace billboard into a life-saving tool. Dubbed the UTEC Water Billboard, this structure is designed to extract water from the humid air.

How the Water Billboard Taps Water from Air

The process involves channeling the air through a series of reverse osmosis machines housed within the billboard. As the air journeys through a filter, its humidity is condensed, purified of carbon, and then stored. Residents can then easily access this clean drinking water by turning on a tap located at the base of the billboard.

What was once a mere advertising tool, often promoting luxury products out of reach for many locals, now generates an impressive average of 95 liters of clean water daily.

Want more examples of urban reuse? The Reprogramming the City book features 44 projects from 17 countries repurposing existing urban objects for new use.

In just its initial three months, the billboard astonishingly produced nearly 9,500 liters of fresh drinking water, catering to the essential needs of hundreds of local families. This innovative billboard has seamlessly woven itself into the fabric of local life. Every morning, farmhands and workers make a pitstop to refill their water bottles. Even schools have rerouted their sports and running classes, ensuring students can quench their thirst during their activities.

One grateful resident, while filling a container for his family, remarked, “They should replicate this in various locations. Ideally, in every village, every town. After all, it’s water that sustains us.”

The inception of the UTEC Water Billboard was a collaborative effort between UTEC and the ad agency Mayo DraftFCB. Their primary aim was to showcase the transformative power of engineering skills and to inspire the younger generation to envision a future in engineering. These billboards, the first of their kind globally, have set a precedent by converting air’s humidity into potable water. They stand as a testament to the innovative ways we can repurpose existing infrastructure, turning them into invaluable assets for communities, especially in a city thirsting for water from air.

Other Innovations Harnessing Water from Air

The concept of extracting water from air isn’t exclusive to Lima’s groundbreaking billboard. As the global demand for fresh water intensifies, scientists and innovators worldwide are exploring diverse methods to tap into the vast reservoir of atmospheric moisture. Here’s a look at some of the most promising innovations that are turning the dream of drawing water from air into a tangible reality.

1. Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs): These devices operate on the principle of cooling the air to its dew point. Once the air is cooled sufficiently, water vapor condenses into liquid form. AWGs range in size from small, household appliances to large industrial machines, ensuring that everyone, from individual users to entire communities, can benefit from water harvested directly from air.
   
2. Hydrogel-based Harvesters: Researchers have developed hydrogels that can absorb moisture from the air during cooler, humid nights and release the collected water when exposed to sunlight. This technology is particularly effective in arid regions where temperature fluctuations between day and night are significant.
   
3. Fog Harvesting: In regions with frequent fog, large mesh nets are erected to capture water droplets present in the fog. As the droplets accumulate, they combine and trickle down into collection containers. This simple yet effective method has been providing communities in arid coastal regions with a steady supply of water from air.
   
4. Biomimicry and the Namib Desert Beetle: Inspired by the Namib Desert Beetle, which survives in one of the world’s driest climates by collecting dew on its back, scientists are developing materials and surfaces that can efficiently capture and channel water. This beetle’s unique ability to extract water from air in a desert environment offers invaluable insights into potential sustainable water harvesting techniques.
   
5. Solar-powered Water Harvesters: Utilizing the power of the sun, these devices can extract water from air even in low-humidity environments. They employ a special material called a metal-organic framework (MOF) that captures and stores water molecules, which are then released and condensed using solar heat.

The quest for fresh water is one of the defining challenges of our time. As these innovations highlight, the atmosphere holds a promising solution. By continuing to invest in and refine technologies that can efficiently harvest water from air, we can inch closer to addressing global water scarcity and ensuring that every individual has access to this vital resource.

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Cities worldwide are brimming with examples of how old structures and spaces can be reimagined to serve new, often unexpected purposes.

Urban reuse is the practice of repurposing existing urban infrastructure, structures, and spaces for new uses. This concept is not just about recycling or renovation; it’s about reimagining the potential of our urban environments. In this article, we’ll delve deep into the importance of urban reuse and how it’s shaping the future of our cities.

1. Why Urban Reuse Matters

Sustainability: One of the primary benefits of urban reuse is sustainability. Instead of demolishing old structures and sending tons of waste to landfills, repurposing preserves the embodied energy of these buildings. This reduces the carbon footprint associated with new construction.

Economic Viability: Repurposing old structures can be more cost-effective than building from scratch. This can lead to more affordable housing and commercial spaces, which can stimulate local economies.

Cultural Preservation: Many old structures have historical or cultural significance. Urban reuse allows cities to maintain a connection to their past while adapting to modern needs.

2. Examples of Urban Reuse

Across the globe, there are numerous examples of urban reuse that have transformed cities:

• Train Stations to Public Markets: Old train stations, like the Union Station in Washington, D.C., have been transformed into bustling public markets or commercial spaces.
• Warehouses to Residential Lofts: In cities like New York and London, old warehouses have been converted into trendy residential lofts, preserving the industrial aesthetic while offering modern amenities.
• Old Prisons to Hotels: In places like Boston, former prisons like The Liberty Hotel have been transformed into luxury accommodations.

Want more examples of urban reuse? The Reprogramming the City book features 44 projects from 17 countries repurposing existing urban objects for new use.

3. The Challenges of Urban Reuse

While the benefits are numerous, urban reuse does come with its challenges:

Structural Issues: Older buildings might not meet current safety standards, requiring significant investment to retrofit.

Historical Restrictions: Some buildings have historical designations that limit the changes that can be made.

Public Perception: There can be resistance from local communities who have a particular attachment or memory associated with a structure.

4. The Future of Urban Reuse

As urban populations continue to grow, the demand for space will increase. Instead of expanding outwards, leading to urban sprawl, cities can look inward, identifying opportunities for urban reuse. This approach not only preserves the character of a city but also promotes sustainable growth.

Technological Advancements: With advancements in technology, it’s becoming easier to retrofit old structures. Smart home systems, green roofs, and energy-efficient materials can be integrated into old buildings, making them more sustainable and functional.

Policy and Incentives: Governments can play a pivotal role by offering tax incentives or grants for urban reuse projects. This can motivate developers to consider repurposing instead of demolition.

Urban reuse is a necessity for the sustainable growth of our cities. By reimagining the potential of existing structures, we can create vibrant, functional, and sustainable urban spaces that honor the past while looking forward to the future.

Examples of Urban Reuse and Innovative Transformations

Two particularly striking examples of this are the UTEC Water Billboard in Lima, Peru, and the Cascade Stairway in Hong Kong. Both projects showcase how urban reuse can address modern challenges while enhancing the urban landscape.

UTEC Water Billboard – Lima, Peru

In Lima, a city that suffers from a lack of potable water due to its desert location, the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) came up with a groundbreaking solution. They created a billboard that doesn’t just advertise – it produces clean drinking water.

How it Works: The billboard captures humidity from the air, which is then processed through a series of filters, resulting in potable water. This water is stored in tanks and made available to local residents.

Impact: Beyond its immediate utility, the UTEC Water Billboard serves as a powerful symbol of innovation in the face of adversity. It not only promotes the university’s engineering prowess but also highlights the potential of technology to address pressing urban challenges.

Urban Reuse Element: While billboards are traditionally used for advertising, this project repurposed the structure to serve a dual function, addressing a critical need in the community.

Cascade Stairway – Hong Kong

Hong Kong, known for its dense urban environment and hilly terrain, has many public stairways. One of these, the Cascade Stairway, underwent a transformation that turned it from a mere passageway into a vibrant public space.

Transformation: The Cascade Stairway was redesigned with seating areas, greenery, and spaces for public art. It became not just a route to get from one place to another but a destination in itself.

Impact: The stairway now serves as a communal space where residents can relax, socialize, and engage with art. It’s a testament to how even the most utilitarian urban structures can be reimagined to enhance community life.

Urban Reuse Element: Instead of constructing new public spaces, which can be challenging in a densely populated city like Hong Kong, the Cascade Stairway project showcases how existing infrastructure can be repurposed to serve new functions.

The UTEC Water Billboard and the Cascade Stairway are shining examples of urban reuse at its best. They underscore the idea that with a bit of creativity and innovation, cities can transform existing structures and spaces to address modern challenges and improve the quality of urban life. As urban centers continue to grow and evolve, such examples provide inspiration for sustainable, community-focused development.

Further Reading:

• National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Project for Public Spaces
• Urban Land Institute

Note: The provided links are for illustrative purposes and may not lead to relevant content on the topic. Always ensure that you’re referencing and linking to credible sources when publishing a blog post.

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The rapid urbanization and population growth of the 21st century have generated a staggering amount of waste, posing a significant challenge to cities worldwide. Repurposing the City isn’t only about finding new use for the structures of the city, but all urban resources. Recent advancements in waste to energy (WtE) technologies have offered a promising solution for repurposing waste into energy, providing a sustainable and efficient means of managing waste while also generating valuable energy. 

Waste to Energy (WtE) technologies involve the conversion of waste materials into electricity, heat, or fuels through various processes such as incineration, gasification, and anaerobic digestion. It is another example of how to mine the city for beneficial use. These technologies can be applied to different waste types, including municipal solid waste (MSW), agricultural waste, and industrial waste.

Incineration

Incineration is a widely used Waste to Energy technology that involves burning waste at high temperatures to produce steam, which is then used to generate electricity. This process significantly reduces the volume of waste while also recovering energy from the waste material (European Commission, 2017).

A notable example of an incineration facility is the Amager Bakke Waste to Energy Plant in Copenhagen, Denmark. This state-of-the-art facility processes over 400,000 tons of waste annually, generating electricity for 550,000 residents and providing district heating for 140,000 households (Copenhill, 2020).

Gasification

Gasification is a thermochemical process that converts waste into a synthetic gas (syngas) comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and other hydrocarbons. The syngas can be further processed into electricity, heat, or transportation fuels (US Department of Energy, 2020).

One example of a gasification facility is the Fulcrum BioEnergy’s Sierra BioFuels Plant in Nevada, USA. The plant is designed to process 175,000 tons of municipal solid waste per year, producing 10.5 million gallons of low-carbon transportation fuels (Fulcrum BioEnergy, 2021).

Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a biological process in which microorganisms break down organic waste materials in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas, which primarily consists of methane and carbon dioxide. The biogas can be used to generate electricity, heat, or be upgraded to biomethane for use as a vehicle fuel or in natural gas grids (Scarlat et al., 2018).

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in Oakland, California, is an example of a successful anaerobic digestion facility. The plant converts food waste and wastewater into biogas, which is then used to generate electricity for the facility’s operations (EBMUD, 2020).

Benefits of Waste to Energy Technologies

Waste Reduction

Waste to Energy technologies can significantly reduce waste volumes, which in turn, alleviates the pressure on landfills and the environment. Incineration, for example, can reduce waste volume by up to 90% (European Commission, 2017).

Energy Generation

WtE technologies can generate electricity, heat, and fuels from waste materials, contributing to a more sustainable and diverse energy mix. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels and supports the transition towards renewable energy sources (Arena, 2012).

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction

By diverting waste from landfills, Waste to Energy technologies help reduce methane emissions – a potent greenhouse gas. Additionally, the energy generated from waste can displace fossil fuel-based electricity, further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

While WtE technologies have many potential benefits, there are also some concerns that need to be addressed. One concern is the potential for air pollution from the combustion of waste. However, modern WtE technologies have advanced pollution control systems in place, which can help to mitigate these concerns. For example, the plant in Copenhagen has a flue gas treatment system that removes pollutants before the gas is released into the atmosphere.

Another concern is the potential for toxic residue from the combustion process. However, this can be managed through proper waste management and disposal practices. In Singapore, for example, the toxic residue is treated and disposed of in a specially designed landfill, which is lined with impermeable materials to prevent contamination of the surrounding environment.

Waste to Energy technologies have the potential to transform the way we manage waste and generate energy. While there are concerns that need to be addressed, the benefits of WtE are significant, particularly in the context of a growing demand for energy and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Cities around the world can learn from the examples set by Copenhagen and Singapore and explore the potential of WtE technologies in their own waste management systems.

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Equality is a difficult notion for cities. Perfect in concept, imperfect in delivery. Before boarding a plane for a talk in Sweden, I received an email asking me to submit an image that represented urban equality to be projected during a panel discussion on the topic. There are only two people who know the struggle of choosing such a singular image for such a complex concept: myself, and the person sitting next to me in seat 3C who mistook my laptop for his inflight entertainment display.

I began thinking about urban structures the embody equality in their service. The lamppost is one such structure. No matter who you are or what you have, they cast the same light on everyone. And while all Lampposts by themselves embody equality of service, those in Hötorget, aka Haymarket Square, in Stockholm, Sweden, are, to quote Orwell, more equal than others.

At their base are access panels to high voltage power sockets for the lights, scales and mechanisms of the marketplace stalls. This is a common function of lampposts in public squares, but the path your eye travels from socket to stall reveals something special. The power cables do not jut out and across the surface of the marketplace, but travel up the length of the pole and arch overhead, freeing shoppers from tripping and a fairly fatal mixture of high power cable and slushy winter cobblestones.

Their arch is graceful and uniform in the market’s makeshift power grid. Specially designed tubes contain and channel the cables overhead, attached to a ring that sits high overhead, turning the singular lampposts into multi-functioning power infrastructure for the marketplace. Stalls can be set up evenly throughout the space without clustering around power sources, and shoppers to go about their tasks without tripping or bumping trolleys and strollers over the cables.

Some marketplace traders call on the lampposts for additional service, using their bases as retail extensions. Fridge magnets are displayed on one. A troupe of decorative ladybug magnets climb up from the base of another. Curtains, dresses and fabric hang from rings unadorned with the cable arch tubes. The Hötorget lampposts do not only power and light the market, they become part of the marketplace. Equalizers of commerce in form and function.

Marketplaces are great plazas of equality in the moment. The stall owner doesn’t care who you are, what you have or where you come from. The goods are the same price for everyone, and everyone waits their turn for access to the same goods. Bananas. Spices. Dates. Cloth. Its all laid out equally for everyone. The lampposts in the square or extensions of the same concept. Tall sentinels of equal service and respect, disappearing in their ubiquity and functional nature.

Leaving the market and entering busy Kungsgatan, I look back for a wide view of the area. The five Hötorgshusen buildings begin their march into the city from the edge of the market. The loud presence of these modernist buildings is intentional. When they were built in the 1950s and 60s, they were said to be five trumpetstötar, trumpet blasts, of the renewed city centre.

No one would think of the Hötorget lampposts to be similar trumpet blasts in the city, but for me, they are loud exclamations of equality and service that sit proudly in their small patch of the city.

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As industrial operations move away from dense and expensive urban cores, existing industrial buildings may offer a resourceful future of industry by repurposing their chimneys as building blocks for skyscrapers.

Evolo’s Editor’s Choice for their 2021 Skyscraper competition went to the “Rebirth of Chimney” concept by China’s Jiahui Yao and Peng Zhang.

As the duo states in their proposal for reusing chimneys in the future of industry:

Nowadays, many big cities are facing economic transformation. Cities that once relied on industrial production are now moving factories out of urban areas and expanding the proportion of tertiary industry. This makes many factories face demolition. A chimney is one of the most representative factory buildings. It is usually an important landmark in an area and can give people a strong sense of place. And the chimney is the representative building of the specific developmental stage of the city, which can make the citizens better understand the development process of the city, and make people feel the change of the city times is linear, rather than sudden, which can provide people with a good sense of belonging.

However, the abandoned chimney is no longer valuable. In order to regenerate the chimney, it must be endowed with new functions, so that it can continue to serve the city in the future. By transforming and reorganizing the main body of the chimney, and combining it with the function modules that can be industrially mass-produced, the abandoned chimney can be turned into a skyscraper that matches the new urban environment.

If repurposing urban structures and objects for additional use is of interest, you’ll love Reprogramming the City publications:

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Seasoned computer gamers know the power of “unlock codes”—secret keystrokes or controller movements that access hidden dimensions and increased capabilities. Well, cities have their own unlock codes, too, and resourceful planners and designers have begun discovering them.

Whether it’s repurposing a billboard to act as a humidity collection system for clean drinking water in Lima, Peru, or integrating Wi-Fi capabilities into Madrid’s paving stones with the iPavement initiative, cities are increasingly expanding the capabilities of their existing assets and reforming the urban terrain as a landscape of opportunity.

Many of the contradictions found in architect portfolios—buildings designed for use by people are often documented without evidence of use or people—also abound in urban design. Areas teaming with materials and assets are most often cleared away to make room for shiny new buildings and infrastructure. This is no longer a practical, nor sustainable, starting point. The new paradigm must be to design with the city, not for it.

The truth is that a city has all the resources it needs; the key to unlocking these resources is seeing the urban landscape not as the end result of a previous creative process, but as the beginning of a new one. Learning to design with the city is appreciating that there is a landscape full of resources to work with, not to remove and discard.

The first step is to consider the alternate capabilities of all urban materials. At the edge of almost every city is a warehouse containing a vast repository of overlooked resources—functional urban building blocks, from street poles to traffic lights, that represent tremendous potential as source material for new design.

When we design with the city, another underutilized resource is revealed: the skill sets of municipal employees who work with the materials, objects and systems of the city every day.

When the city of Jesolo, Italy, next to Venice, asked me to create opportunities for residents and tourists “beyond the beach, bars and shopping,” they were concerned they didn’t have the necessary resources to achieve this. I assured them they had all the resources they needed: just show me the municipal work crew’s supply warehouse.

We assembled a design team from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, as well as designers and artists from Italy and abroad. Once the creatives selected an urban material or piece of infrastructure to design with, they partnered with the municipal workers and crews who work with that element of the city on a daily basis.

Using the city’s existing stock of street light poles and public fountain equipment, one team transformed a hot and barren public space next to the convention center into a misting design feature. “Pipe Nest” allows visitors to wander through a forest of repurposed poles releasing cool water into the air above.

Another team took the “design with the city” approach and transformed a unique asset of the city—its many discarded beach umbrellas—into Ombra Sompra, a vast expanse of cushioned public seating for an empty public square. A more literal reversal of function was displayed by Play.A Lights, a redesign of two large traffic light systems integrated with an Arduino controller, turning them into a public tic-tac-toe game.

Reprogramming a city’s assets can bring rewards beyond just new uses for urban material as well. The most functional of urban structures can become platforms for more enjoyable public experience. When Hong Kong sought a new space for public rest and relaxation, for instance, it didn’t look for a barren patch of the city to design for, but saw the potential with an under-appreciated existing structure—a public stairway.

The Cascade is a miniature urban park designed by Edge Design Institute to attach onto an existing staircase near the Centrium in the central district. Containing trees, greenery, and single and facing seats, the Cascade creates a layer of personal space on top of a functional passageway between business and shopping areas.

While The Cascade is a new design for public use, its use of the existing stairway makes it an intrinsic part of the physicality of the city. Jesolo discovered new resources for public design by repurposing its material assets to design with the city and its existing resources. Hong Kong created a new layer of public leisure by designing new functionality on top of its existing structural assets.

Could similar reprogramming methods reap even more fundamental benefits for other cities? Reprogramming not only the aesthetic of existing urban assets, but using them to increase the social and mental health of a city? Residents of Umea, Sweden would say yes.

Sitting 300 miles north of Stockholm, Umea receives very little natural daylight during the winter months, which can take a severe toll on the mental and physical health of some people. The local energy company, Umea Energi, saw an opportunity to use two of the city’s assets in new ways to benefit the city’s residents.

Created as an initiative to “give the people of Umea a boost of energy when they need it the most,” Umea Emergi replaced the lamps in the advertising shells of 30 of the city’s bus stops with “light therapy” tubes. Now, as residents are waiting for the bus, they can face the lights for a few minutes to soak up the equivalent of natural sun light before continuing on their journey. After the lights were installed in the bus stops, ridership in the city increased by 50%.

Repurposing existing urban assets does more than introduce a resourceful spirit to the landscape; it also repurposes our relationship with the physicality of the city. When the physicality of the city is viewed not as a destination for design, but as the source material for it, a new relationship between design and the city is possible, creating connectivity and new functionality and purpose—as well as sustainability and happier residents.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll LOVE the Reprogramming the City book and toolkit!

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BART has been working on an ambitious plan to create a “Fleet of the Future” for the Bay Area. Which begs the question – what will become of the “Fleet of the Past?”

“These cars are iconic to the Bay Area and to the people that not only live in the Bay Area now, but grew up riding these BART cars,” said BART Manager of Special Projects Brian Tsukamoto. “We’d like to see them given a new life. We’d like to see them repurposed and have people continue to enjoy these cars.”

A new life for the old trains is on the way. The result of a call for proposals put out in 2020, BART announced in early March 2022 the eight winning ideas for old subway cars.

We’re obviously a big fan of interesting ideas for repurposing existing urban objects – we even wrote the definitive book on the subject. So it’s nice to see things like new ideas for old subway cars still bringing new live to retired trains.

Below are the five winning proposals (all body text has been reposted from the bart.gov news release: BART legacy fleet repurposing finalists)

1. Video Arcade

A mainstay for pizza, hot wings, and beer in Oakland, Arthur Mac’s Tap & Snack plans to expand – by adding a BART car to its retinue in downtown Hayward. The restaurant will transform the car into a “retro video game arcade and kids play area,” as well as extra seating for weatherproof dining. Arthur Mac’s – an anagram in tribute of the MacArthur BART Station – said its vision for the legacy car “is to create a time capsule that transports our customers and community members beyond the confines of time and space.”

2. Baseball Park Beer Garden

Entitled “Coliseum BAR(T),” the Oakland Athletics stadium plans to retrofit their legacy car as a museum that celebrates the history of transit and sports in the East Bay, as well as a – wait for it – beer garden, which promises to serve local craft beers. According to the proposal, “The interior would commemorate A’s history, and BART as an extension of it, through memorabilia, historical photographs, old jerseys, [and] autographed bats and balls.”

3. Co-working and Community Hub

Hospitality in Transit, the purveyors of “metrobar” – built from an old Metro car in Washington D.C. – intend to bring a similar concept to the Bay Area with “BARTbar.” To be placed at a yet-to-be-decided location, the primarily outdoor venue will serve as a co-working space, café and meeting place during the day and transition to a beverage-slinging joint by night. “We hope BARTbar will bring people together through local drinks, food, art, and culture,” the partners of Hospitality in Transit said. “We’re committed to being a space that supports and uplifts Bay Area creators and communities.”

4. Transit History Center

The Bay Area Electric Railroad Association, which runs the Western Railway Museum in Suisun City, plans to create a “Rapid Transit History Center” with one A, B and C car each to educate visitors about earlier modes of transportation. If all goes to plan, the museum will include various displays, a small theater, BART artifacts, and a history of the transit system. The project is currently seeking donations.

5. Rescue Crew Training Facility

A legacy BART car may soon help save lives. That’s the plan for the Hayward Fire Department, who intend to repurpose their car as a training “prop” to provide “station familiarization, vehicle rescue simulations and safety of the track and third rail system.” The department plans to keep its car “for many years” and noted that they will provide continuous maintenance and repairs.

6. Sustainable Residence and Rental Unit

A partnership of private residents will transform a legacy car into a “metaphoric train station that blends the space age-modern esthetics of BART and a cozy cabin” in a Gold Rush-era town in the Sierra Foothills. The structure will be constructed as green as possible, with a solar panel roof, a gray water system and passive cooling, the partnership said. The owners hope to see the house last upwards of 100 years.

7. Bike Repair and Customization Center

The Original Scraper Bike Team works to enrich and empower urban youth in East Oakland by offering bicycle skill training, mentorship programs, and by encouraging creativity and art. The organization was awarded a legacy BART car that will be divided into two sections: One half will serve as a bike shop, which will provide free bike repairs and help children learn to build and decorate their own Scraper bike; the other half will be a clubhouse for community events and Scraper Bike Teams’ mentorship program. The car will be decorated with murals by local artists.

8. (Another) EMS Training Facility

Like the Hayward Fire Department, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District will use its legacy car for “scenario-based training and car familiarization training.” Because the district’s training facility is a regional training center, not only fire personnel will be able to benefit from the car’s teachings, but so will local EMS agencies, law enforcement agencies, and the Los Medanos Junior College Fire Academy.

If you like repurposing projects, you’ll LOVE the Reprogramming the City books. Featuring dozens of the best in adaptive reuse projects around the world, repurposing existing urban infrastructure for new use. Also, be sure not to miss the Reprogramming the City Toolkit to guide you on your own repurposing journey.

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50 Ways to Mine the City is an exploration of ways in which the city’s outputs, byproducts, and under-utilized assets can be recovered, reimagined, and used in new ways by mining the city.

Buy 50 Ways to Mine the City here

Year after year, resources are fed into the city to keep the urban machine running. For most of history this has been done in a linear model: natural and material resources go in; waste and pollution come out and is buried or left to pollute the environment.

A new model is transforming the way we think about resources in the city—a more sustainable, circular approach that realizes the byproduct and outputs of the city’s daily operations are a valuable source of raw material.

Various terms are used to describe this new direction—the circular economy, urban mining, waste recovery, energy harvesting, and more. Regardless of the phrasing, all align around an understanding that waste is nothing more than resources in the wrong place.

Why strip another mountain of its trees, fauna, and wildlife to get the minerals at its core when tons of metal lay dormant beneath the city? Why exploit people and habitats in distant countries to mine gold and rare materials when they can be recovered from the waste urban populations produce every day? Why use fossil fuels to warm homes and make plastics when the heat and emissions from transportation and industry can be used for the same purposes?

This book is an exploration of ways in which the city’s output, byproducts, and under-utilized assets can be recovered, reimagined, and used in new ways. It is an illustration of the potential created by the overlooked and unsung operations of the city.

We are at a moment when car exhaust, heat from trains, sewage, factory emissions, wastewater, street runoff, and asphalt scalding from the sun are not seen as troublesome parts of life in the city but as resource-rich components that hold the key for a more sustainable urban future.

Harnessing Urban Byproducts for a Sustainable Tomorrow

Elements like car exhaust, train heat, and factory emissions have long been associated with the challenges of city living. Historically, these, along with wastewater, street runoff, and the sun-scorched asphalt, were viewed as environmental hurdles. But as we evolve in our understanding and approach to urban sustainability, we’re beginning to “mine the city” in innovative ways, extracting value from what was once considered waste.

Car exhaust, a long-time emblem of urban pollution, is now at the forefront of technological advancements. As we mine the city’s air, we’re developing methods to transform these emissions into usable energy and raw materials. The warmth radiating from trains, previously seen as mere energy loss, is being tapped into, turning transportation hubs into potential energy sources for surrounding infrastructures.

The drive to mine the city’s water resources is equally promising. Sewage and wastewater, once discarded, are now recognized as goldmines of organic materials. By processing them, we can retrieve valuable nutrients for agriculture or convert them into renewable energy sources like biogas. Street runoff, a former flooding menace, is being channeled into urban farming and green rooftops, promoting food production and natural cooling.

Even our streets are not exempt from this urban mining revolution. The asphalt, which basks in the sun’s heat, is undergoing a transformation. Visionaries are exploring ways to make road surfaces capture and store solar energy, effectively turning our streets into expansive solar panels.

In essence, as we mine the city for its hidden treasures, we’re not just addressing environmental challenges but unlocking a wealth of opportunities. This shift in perspective, from seeing waste to recognizing potential, is setting the stage for cities that are not only sustainable but also resource-rich and eco-innovative.

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The project is a create a kit of parts that can be assembled and employed in any underused or disused urban space to quickly provide affordable workspace for local businesses and start-ups.

It is the winning entry of the “Arches Challenge Competition”, launched In 2017 by Meanwhile Space and supported by Lambeth Council and the Mayor of London.

The design is flexible to suit different arch shapes, making it an attractive choice to deal with an array of difficult arches and undercrofts. The design is fully demountable, can be compactly stored (20 kit of parts could be stored in a single arch) and be moved to another location should the landlord require the arch back for further redevelopment. Once all the CNC cut timber, polycarbonate facades and insulation are on site, the construction of an arch can be completed in 2 weeks making it quick and cost effective to redeploy.

As the firm says on their website:

Boano Prišmontas designed a digitally fabricated structural system which adopts dry-joint techniques to infill and make use of a wide range of abandoned pocket spaces, such as railway arches, undercrofts and multi storey car parks. The project’s value lies in its nomadic, temporary and sustainable approach. Boano Prišmontas and Meanwhile Space seek to work in synergy with developers and councils for short and mid-term urban regeneration strategies that support the quick creation of affordable workspace for local businesses and startups.

The design proposed by Boano Prismontas was chosen as it is freestanding, provides a secure space internally, creates a warm and dry space, it is self-buildable, repeatable and cost effective. The structural system is a plug-in space, a room-within-a-room that is built by replicating its modules as much as possible to infill the vault of the arches.

Reprogramming the City has featured other repurposed railway arches projects and new uses for railway infrastructure – even tunnels. The underused (and often disused) spaces provide an exceptional opportunity to leverage and utilize urban infrastructure for more beneficial uses.

If repurposing urban structures and objects for additional use is of interest, you’ll love Reprogramming the City publications:

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One of the early proponents of recovering energy from the daily functions of the city is Oregon’s InPipe Energy. Reprogramming the City followers will know we’ve written about them before, and feature them in our book.

InPipe deserves some more attention now, having just launched their new In-PRV (pressure recovery valve) as an integral piece of infrastructure to generate power for the city of Hillsboro, Oregon.

The In-PRV leverages what was once an incredibly inefficient piece of water engineering: reducing the pressure of water as it transferred from the main pipes to residential and commercial buildings.

“Utilities typically use a lot of energy pumping water over long distances,” says Eric Heilema, Water Department Engineering Manager, City of Hillsboro, Oregon. “The water is at a high pressure, too high for typical domestic and commercial uses, so the pressure is reduced via friction. In this case, we are using a hydroelectric turbine [the In-PRV] to provide that friction and capture the electricity.”

Hillsboro’s “in-coduit hydropower project,” the In-PRV will generate up to 200,000 kWh of electricity per year – the equivalent of the energy use of 20 homes – and will save more than 162,000 pounds of carbon annually.

The Hillsboro installation is one step for a local authority, and part of the giant leap of recovering energy and improving the efficiency and longevity of water infrastructure everywhere.

Gregg Semler, President and CEO of InPipe Energy, says, “Water is the most important resource on the planet, but water agencies all over the world are struggling with aging infrastructure, and rising costs. Water is extremely energy intensive, so as the cost of energy rises, so does the cost of water.”

By converting wasted water pressure into energy that can be used for operations or routed to the grid, InPipe is always on the radar of Reprogramming the City as a company spearheading ways of recovering energy from infrastructure and helping cities do more with the assets they already have.

A video overview of the project is below:

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