Urban Design
An architectural exhibition linking light exposure to health
Teaching
EPFL
EPFL and HEAD researchers have set-up an installation to raise awareness around the importance of exposure to natural light for human health and the role of the architecture in urban settings in modulating that light. The exhibition will take part in the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism this fall 2021.
Is a “green populist” movement emerging in Switzerland?
Politics
EPFL
According to two EPFL scientists, Switzerland’s right-wing populist parties have adopted some ideas from green parties in order to attract more voters. In a recent shift in messaging, the populists claim that increased urbanization and growing population density are being fueled in part by immigration, and could wipe out natural areas and expand Switzerland’s carbon footprint. 
Some urban commuters have no choice but to take their car
Research
EPFL
An EPFL study shows that suburban commuters do not necessarily take environmental concerns into account when deciding whether to use their car. Many car commuters – especially those with hectic schedules – feel they have no other choice. That’s especially true when it comes to working mothers.
Better planning can reduce the urban heat island effect
Research
EPFL
In his PhD thesis, EPFL researcher Martí Bosch proposes a method for spatially quantifying the impact of mitigation measures – planting green spaces and using different building materials – on the urban heat island effect.
Attractive locations work like large planets
Research
ETH Zurich
Using large-​scale mobility data from diverse cities around the globe, researchers from ETH Zurich, MIT and the Santa Fe Institute discover a powerful yet surprisingly simple travel law that governs the number of visitors to any location in a city.  
Pioneers of sustainable architecture
TechTransfer
ETH Zurich
ETH Professor Emeritus Anne Lacaton and her partner Jean-Philippe Vassal have received this year’s Pritzker Prize for their social and sustainable architecture. The prize is regarded as the Nobel Prize of the architecture world. ETH celebrated this success on Wednesday with a virtual event of honour, which was attended by ETH President Joël Mesot as well as the two prize winners.
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