Knowledge Centre

Sustainable cities: how do we make them happen?

Sustainable cities are the dream. Reasonably self-reliant, the environmental impact of these metropolises are taken into account and the inhabitants do their bit to minimise the food, energy and water needed to live and to keep a city going. But how do we make that dream a reality? Who needs to be involved to bring sustainable cities to life?

Sound Knowledge: Professor Stephen Jarvis

Growing up as the son of an 'IBMer' and in the age of the BBC Micro and ZX Spectrum, it is little wonder that Stephen Jarvis loves computers. Professor of High Performance Computing, Stephen is also one of the two academic leads for the sustainable cities global research priority at Warwick. We discuss his research on sustainability, the challenges his work aims to address and his love of The Smiths.

The Art of Partnership

Dame Helen Alexander.
[Part of the Global University Summit series].

Shared Knowledge:
Louise Hardy

London 2012 would not have happened without the infrastructure - the venues and spaces that athletes and visitors used to such great enjoyment and success last summer. As Director of Infrastructure for CLM Delivery Partner, Warwick Alumna Louise Hardy formed part of the London 2012 team. She shares some career advice, her passions and her thoughts on returning to work following the birth of her twin daughters Claire and Hannah.

Competing with India

Between 1770 and 1831, a part of the British economy reached the level of growth that the Chinese and Indian economies are enjoying today. The industry that drove this growth? Cotton textile manufacturing.

Professor Giorgio Riello explores the role cotton played in Europe’s industrial revolution and the development of our modern economy.

The Knowledge: Sustainable Cities

An app to monitor ecological practices and trends, a documentary on Bogotá and an art exhibition on sustainability.

Dr Ian Hancox, Chemistry, and Dr Yvonne Reddick, English and Comparative Literary Studies, offer up some things to see, read and do in order to explore the sustainable city.

Shared Knowledge:
Michelle Collins née Hawkins

What makes you happy? Family? Friends? Your job? Your partner or simply a bar of chocolate? Michelle Collins née Hawkins makes happiness her business. Since graduating from Warwick she has gone on to become the Head of Happiness at The Flying Dodo, a marketing consultancy that focusses on the value and ROI of happiness for businesses, customers and employees.

Recommended Reading
	I’m Feeling Lucky: Google, Trends And The Financial Markets Over the last century, business schools have been informed by sociologists, economists, psychologists, philosophers and anthropologists. But physicists? Research by Dr Tobias Preis, Warwick Business School, bridges the divide between physics and finance by using the terabytes, trends and tools of Google. This feature is a free preview of the new WBS magazine, Core.
	A Design For Life The social and emotional aspects of sustainability are often overlooked when considering what makes a city sustainable. Should we consider people’s wellbeing when designing cities of the future? Do we need a kite mark for wellbeing as we have done for energy efficiency? Should we teach architecture differently to improve people's lives? Professor Elizabeth Burton considers the issues.
	Empire State of Mind New York’s Empire State Building was officially dedicated on 1 May 1931. To mark the anniversary of this landmark's opening, we talk to another New York giant; Dr Steve Koonin, founding Director of the Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), which is based in Brooklyn. Dr Annette Rubery talks to Steven about the Center and the future of urban informatics.
	Upping Your Game: Career Coaching At the end of the day, your career is a game of two halves where you give a hundred and ten per cent to achieve your full potential and show that you’re not just good on paper. Gill Frigerio and Phil McCash explain why career coaching can be a great option for professional development from the first whistle through to the business end of the season.