Rome Set to Become World's First Post-Carbon City

[Nathanael]

With the help of economist Andy Revkin, Rome has designed plans to completely change their city.


It seems that Olympic bids these days are becoming synonymous with carbon zero plans.

The famous city of Rome, in an attempt to secure its bid for the 2020 Olympics, revealed plans this past week to become the world's first post-carbon city.

The plans, presented by Mayor Gianni Alemanno and American economist Jeremy Rifkin, revolve around a taking Rome's "three rings" - its downtown core, the light industry around it, and the agricultural area that surrounds the whole city - as a unique, self-sustaining biosphere.

Link: http://energyboom.com/emerging/rome-set-become-worlds-first-post-carbon-city

[depakid]

1. Rifkin's Three Rings:

* The Historic City Hub - New public housing would be developed to reverse the present population drain to the suburbs. These new eco-friendly residential areas would be created within existing but abandoned commercial spaces and military barracks and become a network of private and public micro-gardens, where schools and institutions would be encouraged to have their own areas for growing vegetables.

* The Industrial and Commercial Work Zone - New establishments for research and development of technologies for the future of a bio-sustainable planet. Bicycle paths, pedestrian areas and clean public transport systems would connect them to the centre and each other.

* The Agricultural Zone - The city’s food supply. Here Rome is fortunate as it is the only European city of its size still surrounded by a large area of cultivated, but under-utilized, agricultural land.

Cool planning concept- applicable to a number of cities and towns worldwide.

[Merlot]

2. That's also good news for the ancient buildings that are being eaten by

pollution.