Knowledge Bank

Interdependence Day is a forum that aims at establishing interdependence as a reality of global daily existence and to support policies and institutions that affirm its democratic realization. Through seminars and cultural events CivWorld looks at creating a space for dialogue to create new ways of dealing with issues such as environment, development and globalization.

The Make it Right Project was initiated in December 2006 by Brad Pitt. The project’s goal was to build green affordable housing on a large scale to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Pitt spent time with architects, community leaders and displaced residents to come up with ideas about how to develop ecological housing and at the same time have creative designs that would connect the community with their new environments. The Pink Project - also part of this initiative- is an ambitious commemorative installation that is used as a communication tool to raise awareness about the crisis. It is essentially a work in progress involving collaborative building in which anyone can participate. The Make it Right Project employs decision making through community involvement but more importantly aims at steering social and ecological change creatively.

This architectural firm works for opening the notion of quality architecture by taking into account social equality and environmental awareness. They promote sustainable building design using dialectic strategies –through research, writing and speech. Their projects are inspired by natural living systems and aim at creating an organic relationship between human and natural environments. Some of their projects include the Make it Right Project, and the Rugby Radio Towers in Warwickshire.

Container Cities are an alternative solution to traditional space building in which shipping containers are linked together to provide strongl modules that can be combined to create a wide variety of building shapes. Container City building technology has a great social impact because they provide extremely affordable housing that at the same time is environmentally friendly.

The Green Museum is an online museum and of environmental art. Their goal is to develop a community of artists who are engaged in raising awareness in environmental issues, community and social change.

Rural Studios is an alternative academic centre that also holds exhibits, building projects and research programmes from both Auburn and international students. Their mission is to enable students to use their skills in the building of their environment through participation and human contact. Rural studios promotes educative schemes that influence individuals to become overall political, social and environmentally engaged citizens.  

2,200 acres cover what used to be landfill waste. Today it has undergone a massive renewal project, which converted the site into a great park for recreational use. Still under development, Fresh Kills is an example of creative land reclamation that will transform how we experience vast, past industrial urban landscapes.  Using innovation ecological restoration techniques, the park aims to be a wild life sanctuary as well as a site for public art, recreational activities and sports. 

www.nycgovparks.org