Urban Facts

In 2012, China announced plans for 'Great City,' an ultra-modern car-free satellite city near Chengdu designed to house 80,000 people in high-rise core housing. The walkable development, surrounded by green space, was designed to use 48% less energy, 58% less water, produce 89% less landfill waste, and generate 60% less carbon dioxide than a conventional city. Like many of China's ambitious eco-city proposals, it never progressed beyond the planning stage.

Seattle's Beacon Food Forest, which opened in 2012, spans seven acres and is filled with hundreds of edible plants including fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, and herbs. It's free and open to anyone who wants to harvest food, making it the first public food forest in an urban area in the United States.