Terrain.org articles in this issue:
 

Planning a Post-Carbon World: The City of North Vancouver and the 100 Year Plan
by Patrick Condon

The Digital Cathedral in the Age of Democratic Sustainability
by Peter W. Bardaglio

How can the digital revolution and the new social media it has spawned nurture the development of democratic sustainability? By democratic sustainability I mean a social and political process that engages citizens as active agents of social change in the complex task of balancing economic prosperity, effective environmental stewardship, and social justice. Moving toward democratic sustainability has less to do with technology than a massive change in human consciousness, one that encourages systems thinking and transforms the relations of people to each other and to natural world.

Isn't it Time to Dig Vertical Farming?
by Chris Bradford

Vertical farming offers a way to conduct large-scale agriculture using recycled resources and hydroponics. It is the practice of growing plants without soil in vertical environments, allowing for the production of fruit and vegetables in spaces outside of traditional farms. The agricultural approach is no longer a pie-in-the-sky concept. While the practice of vertical farming is still in its infancy, its future is truly green.

Open Data and Government 2.0
by Nate Berg

Data is the future of cities and governance, according to a growing collection of urban thinkers, government officials, and civic-minded web developers. And if data’s the future, the future is now. It’s being called Government 2.0, as in the newest version of government. It’s also a nod to the idea of Web 2.0, the evolving concept of an Internet where users are as much observers as participants. And that’s exactly what advocates of Government 2.0 are envisioning for citizens—a fusion of the role of citizen and participant.

Virtuality: The Splenda of Existence
by Rachel Shaw

That there’s something lacking in the experience of many Americans and peoples of the developed world is increasingly hard to deny. That we live in a world facing large-scale environmental problems is clear. Anyone who takes the time to work his or her way through the science quickly becomes overwhelmed with the instances. But it’s not a scientific awareness of these problems that I’m driving at.