In this blog, Marc Colella, ArchTam Fellow, examines how digital innovation can help cities and portfolio owners accelerate their net-zero transition while safeguarding long-term value and livability.

What’s the urgency?

The built environment remains responsible for nearly 40 percent of global carbon emissions, making it both a major contributor to climate change and a crucial lever for mitigation. Although progress has been made — the sector’s carbon share has dropped from 39 to 37 percent in just five years, energy intensity is down 15 percent since 2010, and renewables now supply almost one-third of global electricity — the momentum remains uneven. High retrofit costs, regulatory complexity and rising investor expectations are placing pressure on portfolio owners to act decisively.

Key barriers to portfolio decarbonization

The pathway to portfolio decarbonization remains constrained by several persistent challenges, especially related to mobilizing technology. The four digital and systemic barriers that must be overcome to unlock large-scale transformation are:

1. Data fragmentation – Asset-level carbon and energy data is often trapped in silos across diverse geographies, sectors and standards.
2. Regulatory complexity – Over 40 national carbon regulations exist worldwide, each with distinct formats, verification processes and disclosure requirements that complicate cross-market alignment.
3. Scope 3 tracking – Indirect emissions, often forming the majority of a portfolio’s carbon footprint, remain largely untracked or inconsistently measured.
4. Technology infrastructure – Many organizations still rely on disconnected digital tools. Scaling a digital platform across markets with different cybersecurity and data laws is a significant undertaking.

Despite these challenges, the pace of digital evolution in the built environment offers reasons for optimism. Over the past decade, the industry has moved from static spreadsheets to predictive digital twins, and from manual compliance to AI-powered climate intelligence capable of optimizing investments in real time.

The next frontier is integration, which includes building scalable ecosystems that link data, technology and human insight. This approach allows for simulation, planning and action across entire portfolios, which then turns decarbonization from a fragmented exercise into a coordinated, data-driven strategy.

Portfolio Decarbonization Transformative Framework

To guide this transition, we’ve developed a Portfolio Decarbonization Transformative Framework, mapping five domains where digital transformation must occur simultaneously for decarbonization to reach its full potential. Each domain connects people, processes and technologies in one shared ecosystem, ensuring that every stakeholder from portfolio managers to facility operators can act on consistent, real-time insights.

The potential benefits are clear:

• 35 percent reduction in operational emissions.
• 40 percent higher return on investment (ROI) on capital works.
• 95 percent faster regulatory reporting.

The framework also underpins our pioneering work in Portfolio Carbon Capital Optimization, an approach that integrates financial and carbon intelligence to optimize investment decisions across complex asset portfolios.

Turning strategy into action: The role of digital twins

The Portfolio Carbon Capital Optimization Framework is a digital planning twin designed to optimize both carbon reduction and cost performance across entire asset portfolios. It unites a suite of analytical tools within a shared data ecosystem, enabling portfolio and facility managers to make coordinated, data-driven decisions. Using an optimization algorithm, it generates capital works programs that balance carbon reduction, cost efficiency, and compliance priorities.

By connecting users, tools and data across disciplines and systems through a centralized data lake, the platform delivers consistent, real-time insights across all assets, thus transforming strategy into actionable and financially defensible pathways toward net zero. Beyond portfolio management, it also serves as a model for how city-scale digital ecosystems can inform infrastructure planning, energy transitions and investment prioritization.

Advancing the decarbonization agenda

Accelerating decarbonization requires more than technology. It requires commitment, leadership and systems thinking. Resilient city-making is a collective endeavor, driven by the shared goal of achieving a net-zero, inclusive urban future.

So, what are some of the next steps the industry can take?

• Approach decarbonization as a portfolio-wide challenge, not an individual asset issue.
• Establish a digital framework that unifies data, personas and outcomes.
• Align capital programs with carbon optimization, prioritizing the execution of projects with the lowest returns to maximize overall impact.
• Adopt an open ecosystem approach — recognizing that no single technology or organization can deliver the full solution alone.

Our work alongside clients, governments and industry partners helps to turn climate goals into actionable pathways — helping shape cities that are not only decarbonized, but also equitable, connected and ready for the future.

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Dana brings a unique blend of architectural vision, engineering expertise and strategic leadership to her role. With a career rooted in both design and delivery, she has built a reputation for guiding complex projects that make a lasting impact on communities. Her commitment to collaboration, sustainability and client success shines through in every phase of her work, from concept to completion.

Tell us a bit about yourself – your career journey and current role as Market Sector Lead.

My interest in the built environment took root early on. I was drawn to the idea that every structure begins as a vision and, then through a blend of creativity, coordination and technical skill, becomes something tangible and lasting. That curiosity led me to study architecture, but as my understanding of the industry deepened, I found myself increasingly drawn to the engineering side of construction. I transitioned into construction engineering at Arizona State University, and later earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix to strengthen my leadership capabilities and broaden my strategic business perspective.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that my greatest strength lies in helping clients bring their capital improvement and facility expansion goals to life. As a market sector lead, I take pride in building strong teams and delivering strategic growth through thoughtful leadership and collaboration. I am deeply committed to fostering meaningful partnerships with small, local and diverse suppliers, recognizing the vital role we play together in shaping a more inclusive and resilient industry. By working side by side, we deliver projects that reflect our clients’ values and create lasting benefits for the San Diego community.

Talk to us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career.

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on has been during my time as a project manager with the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). My relationship with SDUSD spans decades — from 2001 to 2007, and again since 2013. What keeps drawing me back is the impact. It’s a place where strategic planning meets real, lasting community transformation. As a project manager for SDUSD, I’ve had the opportunity to lead efforts across more than a dozen campuses, overseeing modernization, new construction, and infrastructure upgrades under multi-billion-dollar bond programs. Our work has helped SDUSD expand access to safe, inclusive and future-ready learning environments for charter schools and traditional campuses. These projects like whole site modernizations, new student union buildings, and improved security features, incorporated solutions that helped schools better accommodate growing student populations, refresh aging facilities, and foster more inclusive learning environments. Revitalizing these school facilities has increased community safety and engagement as well as created shared spaces that serve families beyond the classroom.

Helping ensure that schools are equipped to meet both current and future demands has been incredibly rewarding. Walking through a completed site and seeing it come to life with activity and purpose, knowing it directly benefits students, educators and families, is deeply fulfilling. Every time I step onto a campus or attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony, I’m reminded that our work matters. We’re helping shape the places where the next generation will learn, dream and grow.

How do you incorporate community engagement into your design process to support sustainable practices and enhance health and well-being outcomes?

For me, community engagement isn’t optional, it’s essential.

Every project starts with listening. We prioritize understanding the unique needs and values of the people we serve, which allows us to design spaces that are not only environmentally responsible but also supportive of health and well-being of the community.

The San Diego community’s top concerns in education include equitable access, safe and inclusive learning environments, and long-term sustainability. These priorities shape every project we undertake. To address them, as a project manager, I have the opportunity to lead a process grounded in early and ongoing engagement with stakeholders, including district staff, school leaders, families, and community advocates.

Community input informs planning and design from the start, ensuring each project reflects local values. Through transparency and collaboration during construction, we deliver outcomes that are functional, resilient, and deeply connected to the communities they serve. This approach is especially important in a place like San Diego, where the vibrant, collaborative spirit of the city shapes everything we do. The city’s diversity, creativity and innovation create a dynamic environment where partnerships can truly flourish. It’s a privilege to work alongside people who care deeply about their city and its future. Our shared commitment drives more thoughtful, inclusive and sustainable outcomes.

Share a piece of career advice:

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is the importance of being intentional with your time and energy. It’s easy to get caught up in the pace of a demanding career, especially when you’re passionate about the work, but staying grounded requires more than just good time management. It takes self-awareness, clear priorities, and the ability to pause and reset when needed.

I often say my life runs on 15-minute calendar blocks, and while that’s partly a joke, it reflects how structured my days can be. What keeps me balanced is making space for the things that matter outside of work. Whether that’s volunteering with ACE Mentor program or Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), leading a Girl Scout troop, or spending time outdoors hiking, skiing or golfing. A fulfilling career isn’t just about what you accomplish professionally, it’s about how you stay connected to your values and your community along the way.

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Having grown up in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales where a passion for the environment and outdoors started, Hayden has gone onto work in landscape design, urban design and master planning for infrastructure, residential, tourism, commercial and open space projects. His project experience extends both locally and globally, including widely across Australia and New Zealand, the UAE, Oman, Algeria, Caribbean, Hong Kong and China. Through that experience, Hayden has worked for the Sydney, Abu Dhabi, Canberra, and now the Gold Coast office, having recently moved back to the Northern Rivers.

The one thing that remains a focus through every project, is a drive to design for people, and delivering positive community outcomes through ‘people-centric design’.

Where did this drive for designing for people come from?

My passion for people-centric design didn’t start at a single point in time, it evolved over the years. My first project at ArchTam was the One-horned Rhinoceros and Otter Exhibit at the Dubbo Western Plains Zoo. This involved curating both the visitor experience and the animals’ enclosures, addressing the unique challenges of keeping rhinoceroses safe in captivity. I vividly remember spending countless hours researching African villages and landscapes. Our goal was to interpret that quintessential character into an immersive experience for zoo visitors. This exhibit marked a shift for the zoo, allowing visitors to experience larger animals up close.

Over the years, working in various locations and among different cultures, my drive to deliver engaging and community-valued projects grew stronger.

Every project is an opportunity to find solutions that lead to positive outcomes. For me, a project isn’t complete until I see people interacting with it. There’s a unique satisfaction, an internal smile for a designer, when people start using and engaging with what you’ve envisioned and delivered.

How does your passion for people-centric design influence your projects?

Over the years, ArchTam has evolved its focus from a collection of singular design disciplines to large interdisciplinary projects where we collaborate to solve complex challenges. I find these kinds of projects that involve a diverse group of design disciplines, backgrounds, ages, identities and ethnicities most enjoyable. I’m fortunate to work at a company that prides itself on inclusivity.  

As a landscape architect, I advocate for outcomes that prioritise both People and Place — ensuring our designs are not only functional and beautiful, but also meaningful and impactful for the communities we serve.

Is there an ArchTam project that sticks in your mind?

There are many, but one in particular that I take personal pride in. Initially, it wasn’t a project.

I was working on a new bus station that connected to a new light rail terminus. With the new terminus, buses were no longer operating on the main street. I saw an opportunity to transform the main street into a space where pedestrians were prioritised, enhancing street activity and benefiting adjacent shopfronts. I was confident that by focusing on people, the north side of the street could transition from service outlets to on-street dining and eateries. Three design options reached the transport minister’s desk, and the project was created. I led all design disciplines to create a new people-centric street.

Today, that street safely connects school students to public transport, features outdoor dining, public seating, street furniture, mature trees and rain gardens, all while retaining car parking and car movements.

How does the role of the landscape architect fit with people-centric design?

The ‘traditional’ role of the landscape architect, varied in its definition, is someone who designs and plans outdoor spaces, blending functionality with aesthetics to create beautiful and sustainable environments.

I have learnt over the years, that landscape architects have such diverse roles in the natural and built environment. The typical design process of a landscape architect goes beyond considering environmental factors of sun, shade, wind and slope. We consider the existing desire lines of the local communities, connections, nearby facilities and demographics to understand our target users. We’re also relatively unbounded by rules. We have a few standards that deal with access, trips, fall heights, ramps and stairs, but we aren’t overly prescribed on the shape and size of what we create. We immerse ourselves in understanding the user, how our design will function, how people will engage in it, how it will benefit health and well-being and its economic, cultural and social value.

This process is what makes us acutely people-centric designers.

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The Global ABC program plays a crucial role in reshaping the future of our built environment. Their mission is clear: to create a resilient, decarbonized built environment to improve people’s lives, and to represent this critical sector at future COP summits.

This year’s discussions zeroed in on a core truth: we cannot meet climate goals without transforming the buildings sector — and we must do so in a way that prioritizes both decarbonization and climate resilience equally. Buildings are responsible for nearly 37 percent of global CO₂ emissions, and with half the 2050 global building stock yet to be constructed, the stakes and opportunities are enormous.

Beyond emissions, the transformation of our built environment must also maximize social value by enhancing affordability, health and inclusion. Circularity and the principles of near-zero emission and resilient buildings must be embedded throughout the entire construction value chain, from pre-tender design decisions through procurement and post-construction operations, ensuring a comprehensive, lasting impact.

Key challenges in decarbonizing the global built environment

Launched at COP28 in Dubai in 2023, the Buildings Breakthrough initiative aims to make near-zero emission and climate-resilient buildings the global standard by 2030. It offers a shared policy and technical framework to guide national action across five priority areas: standards, demand creation, finance, research and skills development.

While this provides much needed direction, there are six significant barriers to meaningful progress:

1. Policy gaps and inconsistent frameworks

 Although 136 countries reference buildings in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), most lack concrete policies or actions targeting the buildings and construction sector.  Approaches and ambition levels vary widely, making global coordination difficult. The absence of harmonized definitions and overarching frameworks further complicates efforts to align and measure progress.

2. Support for developing and emerging economies

Under-developed and emerging nations need greater support in developing and implementing effective roadmaps, policy tools and regulations. However, challenges such as capacity building, knowledge sharing, and access to finance are not limited to these regions — they are systemic issues that must be addressed across the global program to ensure equitable and inclusive progress.

3. Financing barriers

Mobilizing finance continues to be a major hurdle. Key challenges include the need for innovative financial instruments, risk mitigation strategies, and the mobilization of private sector investment to support large-scale decarbonization projects.

4. Slow renovation and delivery risks

The rate of building renovation remains far too slow to meet climate targets. Retrofits are often seen as risky due to cost uncertainty, performance variability, and supply chain limitations. Extending the life of existing buildings is essential but requires clearer strategies and market mechanisms to accelerate delivery.

5. Embodied carbon and materials

With roughly half of the 2050 building stock yet to be constructed, addressing embodied carbon is increasingly urgent. Circularity, material reuse, new technologies and lifecycle emissions must be prioritized from the earliest planning stages.

6. Supply chain complexity

Delivering low-carbon goals depends on coordinated action across fragmented supply chains. Collaboration between manufacturers, contractors, designers and policymakers is critical to scale solutions effectively.

While global frameworks like the Buildings Breakthrough provide much-needed alignment and momentum, addressing these persistent, on-the-ground challenges is essential to deliver a built environment that is truly zero-emission, resilient and inclusive.

Accelerating action for a resilient built environment

To meet global climate goals, urgent action is needed across the lifecycle of buildings — from design and construction to operations and materials. While roadmaps have been created by the Global ABC to establish a common approach across planning, building design, operations, systems, materials, resilience and clean energy, implementation remains fragmented.

Two-thirds of countries currently lack voluntary minimum energy performance codes. The goal is for most new buildings to achieve whole-life net-zero carbon emissions.

The key actions these countries should look to take include:

• Developing national roadmaps and mandatory building codes.
• Reducing reliance on mechanical space conditioning.
• Cutting embodied carbon.
• Increasing public awareness and transparency.
• Governments leading by example, especially by implementing policy for public buildings.

Driving decarbonization across building operations and materials

Few buildings currently use tools for energy performance management. To reach operational net-zero, the sector must adopt rating tools, energy audits, smart controls and building passports. These technologies offer practical pathways to improving efficiency and reducing emissions at scale.

Addressing the embodied carbon from building materials is crucial, as it remains a major emissions source often overlooked. Priorities include data collection, integrating embodied carbon into regulations, supporting reuse and circular models, stimulating demand for low-carbon products, and accelerating R&D in manufacturing decarbonization. Although methodologies for net-zero buildings exist, their widespread implementation is lacking due to inconsistent incentives and global inconsistency. The sector must embrace whole-life carbon principles through harmonized accounting, open data, and standardized targets. Industry-led carbon pricing and transition risk assessments are vital for valuing the cost of inaction.

By aligning operational tools, material innovation and financial strategies, the building sector can achieve global decarbonization and resilience, impacting both existing and future building stock.

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Elisabet Olle Amat is a versatile urban designer, architect and planner, leveraging her multidisciplinary training to innovate across various fields and tailor optimal solutions for urban environments. She draws her urban experience solutions from living in Barcelona, London and a few cities in the U.S. Elisabet demonstrates a profound understanding of the complexities within urban landscapes, particularly in cities like Los Angeles where she advocates towards more inclusive, plural, livable, walkable and people-oriented environments.

Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey.  

My background in architecture and urban design allows me to cross-pollinate between both disciplines to develop effective solutions for urban environments. My career began in Barcelona, then I spent four years in London, and eight years ago, I moved to the United States to attend UCLA. Along the way, I had the opportunity to experience living in two different cities, Chicago and Los Angeles. Changing geographies exposed me to stark differences in urban design philosophies, particularly coming from a pedestrian-friendly environment to car-centric cities in America like Los Angeles.

Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, ranging from large-scale city master plans to smaller neighborhood designs and public spaces. My focus has consistently been on creating more walkable, human-centric environments that prioritize safety and livability. This often involves reimagining suburban models to foster pedestrian-friendly spaces. I’ve also contributed to transit projects, including station designs and transit-oriented developments. My work reflects a commitment to enhancing urban landscapes through innovative design solutions tailored to the needs of individual communities.

Talk to us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it solving the challenges and issues our clients and communities are facing today?

A pivotal project in my career was the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) master plan for the Compton Artesia station on California’s Blue Line. This project tackles the challenge of transit infrastructure being disconnected from its surrounding environment.

Situated in a suburban area alongside an industrial zone and outdoor mall, the station suffered from wayfinding issues and underutilized lots, causing low ridership due to its isolated location. Funded by Los Angeles Metro, the project aimed to revitalize the station through a transit-oriented development plan. By introducing diverse programming, it aims to benefit Compton through housing, retail, and open spaces enhancement. It involved thorough assessments, conceptualizations and community engagement sessions. Initially held at a city-owned space, engagement efforts expanded to include various stakeholders as identified by the local community.

Our inclusive approach enabled direct dialogue with residents, offering insights into their needs and aspirations for the neighborhood. Engaging with Compton’s residents proved both challenging and rewarding. The process highlighted the importance of inclusive planning and getting to know what residents want for their community. Directly hearing the voices of the people and helping them articulate their vision for their neighborhood was incredibly interesting and hugely rewarding for me.

How do you incorporate green infrastructure into your designs to promote sustainable practices and positively impact health and well-being?

Incorporating green infrastructure into our designs involves various strategies aimed at capturing and managing stormwater, which plays a vital role in addressing urban climate challenges by working with nature. Depending on the project, whether that be urban design or planning initiatives, we employ diverse approaches which are always tailored to the specific context. For instance, when designing streets, we prioritize permeable surfaces, integrate bioswales, and plant more trees to mitigate stormwater runoff and enhance water absorption. In a recent project focused on urban forestry in Los Angeles, we investigated the disparities in tree distribution across different neighborhoods, particularly noting that low-income areas tend to have fewer trees compared to wealthier neighborhoods. Through community engagement and research, we highlighted the significance of tree preservation policies, as seen in cities like Pasadena, which have stricter regulations when it comes to protecting trees. As LA faces densification and increased construction, preserving trees is crucial to maintaining urban greenery and mitigating heatwaves. All these elements make up part of our sustainable practices and improve overall community health and wellbeing.

How does the unique culture and character of Los Angeles influence your approach to urban design?

I’d like to highlight two key aspects of Los Angeles. Firstly, it is a remarkably diverse community, comprising people from various cultures and backgrounds. Secondly, the city’s character, which is primarily designed for cars rather than for people, poses a significant challenge. Understanding these two elements of Los Angeles is paramount in the design process. Empowering the community and actively soliciting their input are essential steps in ensuring inclusivity and responsiveness to their needs. As an urban designer, my role is pivotal in reimagining urban spaces to prioritize pedestrian experiences and community connectivity. This involves fundamental shifts in how we conceptualize urban spaces with an emphasis on human-centric design principles.    

Transforming the city’s design ethos involves advocating for changes in urban planning policies, collaborating with municipalities, developers, and designers to integrate urban design principles at every stage of development. By fostering dialogue and raising awareness about the importance of urban design, we can catalyze a shift towards more inclusive, people-oriented environments that reflect the vibrant culture and diverse identities of Los Angeles.

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Workforce needs

If one thing is certain in the aftermath of the pandemic, it’s that nothing is certain, with polls on workforce trends providing contradictory information. A recent Gallup poll, for example, suggests that only two in 10 remote-capable workers are expected to be on-site full-time in 2023, down from 60 percent in 2019. And yet, workers are returning to the office. In January 2023, office usage increased in 10 major metro areas, rising to about 50 percent of 2020’s pre-pandemic attendance per Kastle Systems, a key card property management company that tracks office building entries. Still, it’s estimated that fewer than 10 percent of employees are in the office five days a week.

Variability

With the expectations of how and where we work continuing to shift, we are clearly not returning to the same workplace that we left. In the past, developers, landlords, owners and corporations could plan their spaces using a basic metric centered on the premise that workers were present in the office according to the standard five-day work week. While workers are returning to the office, attendance numbers and specific days vary — even from week to week — which makes planning for a returning workforce even more challenging. The one constant is there is no one solution that fits all. Instead, there are variable scenarios tied to an assortment of new workforce trends that can accommodate nearly every office environment. 

Flexibility

This is where flexibility comes in. There is not one solution for all real estate portfolios, for an office building with multiple tenants, or even for one company, as optimal scenarios are driven by business goals, assets and their associated workforces. As a corporate and commercial real estate stakeholder, it’s imperative that you determine and implement flexible solutions that consider potential trends, variability and workforce needs to enable success across the spectrum.

Depending on your position as a stakeholder, you have a wide range of potential scenarios and solutions. For example, developers, landlords, owners and corporations may look at different long- or short-term leasing arrangements providing greater flexibility in occupied space. Alternatively, landlords may find that five years in the future, the office space could be best transformed into an alternative use.

As potential scenarios are further defined, it is important for you not to lose track of the workforce. There are as many perspectives on flexibility as there are workers in an office, with views that can make the difference in who returns to their workplace and for how many days each week. The key may be in developing solutions that address common worker needs — which can vary greatly depending on the company and the industry — ranging from providing onsite services such as daycare to establishing multiple, smaller offices in more convenient locations.

We routinely employ scenario planning and predictive analytics to develop processes that bridge the gap between business, people and the built environment. This level of engagement enables us to better understand your workforces, visualize your assets and analyze your real estate portfolios — helping clarify the pros and cons of current and future scenarios and paving the way to make better informed decisions. 

Our professionals recently delivered scenario planning and portfolio optimization services for a global pharmaceutical corporation. Using our planning tools, we analyzed workforce patterns, culture and values while optimizing assets across 4.5 million square feet of space on 11 different campuses.

More and more, we are embedding digital tools such as PreView, SSIM, and ArchTamzero into our planning and analysis, providing for greater predictability and deeper insights in a more rapid manner.

A framework of success

Developing frameworks that allow for rapid scenario analysis is a process, and selecting successful scenarios is a challenge. Working with an expert team of corporate and commercial real estate professionals who understand how to integrate the evolving needs of today’s workforce with critical factors like variability and flexibility will ensure you are making the most of your office portfolio, now and into the future.

Learn about People + Place Advisory (our strategic spaces consultancy)

Learn about Strategy+ (our design-led management consulting studio)

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While removing a roadway from the national highway system might seem cause for concern, for residents of the Crotona neighborhood in Bronx, New York, it was cause for celebration. Converting the 1.3-mile Arthur Sheridan Expressway from an urban principal arterial/interstate to solely serve as an urban principal arterial — making it essentially a boulevard — reconnected the community to the Bronx River waterfront, parklands and greenspaces that had been greatly restricted since the expressway was completed in 1963.

Accomplishing this feat was a complex process and a first for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Our team, as part of a joint venture, helped advance and execute this effort, which improved the community’s quality of life while providing a potential blueprint for other impacted neighborhoods. Here are four essential elements our team embraced that made the project a success.

We listened to the community
Before this project, pedestrian access across the Sheridan Expressway was only available at Westchester Avenue or at East 174^th Street. These routes were confusing, congested and circuitous, presenting an additional barrier to the waterfront recreation areas. Residents were outspoken about the need for improved connectivity to the waterfront and parks. The project added three new signalized intersections across the mainline Sheridan Boulevard, vastly improving access and safety.

We prioritized coordination
Projects of this size undertaken in dense urban areas often include work that overlaps into different agencies’ oversight, with work that must be coordinated with and often approved by all these entities. To better facilitate communication and achieve consensus, we partnered with various city, state and federal agencies, from the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, NYC Department of Transportation and NYC Department of Environmental Protection to the Federal Highway Administration and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. We also helped coordinate public information sessions and meetings with Bronx Community Boards 2 and 6.

We worked as a team
Extensive traffic analysis, engineering and landscape design innovation were required to develop this unique project. Collaboration with multiple agencies and consultants required dedication from each team member to contribute to the project’s success. Whether they were part of the ArchTam joint venture, a subconsultant or public agency, each entity played a significant role in advancing this effort. NYSDOT, for example, designed the tied arch pedestrian bridge over the Bronx River. Working as a team, we removed the historic barriers to the parklands and waterfront enabling residents to finally take advantage of the recreational space the neighborhood offers. This included adding transportation and recreation options by building in a two-lane bike path in the median of one of the local avenues.

We designed for safety
To help safeguard pedestrians, we installed high visibility pavement markings and 16-foot-wide refuge islands with bollards. We added three signalized crosswalks and shortened crossing distances by using a protected signal phase. As a result, pedestrians — including students from neighboring schools — can cross Sheridan Boulevard to visit the park without concern about conflicting traffic. We also added buffers and plantings in the median, providing street trees and a vertical-faced decorative barrier on each side of the boulevard.

A blueprint for the future
Taken together, these four factors allowed us to reimagine how the Sheridan Expressway could better function and improve the quality of life for residents in this Bronx neighborhood. In de-designating the Sheridan, our team established a safe, more pleasurable driving and walking experience along the boulevard. Our work also provides a blueprint for other communities across New York State and the country to make similar transformations.

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As part of our continued focus on safety, we’re demonstrating our commitment to road safety by supporting the 6th Annual United Nations Global Road Safety Week. Simply put, low speed streets save lives. This year’s U.N. program focuses on keeping the streets and roadways safe where we live, work and play. There is considerable focus and urgency on this issue because everyone deserves the safety of low-speed, livable streets, which can have an effect on public health through the reduction of injury causing vehicle accidents and impact climate change by reducing vehicle emissions. This focus can also promote social and racial equality as a large portion of speed-related incidents occur in underserved communities.

Speeding is one of the top causes of roadway incidents around the globe, and as a globally focused organization, ArchTam has signed the “Streets for Life: For People and Planet” open letter that calls on policymakers to act for low speed streets worldwide, limiting speeds to 20 mph (30 km/h) where people walk, live and play.

As the world’s premier infrastructure consulting firm, ArchTam has helped conceptualize, develop, construct and operate transportation and roadway infrastructure projects around the world — from Honolulu to Hong Kong, and from Mumbai to Memphis to Melbourne. We have always placed a strong focus on roadway safety both in design and execution.

To achieve this, we have developed procedures and systems that include driver safety training for our more frequent business drivers, journey management planning, and design and quality checks. We’ve brought in foremost industry experts — the best and brightest from around the world to ensure that we continue to provide the high-quality expertise and delivery our clients expect from us, with an unwavering focus on safety. Road and driving safety is of particular importance to our company due to our exposure to the risk associated with it. Specifically, despite our project and geographical diversity, driving is one of the few risks that everyone is exposed to regardless of business.

You can learn more about the U.N.’s Global Road Safety Week by visiting the program’s website and you can view the open letter here.

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Texans have traditionally had reliable power delivered from large energy producers. But a combination of physical and cyber-related threats exacerbated by extreme weather conditions are testing the electric grid with increasing frequency. To be resilient in the future, the grid needs to move from a system dominated by large power suppliers to one that includes a network of smaller, more nimble energy resources. According to grid operator officials from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas the recent weather disaster put Texas’ power grid “seconds and minutes” away from a catastrophic failure that could have left Texans in the dark for months.

A state of emergency has been declared in Texas. While this will help provide funds for recovery, it will also give Texas the opportunity to strengthen its energy infrastructure against future threats by integrating disaster risk reduction measures into the restoration of physical infrastructure, social systems and shelter.

What went wrong?

The electric grid was designed to deliver power with reasonable degree of certainty even in extreme conditions. To achieve this, most systems rely on a series of redundant back up equipment. During the recent weather disaster, many of these systems failed across Texas, leading to prolonged outages. Some have mistakenly questioned whether renewable energy resources were to blame, but this ignores the root causes of grid functionality and the aging infrastructure we use to deliver power.

Fixing the grid won’t happen overnight and the investment required is significant. To optimize this spending, these improvements should anticipate increasing frequency and unpredictability of shock or stress to the grids. According to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) a resilient system must have “the capability to anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and/or rapidly recover from” disruptive events.

Local energy resources as a system backup: Distributed Energy Resources (DER)

As part of a post-disaster resiliency strategy, major power users should consider developing localized, distributed generation. By siting power resources locally, communities, businesses and infrastructure will become more resilient in the face of challenges both natural, like climate change, and man-made, like cyber-attacks. This strategy typically includes onsite power generation, a storage system and a microgrid to provide local generation and local control that can be islanded from the larger grid to keep power flowing.

On-site power can be generated by renewable resources like solar panels, small wind turbines and geothermal power or by more traditional natural gas generators. Storage, in the form of batteries or other technologies, provides back up energy to use during energy spikes or post-emergency. A microgrid uses smart technology to distribute the power locally, island power off the larger grid and connect to the larger grid for backup as needed.

Localized distributed generation will not and should not replace the bulk power system which is much needed for reliability. Local resources can, however, be extremely effective by providing a backup source of electricity, or alleviating strain on the larger grid by serving loads locally in the event of extreme weather events.

Spreading the cost: Energy as a Service (EaaS)

To help pay for this transition to distributed energy, the finance community has embraced the Energy as a Service (EaaS) model. A service provider owns the equipment and the customer pays for the service that equipment provides, for instance a kilowatt of power. This model shifts the upfront capital cost of the equipment to an operational expense for the distributed energy used over time.

Why resilience should be a top priority

Texas has been badly shaken by recent events, which have left many communities in the cold during one of the toughest winters on record. Already there is a determination to emerge from this stronger, and the recovery funds offer an opportunity to reboot. New financing models like EaaS that spread the upfront cost could make those funds go further while significantly improving energy resilience and protect the wellbeing and livelihood of her citizens.

Darcy Immerman is Senior Vice President, Energy for ArchTam. In this position, Ms. Immerman collaborates with corporations, universities, utilities and healthcare to become more resilient, recover from shocks and stresses and manage risk by integrating disaster preparedness with a strategy for rapid response and recovery deploying distributed energy resources. Darcy is a past recipient of the Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Management from the U.S. Department of Energy and an Energy Efficiency Award from National Resources Canada, Office of Energy Efficiency. She is currently serving on the Executive Advisory Council of the IEEE Power and Energy Society.

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Over the next 50 years, the region is expected to gain as many as 4 million people and 2 million jobs. In a place where a crushing housing shortage is already threatening quality of life, how can we welcome new residents and jobs without paving over our green spaces or pushing out long-time community members? To keep pace, and make the region more affordable, the Bay Area will need almost 2.2 million housing units by 2070, according to research from SPUR, San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association.

As part of the Regional Strategy, ArchTam collaborated with SPUR to examine what it would take to house everyone who wants to live in the Bay Area. We’ve published our research in a new report, Model Places: Envisioning a Future Bay Area With Room and Opportunity for Everyone.

To determine where growth should go, we used land use data to assign every part of the nine-county Bay Area to one of “14 place types” based on urban patterns that occur throughout the region — from open spaces and residential suburbs to industrial areas and dense downtowns.

Cul de Sac Suburbs of Tomorrow – Neighbors – both longstanding and new arrivals continue to live close to nature, streets are transformed to make play-space for kids and a place to gather, exercise, and stroll. Last mile mobility solutions move through at a walking pace, between native plantings and permeable swales.

Model Places envisions what six of these different place types could look like if they grew in ways that made them not just more equitable and more sustainable, but more livable and humanizing places to live and work.

Our analysis shows that the Bay Area has plenty of room to grow, but only if every urbanized part of the region is willing to accept its share of the change. The responsibility can’t rest solely with the low- and moderate-income neighborhoods that have seen the most growth in recent years. Affluent places also need to do their part to accommodate new housing and new jobs.

The good news for everyone is that new growth can make existing neighborhoods better places for people, supporting diversity and inclusion, public health, sustainability and community life while retaining many of their essential qualities and lowering our carbon-footprint. And if we do it right, we can grow without sprawl — protecting and restoring the Bay Area’s unique natural environment.

Office Parks of Tomorrow – 20th Century single-use parking dominated offices parks are transformed into complete communities, with places for people to live and work in an highly amenitized environment. Automated shuttles offer internal circulation and regional transit connections.

This vision represents a bold new direction for the Bay Area, so we invited five artists to help us bring it to life, lending their different sensibilities to imagine a region where every place does its part and everyone can thrive. You can see their work in the report.

A Call to Action
To realize this vision, the Bay Area must commit to collectively tackling the challenges of housing, transportation, equity and climate change. Getting there will require profound changes in policies, practices, laws and culture — recommendations SPUR will make in upcoming Regional Strategy reports. Real transformation will require a series of changes at different levels of government over many decades. It’s never easy for communities to commit to massive change, especially when they can’t see ahead to the outcome. We hope Model Places gives a glimpse of what’s possible — and inspires a commitment to what’s needed.

Read the Model Places report.

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