Vital City commissioned an article by Clare Miflin and Benjamin Miller on how to best integrate waste containerization into New York City’s streetscapes so it can bring many more benefits than just hiding the trash...

We evaluated current waste management on a 5 block stretch of Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn. Working with Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, who manage the Open Street, we designed solutions to reduce and containerize all residential, commercial and litter bin waste. Some of our recommendations are implementable immediately, and others require coordination with the city. Read the...

We are pleased to share our final report from our Design Trust Feature Grant from the Hong Kong Design Trust.  This work was done in collaboration with the Business Environment Council of Hong Kong and Circular Cities Asia, a platform of Renergii in Singapore. The project looks at the urban form, waste context, and initiatives in...

New York City’s Mayor de Blasio just committed to a green recovery that prioritizes equity, fairness, and the climate crisis. Composting, which creates green jobs, supports local food production, and increases environmental equity, should fit squarely within this mission. Yet, in this year’s crisis budget, the city cut all funding for organic waste collection. Organic waste costs the Department...

Clare Miflin’s article in the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment Newsletter is inspired by Michael Pollan’s seven word maxim for healthy eating: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. Build less: reuse and repurpose existing buildings; right-size the building; consider sharing spaces within a district. For more people: design and program a building so that most...

Benjamin Miller’s in depth article in Environmental Law in New York explains how the design of the commercial waste zoning system can be crafted to maximize benefits for the environment, businesses and haulers...