Link About It: This Week’s Picks

From greener carparks to public art, scientific breakthroughs and custom cars, news from around the web

Turning Big-Box Store Parking Lots into Urban Farms French design firm Studio NAB has proposed the Car Parks 2.0 concept, which strips away asphalt in the acres and acres dedicated to big-box store parking lots, in order to expose the soil trapped beneath and utilize a portion for urban farming. The concept envisions two other sections: one where the community can grow and another where …

China-Based BGI Aims to Extend Life to a Minimum of 99 Years

For China-based BGI, the secret to living longer and healthier lies in interpreting our genetic sequences (a notion that’s often met with privacy concerns). Along with regular exercise and a healthy diet, tapping into our DNA to determine which diseases or ailments we’re susceptible to may prolong life 20+ years above the international average, which hovers around 71. The genetics giant (along with plenty of …

Storytelling Can Usher Us Into an Eco-Friendly Future

Swedish journalist and chief storyteller for Sweden’s Viable Cities Program, Per Grankvist believes that specialized storytelling (which varies from city to city) will be what actually convinces large population groups to make more eco-friendly changes to their lifestyles. Rather than advertising a future in which cars fly and eating meat is illegal, Grankvist wants to make the conversation more human and centered on minute actions …