David Bergman

David Bergman runs an architectural practice that emphasizes the transparent inclusion of sustainable/eco design principles. David is also the founder of Fire and Water, a designer/manufacturer of eco lighting. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and an adjunct assistant professor at Parsons the New School for Design. He is a frequent contributor to GreenHomeGuide.com. His book, Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide, was published in 2012 by Princeton Architectural Press.

Before you can make a community resilient, you have to have a community

By David Bergman, EcoOptimism

Living (or working) on a block or in a neighborhood where anonymity is the rule discourages any sense of ownership, of belonging to something larger than just you.

October 25, 2013

Towers in the block

By David Bergman, EcoOptimism

My longtime neighborhood, the Lower East Side of Manhattan, represents for me some of the best qualities of urban living.

September 25, 2013

If Overpopulation Isn’t the Problem, What’s the Question?

By David Bergman, EcoOptimism

Since the end of the 18th century, when Malthus wrote An Essay on the Principle of Population, there’s been controversy regarding the concept of “carrying capacity,”...

September 20, 2013

Density Part 3: Kenneth Jackson’s “Future” of New York

By David Bergman, EcoOptimism

The essential defining property of a city is density: a concentration of people that enables commerce, community and exchanges of ideas.

September 5, 2013

Countering the EcoPessimist

By David Bergman, EcoOptimism

According to New York Magazine and economist Robert Gordon, the good times are over.

August 5, 2013

Interdependence Day

By David Bergman, EcoOptimism

The Fourth of July tends to spark a number of alternative ideas of independence.

July 8, 2013

Density Part 2: Height vs Delight

By David Bergman, EcoOptimism

...“how do we build delightful cities that make us more prosperous, ecological, fit and equitable?”

June 21, 2013

Density: It’s Not the Sky that’s the Limit

By David Bergman, EcoOptimism

Treehugger editor Lloyd Alter has written about the “Goldilocks density,” describing it as “Not Too High, Not Too Low, But Just Right.”

June 4, 2013