Humans have a massive impact on the planet, but we also have the power to turn it around and make everything better. To do this though we sometimes need to change our perception and how we do things. It could lead to better buildings, from residential architecture to massive towers, shopping centres, and schools. It should inspire creativity and forward thinking.
Where do materials come from?
An interesting idea is to look at current buildings as a store of materials that we could use for projects in the future. What if we didn't need to mine for new resources and we could instead use what we currently have in buildings and other structures that we no longer use? It would be a far better option than using materials, enjoying buildings for a relatively short time, and then sending all of those resources to landfill. This idea would require a change in where we look for materials. However, that is not a massive stretch when we consider the sheer amount of resources tied up in cities and other urban areas. Countries can have literally billions of tonnes of different resources in their built environments. We just need to look at these "urban mines" before we consider going to other areas for new materials.
Rethinking planning
Some plans are quite short term. They may not even consider what will happen to resources in the future. This is ineffective and ultimately bad for the environment. It would be far better to look further ahead at the outset, before any building work is done. Plan for deconstruction, even looking at things like demountable construction. Only use materials where it is clear someone will be able to reuse or recycle them. Avoid any components if there is a lack of transparency about end of life uses. The whole idea should be to think circular instead of linear. We shouldn't be planning a build and that is the end of it. What we should be doing is looking at what structures can become in the future.