Welcome to My New Blog

Hello, and welcome!

After many years of sharing thoughts, experiences, and research insights on my Blogger site, I've decided it's time for a fresh chapter, both in content and in form.

This new blog on Ghost is where I’ll continue to explore themes close to my heart: sustainable architecture, academic reflections, community engagement, and how we can all contribute meaningfully to the built environment. The cleaner design and focused format allow for a better reading experience and make it easier for you to find content that matters.

Why the Move?

I’ve been blogging since 2017, and over time, I felt the need for a space that reflects how my work has evolved — more integrated, more purposeful, and more connected to my role as an educator and sustainability advocate.

Ghost offers that clarity. It’s minimal, fast, and writing-focused — exactly what I want this next phase of my blogging journey to be.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

To honour where this all began, I’ll curate several selected articles from my original blog that still resonate today. These pieces reflect core ideas and questions I continue to explore.

This blog has attracted over 65,000 pageviews since its inception on Blogger (2013–2025) — a testament to the interest and support from readers who care deeply about sustainability and the built environment.

Among the Selected Past Articles

The following articles were originally published on my Blogger blog and have since been thoughtfully revised and updated for this new platform. Each one reflects ideas and insights that continue to resonate with my teaching, research, and advocacy in sustainable architecture and the built environment. More updated posts from the archive will be added over time.

Why Do We Keep Destroying Nature Like Nothing's Wrong?
A thought-provoking exploration into the paradox of human behaviour towards environmental degradation, examining the roles of wealth, empathy, and inequality in shaping our collective inaction.

Rethinking Rain: How Cities Can Turn Stormwater from Problem to Asset
An exploration of nature-based solutions like rain gardens and green roofs, demonstrating how cities like Kuala Lumpur can manage floods, improve water quality, and create more livable spaces.

Cooler Cities, Greener Spaces: How Thoughtful Site Design Makes Urban Living More Livable
An analysis of how sustainable site selection and thoughtful design can cool our cities, protect ecosystems, and create greener, more livable environments.

Low-Tech vs High-Tech: Which is More Sustainable?
A reflection on the sustainability of low-tech versus high-tech approaches in architecture, discussing what “appropriate technology” truly means for sustainable development.

Want to explore the whole archive?
You can still access my legacy blog at zalinashari.blogspot.com — it will remain available as a reference and documentation of my earlier writing.

What to Expect Here

On this new platform, I’ll continue to share:

• Short essays and reflections on sustainability and design
• Simplified insights from my recent journal articles
• Teaching experiences and insights
• My students' exemplary sustainable designs
• Research commentary and updates on current work
• Conversations and lessons from the field

Whether you're a student, fellow educator, researcher, or curious reader, thank you for being here.

This space is as much about thinking aloud as it is about staying connected. I hope it inspires, informs, and invites reflection.

Dr. Zalina Shari
Associate Professor, Sustainability + Architecture
Universiti Putra Malaysia