Turning Cities Into Healthy Ecosystems
Transforming urban areas with nature-based solutions
Cities are bustling ecosystems – diverse habitats that have long attracted humans with their promise of opportunity. These concrete jungles were built for comfort and convenience, but over time they have developed to shut nature out.
How we can design our cities so they are greener, cooler, and more inclusive?
Living at odds with the natural world is a relatively new phenomenon. Over millennia, humans evolved with the environment, shaping it and being shaped by it. From the hanging gardens of Babylon to the floating farms of Tenochtitlan, humans have a long history of living in harmony with nature.
While the world undoubtedly looks different today, we can still learn a lot from early civilisations. People are starting to explore how we can design roads and buildings so that they function in the same way as the wildland just next door. Across the globe, cities are beginning to let nature back in.
Green infrastructure like living walls and roofs, street trees, and wild corridors lie at the heart of this change. These solutions aren't just nice to look at. They add real value by creating natural drainage systems, reducing temperatures, and cleaning the air. They’ve also been proven to make people happier.
What’s stopping more cities from going green? Though nature-based solutions require some up-front investment, they’re often far cheaper than traditional solutions, especially in the long run. Doing things differently can be daunting, but pioneers in this space are showing us that it's not too late to create a better world for the generations to come.
Using nature as a blueprint, we can build a future where cities are vibrant, healthy and contribute positively to the planet.
Contributors:
Janine Benyus, Co-Founder of Biomimicry Institute
Thomas Crowther, Founder of Restor
See more from these contributors and case studies:
