ECOSYSTEM TRANSITION OF THE CITY An Impossible option (original) (raw)
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This research is about the scientific understanding of the concept of "life" in urban space and its main purpose is to explain the underlying order that is present in organic cities. It was found that this order is emergent (bottom-up), a product of a self-organization, a fractal geometry that characterizes the geometries of Nature which is substantially different from the visual order (top-down) we are used to look at our cities. The biological metaphor in city planning has been used since the sixteenth century. However, this analogy has been made mainly because of its shape and appearance rather than by the investigation of their geometric properties and laws of formation. Checking the parallel between the geometries of Nature and the geometries of the organic city, through the recognition of a set of patterns and emergent properties I conclude with this work that these forms and structures emerge for the same reason: the constraints of physical space and the laws of nature are the same everywhere. These fundamental laws which govern all live-systems phenomena show that in spite of apparently amorphous growth of urban sprawl, resilient patterns emerge. Once we know the principles we can use them to improve our plans and designs. We should trust to the selforganizing principles of cities rather than impose ideas of what they should look like.
Complexity Of Urban Ecosystems: The Contribution Of Human Ecology
2009
Urban ecosystems are complex with many material and non-physical constituents. They are not structured within traditional disciplines and professional sectors. Therefore, they ought to be considered in terms of the multiple factors that influence both the structure and functioning of these ecosystems. An ecological perspective recognizes that behavioural, biological, cultural, economic, social, physical and political factors need to be considered if a comprehensive understanding of urban ecosystems is to complement disciplinary and sector-based interpretations. Key concepts and principles of human ecology are applied in this paper to help achieve this objective. ABSTRAK Ekosistem bandar adalah kompleks dengan pelbagai bahan dan unsurunsur bukan fizikal. Ia tidak distrukturkan dalam disiplin tradisi dan sector-sektor profesional. Oleh itu, sepatutnya dipertimbangkan tentang pelbagai faktor yang mempengaruhi kedua-dua struktur dan fungsi ekosistem ini. Perspektif ekologi mengenalpasti...
Humans significantly affect their ecosystem. Nowhere is this more evident than in our towns and cities around the world. We have options when it comes to the sustainability of our cities. We have to pay attention to meeting the needs of today without compromising the needs of the future. However, to truly understand those options, we need to have the best knowledge available so that we can make the best decisions possible. It has everything to do with the stewardship of our natural resources, while at the same time using those resources to meet the needs of today’s urban population. This volume deals with the impacts of urbanization on the environment— soils, air, and water quality, the animals and humans who live there—and offers some solutions to contemporary problems. Its coverage exemplifies the wide range of specialties in the agronomic sciences and shows how scientists define ecosystem functions and solve problems. To read this book will give instruction in how agronomy, an ar...
The Framework of the Principles of Sustainable Urban Ecosystems Development and Functioning
Sustainability
Nowadays, the increasing rate of human population in urban areas and the importance of urban functions pose a number of ecological cross-boundary challenges. The scientific research of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries revealed dramatic consequences of human intervention into natural ecosystems. The outcome of inadequate consumerism, which promotes industrial growth, and the pursuit of a better life is not only damaging to the natural ecosystems, but will eventually lead the World to dramatic climate change outcomes. Therefore, scientists are looking for ways for sustainable urban transformation without endangering the human population and the environment. According to the identified assumptions, the article investigates the principles of sustainable urban ecosystems. The authors consistently seek to explain the concept of sustainable urban ecosystems in both a broad and narrow sense, focusing on the individual constructs of this term—sustainability, city and ecosystems. The ...