Applications of biomimicry to urban planning: interrogating the relevance of emerging approaches to design cities by inspiring from nature.

Abstract

Cities have an important role to play in tackling the challenges of climate change and the depletion of biodiversity. The way they were built has had a significant impact on biological and terrestrial systems. In this regard, a new generation of urban planners is attempting to address this problem by inventing new urban models, especially using biomimicry to create a real paradigm shift in the discipline. Nonetheless, it introduces a fresh perspective that refrains from viewing nature merely as a supplier of resources and energy, but instead recognizes it as a rich wellspring of wisdom. This approach is now unfolding in the realm of cities and territories as intricate systems. In fact, biomimicry is seen as a means towards more virtuous development models, aiming at the regeneration and resilience of living spaces in symbiosis with the environment. Researchers and theorists have put forth diverse ideas and concepts to incorporate the principles derived from nature into urban projects. However, several challenges are raised when trying to mimic how a biological system works to plan cities which are much more complex due to human social attributes. Although there are a few current examples of biomimicry being applied to urban planning, they need to be assessed to determine if this approach is relevant, particularly in the social field. This study employs a qualitative approach whereby the narrative review of literature has been applied which focusing on the applicability and impact of biomimicry in urban systems. Six-step framework for review articles are used to address three key research questions regarding the adoption of biomimicry principles in urban contexts. We aim to summarize and categorize the variety of applications of biomimicry to urban planning by the literature review method and to initiate an inquiry into their relevance and utility in responding to contemporary urban challenges.