Abstract
Redesigning and retrofitting cities so they become complex systems that create ecological and cultural–societal health through the provision of ecosystem services is of critical importance. Although a handful of methodologies and frameworks for considering how to design urban environments so that they provide ecosystem services have been proposed, their use is not widespread. A key barrier to their development has been identified as a lack of ecological knowledge about relationships between ecosystem services, which is then translated into the field of spatial design. In response, this paper examines recently published data concerning synergetic and conflicting relationships between ecosystem services from the field of ecology and then synthesises, translates, and illustrates this information for an architectural and urban design context. The intention of the diagrams created in this research is to enable designers and policy makers to make better decisions about how to effectively increase the provision of various ecosystem services in urban areas without causing unanticipated degradation in others. The results indicate that although targets of ecosystem services can be both spatially and metrically quantifiable while working across different scales, their effectiveness can be increased if relationships between them are considered during design phases of project development.
Highlights
IntroductionModern cities are primarily sites for cultural expression and the facilitation of trade, rather than for the production of physical resources or the generation of services that produce tangible physical health, either of ecosystems or humans [4]
The way cities and the buildings within them are designed will need to change rapidly and effectively to address converging drivers of change such as climate change and biodiversity loss, while managing human population growth, increased per capita consumption, and urbanisation [1]
Emulating what ecosystems do enables design teams to know what the quantifiable ecological goals should be for a development in a specific given location and climate if it is to integrate with existing ecosystems and contribute to their health rather than deplete them
Summary
Modern cities are primarily sites for cultural expression and the facilitation of trade, rather than for the production of physical resources or the generation of services that produce tangible physical health, either of ecosystems or humans [4]. Several urban design approaches have been recently formulated or expanded in an attempt to integrate performance-based evaluation methods into urban design [6,7] These methods should be explored for their relevance to regenerative urban design paradigms. This paper focuses on emulating ecosystem services as a regenerative urban design strategy. This is a form of urban biomimicry. Related to whole-system levels, has been less explored in design disciplines [8] but important concepts and precedents are explored by Pedersen Zari [9], Baumeister et al [10], Hayes et al [11] and Taylor Buck [12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
