Realm Of Cities Research Articles

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

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.

Around some Jewish Architectural Features

Central and Eastern Europe were always on the edge of cultural, historical, and political transformations. The constant modifications reshape the architecture and urban realm of cities and urban fabric. Structural and socio-political boundaries are affecting cultural minorities. In most cases, the effect is so critical that the cultural heritage of the minority in terms of archi-tecture and built environment is degrading. The memory, as a collective force to the reality of the city, always follows these modifications. The built environment in these complex areas rather of showing the truth (coexistence of physical realm and built form) is mutating and presenting the fragmentation of its different parts. The phenomenon of Jewish reality and settling stiles in Central and Eastern European cities, its transformations, assimilations and segregations became an operational tool for the research, to build a wider understanding of the problematic aspects. The characteristic generalisation was done in terms of the architectural settings. However, all the cases are specific and need a deep understanding of each one’s problems deeply. In Central Europe, the problem occurs in terms of segregation and closure, while in Eastern Europe, the cases of separation were presented along with condition that leads to structural integration. The Prague Ghetto in the old town, the Jewish settlements of Warsaw city and the shtetl in Eastern Europe state the criticality of the problem of memory in a wider range, from physical build one to the intangible. In Prague, due to the constant pressure of segregation and final demolition of Ghetto, the fragmented pieces of the Jewish culture in terms of a building fabric were left. The space was gone but the memory still alive. Jewish culture’s integration into Warsaw’s build form through years and final demolition of the city during the Second World War left singular architectural pieces of their complex reality in the city, as a fragmented island of memory. In contrast, Shtetl presents a case of physical form while the spirit of the place is absent. Memory as an operational tool ensures the collectiveness, as it depicts the contrast of elements within its architecture and urban form. The coexistence of different part of the city with their specific architectural character and memory ensures the fact of its completeness as a whole.

Public art in Taman Suropati as a medium in creating attractive and lively public space

The city authority increasingly has interested in culturalsustainability as an aspect of sustainable development and emphasize thedesign of public urban spaces that host cultural and social interactions. Inregard to create sustainability of public space, it is necessary to use bothphysical and aesthetic elements of the park and art in public realm can be apowerful tool to reach people and play an active role in forming andpresenting local identity of cities. In this paper, a research in TamanSuropati, Menteng, Jakarta, is conducted as a case study of how public artin the city park generates interaction between visitors. As a historicallandmark of the city, Taman Suropati has its own appeal to the people ofJakarta. The park has provided a good sample of how urban space isactivated through public art and community activities. By analyzing therelation between spatial elements and social activities in Taman Suropati, we can learn about the importance of public art to support communityinteraction and help to create an attractive and lively urban environment. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the role of public art as a tool forenhancing the quality of urban space and making creative, lively urbanopen spaces to promote a more sustainable urban living and maintain thepublic realm of cities as an interaction space.