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    What is a Biophilic City? Biophilic cities are cities of abundant nature in close proximity to large numbers of urbanites. Biophilic cities value residents innate connection and access to nature through abundant opportunities to be outside and to enjoy the multisensory aspects of nature by protecting and promoting nature within ...

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    What is a Biophilic City? Biophilic cities are cities of abundant nature in close proximity to large numbers of urbanites. Biophilic cities value residents innate connection and access to nature through abundant opportunities to be outside and to enjoy the multisensory aspects of nature by protecting and promoting nature within ...

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    Biophilic Cities

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    alfonsopc
    What is a Biophilic City? Biophilic cities are cities of abundant nature in close proximity to large numbers of urbanites. Biophilic cities value residents innate connection and access to nature through abundant opportunities to be outside and to enjoy the multisensory aspects of nature by protecting and promoting nature within ...

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    Biophilic Cities Integrating Nature into Urban Design and Planning Timothy Beatley oO ISLANDPRESS Washington | Covelo | London. Three Biophilic Cities: What Are They? should support a new kind of biophilic urbanism. Exactly what philic city, what are its key features and qualities? Perhaps the si is that it is a city that puts nature first in its design, planning, and management; it recognizes the essential need for daily human contact with nature as well as the many environmental and economic values provided by nature and natural systems. city is at its heart a biodiverse city,a place where in the normal course of see, and experience rich nature—plamts, trees, animals, The nat large and small—ffom treetop lichens, invertebrates, and even mictoorgast- isms to larger natural features and ecosystems that define a city and give it its character and feel. Biophilic cities cherish what already exists (and th ‘much, as we have already seen) but also work hard to restore and repair ‘what has been lost or degraded and to integrate new forms of nature into the design of every new structure or built project. We need contact with na- cure, and that nature can also take the form of shapes and images integrated into building designs, as we will see. mach in the past about green cities and green and I continue to argue for the importance of this broader jiophilic urban design and biophilic urban planning tepresent one particular, albeit critical, element of green urbanism—the connection with and designing-in of nature in cities. In recognizing the innate need for 2 connection to nature, biophilic cities tie the argument for green cities and re directly to human well-being than to energy or envi- ty Fall of nature, 3c expecially green—placing emphasis in transi, renewable energy production, and energy-effi systems. Again, chese are all ime portant topics as we reimagine and redefine sustainable urban living in the 45 CChapler3. Blophil Chics: Whet Ave Thy? place the focus squarely on the na- actual green feacures,ife-forms, wentary, there may also be ways in which these areas ge or part. A biophilic city. as I will elucidate below, is even more than place that learns from nature and emulates resents a creative mix of green urban design with a comm door life and the protection and restoration of green infiasteucture from Athe bioregional to the neighborhood level. The ability to reach on foor, park or point of wild navare is essential, Parks are ry, but we need to expand our notion of how a park is used. « encourage family carp its ground area to nature and greenspace, isa very danse city dimensions and some of the measures by which we might judge the bio philic bona fides of a city. The sections that follow are grouped according to Box3.1 Indicators of a Biophilic City ‘Biophilic Conditions and Infrastructure 100 meters of pat or greenspace pleas grsanpace forall siden: within 9 10-minute ‘wal by 2030, Evidence ragga thar parks and greenpaces within 100-meters ae ‘ore commocly vised; perhaps a sensible target ist provide a least one pick of, tree hn {00 meen rl ident eater of eommenel inept eclogal mot gen wba fom map 2 eile ‘Hebinki, Finland's regional, connected greenspace neework: Keskupaesto Dl pier n cen pen wes Gm ol powt et oftn peices pop rege of cy ed set ow or ewe rons pore ne an a pkg tn ep and x nig eae eno ce el ey ‘of semi-wild nature forests, wedandk, meadows, and ntive vegetation, ‘of Per, ania, the evo largest pasks--Bold Park and King’s Pack-—are largely Tle over in he city (in sore reir ican Fests recommends a target o€40 percent fore canopy cover coor nr mcnpa ae highs sae, ower cy cee ee fo Se fan a ic vr ps le es ooh pps aie jines ee ec aot absentee coe motcp ance tale ef rrp One nto oe inn gee fe ger 0 wn ‘nt opr sk cho gl ow he ea 50 gen sotepe teri waking as Tae Arcane Ants ogg 280 mes of il wt poration +a ieee ea fw per 00 peas ules tan eran er conden ws in eottowre uno comeny ees nd ui pls ei 9 pe sce cn ‘ope ce TES F-Pach commu png he elie he if! et son ron faren er 2990yeea Biophilic Activities. Percentage of population thats active in nivue oF ovedodr club of organizations puraber > ‘of sich organizations sctve inthe Population to be active members and involved in one or more of such oxginizations, resroriion and volunteer efforts (eg such a5 depending on the climate and tie of year. entage of rsideas who garden (ncluting balcony, eof Biophilic Attitudes and Knowledge Percentage of popula especially interesting study of bird knowledge in Wellington, New Zealand, Parker (2009) asked households to idensify sx Joc bed species (through photographs pre= {a questionnaire); see avo Archer and Beale (2004). Biophilic Institutions and Governance “Adoption of a local biadiversis action lan of raregy round the word have prepared biodiversity action plans, for Exeat of lies biopilie © history museum or bo “Essanple: US. ces sac a8 Cleveland, Ohio have Poth an ative local botanical ics Ben and a naturs history museum. A reasonable target is to. asus tha cites have municipal ongunizations and capabilities equivslene to these sv forms of biopic neat and education, ‘of focal bacget devoted to notice conservation, recreation, eh sivices “Beample While these ace fw comparative seas, teasonable target i that a mini~ um of 5 pencens ofa ciy's budget should be devoted to nature conservation, edi ‘ation and rexoration, ~Adopion of ea bling ai planing odes gant programs deny bones, geenapace “niiaives, and datk-sky lighting ands » ely’ planning code swt “ind requirments (eg, gree ‘Number of eiy-opposted biopic 7 Example: Many ees, such 35 ‘reat value in piloting new areca design idea and concepts and providing technical 2d financial support. city should ‘have ander way at lest five biophilic pilot projec. or iniatives, © 50 Chapter 3. Biophite Cites: What Ave They? the organization of this box and suggest that biophilic cities can be de~ scribed or recognized through a combination of their physical conditions and infrastructore, the undertakings and activities of their residents, their knowledge and awareness, and by the governance priorities, capacities, and commitments of their agencies and officials. Biophilic Conditions and Infrastructure One key way to be to identify some of t to which a city aspires. How much nature i and enjoyed? ‘To what extent has the city it structure to permit an urban life lived in close daily contact with the natural world? Biophilic Cities Are Places of Easily Accessible and Abundant Nature A biophilic city is at once concerned about the ecological integrity of its network of nature and its accessibility and the ability of a resident to move from a neighborhood to larger green realms.We know from. chapter 2 that cities already harbor much biodiversity, often much more than we realize and that this everyday nature imparts (or has the potential to impart) a sense of wildness and essential ecological values to urbanites. ‘And any conception of a biophilic city is one in which access to nature is viewed as essential to a meaningful and happy life and thus some thing that all individuals and neighborhoods are entitled to. Biophilic cities seck to make nature equally accessible and equally enjoyable to all residents. ‘The best way to access nature—parks and greenspaces, riv mountains, trees and forests, green roofiops—in a city wl it is open to debate. Some of the green qualities will be beyond the control of a city—the underlying diversity of species and habitat (e.g, consider the biologically rich eities in the tropics, ot in environments such as southern California or South Affica with Mediterranean climates high in species en or topography. Others will be a finction more of historical hap- penstance (why a particular feature or habitat was not developed or altered), bbur many will be within the intentional grasp of the city and a finction of their commitments and efforts. The physical network of greenspaces and nature at the city and metropolitan level—its larger patterns of green inffastructure—is of course demis Blophiic Conltons and Inrastucture 5 essential and a clear manifestation of green commitments and priorities over Increasingly we recognize the need to integrate and tie together the many individual green features and neighborhood parks that exist in a city into a more he logical network. A umber of cities have done this quite successfully. land, for instance, has one of the most i pressive urban green networks, integrating larger natural features (Kesku~ ‘puisto Central Park chat cans in an unbroken wedge from old-growth forest fon the edge of the city right to the center of the city) with smaller features reet evel ceenspace plans and visions. greenbelt now consists of Chicago Wilderness). impressive European Germany's 87-killometer-long Green Rin; 1¢ great value of joining dense and compact turban form with land conservation. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, urban neighbor hhoods are buta short walk aw. tural areas, including Salburva Park, a former airport conver jportant wetland for migratory birds, Extensive trails and a city nature center are part of the biophilic ints structure of this ci jortance on the Green mad on integrating natare into the life of this city, and it is now work- ing on a second ot outer Green Belt, building on the provincial consersa~ allow residents to reach even more distant natural points jent sheepherding past of the region. “We know from research that there are many biophilic benefits de- rived from views of nature—for mountains from the window of a building or from street level, for example. As discussed in chapter 1, views of nature have been found to have significant therapeutic and cognitive bene~ fits and of course are an essential element in unique sense of place, Some such as Denver, have been blessed with spectacular mountain views ceps to protect those views for that are visually prominent and striking, Vancouver has emphasized a strat- egy of accommodating population growth through slender high-rise towers ‘yet has placed great importance on siting and spacing those buildings to en~ sure views of the city’s spectacular surroundings. A gauge or some proxy measures in commo: nperviousness, but there is probabl the pices of a green and natural city might be achieved through ch as overall ree canopy cover OF single measure that captures all of 32 (Chapt. Biopile Gos: What Are Thy? Biophilic Citios Are Rich, extured, Multisensory Environments sounds, smells, and tex- is a city of rich and deep Sound, especilly the sound associated with nana, isan especially undervalued dimension in urban planning and design today, and the bio sual ocular or visual bias by empha- Wg the importance of sounds and hearing inthe city. The biophilc city rurcures and eu se sounds, 38 modes the natue sal World and as therapeutic and pleasurable aspects of urban living. From the squawking caw-caw of crows and the daytime thyzhmie songs of ci= cadas, to the nighttime lulls of tee fogs, crickets, kaya sions of urban civy OF coune the also important but in a more negative hat automobile nite, for instanes is one factor that tends walk ig to work and other outdoor activity.’ When we manage to reduce these and often largely auto-sourced noises, we may create the conditions ‘want to be outside and more opportunities to hear and enjoy the background natural sounds thac biophilla suggests we need and want. Many of the European cities profiled in this book emphasize natu= ral textures and building materials and pedestrian qualities that make ehem. mark the entrances to shops, the textured building fagades, e goyles on the surfaces of the main church, that make viewing Freiburg from enjoyable. There is an organic nature to many of these sends the message that these are places embedded in landscapes, 1s that stimulate the senses and ate beaut ach, These ate biop! ‘European cities have a long-term commitment to reusing and re- cycling their environments and seem to deeply appreciate and care for and lope Condiions and laste 33 abour chem. ‘This missing in many American ‘Stephen Kellert says, pethaps there is a connection, and iat insil a reverence and commitment to cheir long-te ‘They're rich biophilic 1¢ Benyvs’s groundbreaking book Biomimiay? has beem insteume hanging the way we think about design as bas been the inspi gh.* Benyus's key message is that nature usands of years of evolution have al- and accomplish feaes that we might par of our nate co be drs rec and ey odo what rand sh a favo of che pci vale of biomimicry age Tele eee to ignoe the 38 bili yan of reseech and development hat her specie Sophie ces elec busy hat understand he widom of rue and tat jens andthe ned to lean fom them and model de- Tipe and plaoning ater them. McDonough i fans for imploring ws © Ming ike ee, is like forex” A iy che facto ike a TE ou cme we imagine cites hata crbon neta ad ih produce mach power hey need and ive win Tr inom) that oe zeroed eat eget collects and treats all of its sto through a solar-aquatic living machine (treating and breaking down waste through a system of pla ic species, and microorganisms, in compact 54 Chapter 3. Biophile Chies: What Ave They? inks the jinability enterprise most closely to planning. ‘The growing importance of biomimicry in de and policy and igs and urban built environments ights. Green building design is per- ost evident, but there is increasing po- tential to apply the natural pri and design standards found and tested n nature to cities. Box 3.2 pres ten design strategies from na- ture, and each finds obvious and significant application to cities and built environments. haps the place where biomnimicr Designed by by the design of termite colonies, specifically the techniques they use to and humidity. Like a termite mound, East- gate draws its ar in from the base of the building, cools the air by sending it tunderground, and then circulates this air up and through the structure. There ate many green building examples 2s well as other elements of sustainable urban design and living that find inspiration and guidance Use waste as Fesource. Diversify and cooperate to folly use the habitas, Gather and use energy efficiently. % ‘Optimize rather than maximize ‘Use materials sparingly Don't foul cheir nests. Don't draw down resources Remain in balance with the biosphere, Run on information. Shop locally. 1 ‘Benyus, 2002, lope Condtions and Infactucture 5 jesion. The reptile’s secret is a dense network of nano-sized hairs on its feet. Researchers are now converting this knowledge into a host of applications, many of which may directly apply in the management of fature cities—for instance, new forms of adhesion that allow robotic clean ing and maintenance of windows and high-rise building spaces. team of engineers at UC-Berkeley has been focused on designing new tires, perbaps for use on fleets of urban buses, that take advantage of the amazing gripping qualities of the gecko’s feet.” ‘At Michigan State University, researchers have been developing the prototype of a robotic fish, mimicking the natural swimming patterns and h. Entire schools of such robotic fish may be set off in rivers to provide highly useful real-time monitoring data ate. According to MSU professor ‘we will be able to obtain infor- ‘mation at an unprecedentedly high spatial and temporal resolution. Such data are essential for researchers to have a more complete pictare of what is happening under the surface as climate change and other and blades, by learning fro ‘bumps that significantly improve efficiency); learning how to extract potable drinking water from humid air, learning from insects that do this with great efficiency. ‘A number of paint products now o: late the pollution-cleansing power of purer, for instance, now markets a series of paint products for vari faces in cities roadway surfaces, eunnels, buildings—that through ca chemical reactions (using titanium dioxide) help co transform urban ait pol- lutants into more benign substances. The company's Web page describes how the product works in terms of mimicking nature: “A photocatalytic reaction imitates the chlorophylic photosynthesis of trees in their absorp- tion and transformation of pollutants into non-toxic elements, using just light and aic.”” eek to simu- 6 (chapter 3, Biophile Cites: What Ace They? Much of the new importance given to cities is a recognition, a re- and resource con- for a more ; developed by William Res and Mathis Wackernagel, fosters in turn a view of a city as ity, analogous to the human body, requiring inputs and gen- We now begin to connect the loss of tropical rain for- the emissions of carbon, and the consumption of oil to feed ourselves, + the carbon associated with our life- int concept and method (what Rees profoundly shifted our col- ve hinterland, the carrying capacities of faraway regions and thern industrial footprint is very large and growing. A recent study of London’s ecological footprint found, for example, that the land area needed to support this city of 8 mil- lion was nearly 300 times the physical size of the city itself. The number also offers hope and guidance for change—in the case of London, much of the footp: providing incentives for advocates supporting ini local and regional food production. ‘The last several decades have seen a rise in explicit efforts to apply organic of natural models of how nature works to the desi and cities. Cities are in many ways indeed analogous they require material inputs for survival, produce waste, and have a complex. and interconnected metabolism. Yet our city planning and urban manage- ‘ment policies often fail to acknowledge this complex metabolism. We treat the inputs and outputs and resources discretely and individually, not holisti- nove toward sustainable cities will require an important shift in jurce-extracting machines but as complex metabolic systems with flows and cycles where, idealy, the things that have wwaditionally been viewed as ne wastewater) are reenvisioned as productive inputs to satisfy other ur food, energy, and clean water. A sustainable urban metal goals at once: to reduce the extent of the material and resource flows re~ quired, to convert linear flows to circular flows (closed loops), and to source and derive the inputs in the most equitable and least ecologically destructive way possible. Many advocates of green cities and green urbanism describe a sus- tainable city as a closed-loop city, one that, like nature, wastes nothing and operates with a circular metabolism." Only a few working examples of Biophilic Conditions and infrastructure 5 borhood Hammarby Sjéstad, which 1g to take advantage of resource flows and to begin to connect inputs and outputs. As in nature, nothing is wasted For example, at Hammarby hundreds of flats are equipped with natural gas stoves that burn biogas extracted from organic household waste feo neighborhood! ‘More recent sustainable city designs are also being created wi closed-loop philosophy and with the principles of ns this al systems in mind, These inclade Dongtan cco-city in China (now on hold) and Masdar City, the carbon-neutral new town near Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates In che case of Dongtan, emphasis has been placed on producing all of the energy needed for the new town from renewable energy sources, 38 well as the food needed for residents from function in a closed-loop fishion, used to produce power, for instance. ‘Masdar City is being designed co take full advantage of the climate and conditions of its deserts ings to minimize the amount of ditect sunlight hitting bui ind building in x also allowing natural flows of breezes. It too plans to produce of its own energy locally and a center of Masdar has been designed (LAVA Architects) wi 38 ‘Chapter 3. Blopic Ces; What Are They? solar sun shades” that “open up courtyard from the blazing sun, and at night che shades collapse to release heat out into the air." The architects have called these shades the “Petals which along with the other features of the plaza will draw residents to this "Oasis of Life” ring the day ...to protect the mperature at all times of the day is the key to makit ‘The gorges pull in~ habitants into the loop. The “Petals ftom Heaven’ open and close: protect pedestrians from the sun; capcure, store, and release heat; adjust the angle of shade based on the postion of che sun. The heat sensitive lamps adjus the level of lighting to the proximity of pedestrians. The water features ‘ebb and flow based on the intensity of ground temperatares."* LAVA’s description of this plaza as a ment” is a fitting characteris philic features Biophilic Cities Exhi and Forms of Nature and Celebrate the Shapes Many advocates of biophilic design de connections and references made to the natural world—the symbols, pic~ tures, shapes, and natural designs— weir way into our cities and neighborhoods. They appear on building facades, on street signs (and street names), or on sidewalks and pedestrian spaces and can even be seen in the shapes and forms taken by the buildings and architecture in cities. ‘An important dimension of a biophilic city ral shapes 1s are beautiful, reassuring, and valuable touch points of our deep nary bonds wich nature. Though not often the subject of anal tallying-up, their presence in cities is another measure of our biophilic sen- sibilities ‘Urban building designs are obvious and important places where forms and shapes find expression. A number of 2 in the last several decades have taken great inspiral in part, by the many visual include ‘Ton Alberts, Paolo Soleri, Luc Schuiten, Vincent ind Richard Register. And more historically che design work toni Gaudi, and mote recently Fredriesch Hunderewasser, are highly organic and referential of nature ‘Ton Alberts was a strong proponent of organic architecture and designed delightful buildings with shapes and forms drawn from nature. A Blophile Condivons ad infrastructure 28 Dutch architect, Alberts was best known for the [ING bank headquarters water into pleasing way. Often referre: skyscraper), the structure did indeed set plant or tree In more recent years there have been a variety of plans, some fan- grandiose, o build new cities that take the shape and forma of a fem or a specific natural element, Belgian architect Luc Schuiten “vegetal city” and offers some beautiful visual to grow from the grou ‘would grow all the food and collect all the water jt would also be a city with no cars and no roads, an “amphibi- cous” city, in Callebaut’s words "The timeless design work of Antoni Gadi, whose work forms much of what is architecturally di 8 also highly the Sagrada nd Parc Giell, among others, cle ‘ments. Often plants and animals figure 1e nativity fagade on the Sagrada Familia illustrates, including turtles holding up columns.A main feature of Parc Gill is Gaud’s famous dragon, composed ‘of a mix of multicolored tiles, stone, and ceramic. The rooftop of the Casa reminds one of the shimmering scales of clude undulating, rounded walls and dis- been incorporating organic architectural elements and but spired by nature, Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's designs, for instance, creatively connect with their unique natural settings and often incorpo- tate organic elements. The design of the one ‘The museum expansion “incorpor ‘Museum's lakefront location. Anion a case in p inspired by 60 Chapter. Broplie Ckies: What Are They? ed are: movable steel louvers ins swings of a bird:a cabled pedestrian bridge with a soaring mast sailboat and a curving single-storey galleria reminiscent of “The design for the new Chicago Spire is perhaps Calatrava's most inspiration from nature. When finished in 2011 ie will be the st seructure in the world. Ic is explicitly designed after the form of a nautilus seashell, visually arresting and unlike any other structure. Calatrava has said, “Inspired by nature, by the interaction water and air... the principles I follow are based on repetition. nature often works in patterns." This with each building floor turned the natural spiral chambered shell floor to floor. It will incorporate ase of geothermal energy and a ruction of the building has been economic conditions (an there is stil hope for tacular biophilic addition to the Chicago skyline. Zaha Hadid’s design for the new performing acts center in Abu Dhabi is a striking example of biophilic architecture. Visually arresting, its windows appear shaped like leaves (or dragonfly wings). She describes the overall seructure of the complex in organic, natural terms: a structure that grows upwardly, “gradually developing into a growing organism that sprouts .ctwork of suevessive branches it winds through the site, the archi- \ding up height and depth and achieving the performance spaces, which ne and face westward, toward the 2 percent from the one b and ensuring a unique set of ‘a number of green features, system for recycling rainwater. WI a function of worse fet another biophilic building fit to this region of the world is Jean ‘Nouvel’s design for the National Museum of Qatar. The museum is com prised of a series of visually striking dises, meant roses” that form just below the surface in desert environs Ouroussoff, the New York Times architecture critic, not dozens of disclike forms, intersecting at odd angles and pili atop one another, celebrate a delicate beauty in the desert landscape that is those who have not spent time there.””” The Nouvel design sdable both for being biophilic in its form and for how it educat ‘ims about environment and desert ecology and invites a deeper awareness of and connection with this unique nataral setting. Figure 3.2 Calatcaa's design forthe Chicsgo Spite. Copyright Santiago Calatena LLC 62 ‘Chepter 3, Biopie Ces: What Are They? Such nacure-inspired buildings and urban clements help connect 1us visually and emotionally to nature and remind urban dwellers of the in~ trinsic and uplifting beauty and life of nature. A biophilic city is one where much of what we design and build affirms and celebrates these timeless natural forms and patterns. [Natural forms and shapes appear in many places in cities world~ wide. In che Western Australian city of Fremantle, for instance, sidewalk designs incorporate seashells and other aquatic elements. One major pe-

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