Biophilic cities for an urban century : why nature is essential for the success of cities

This book argues that, paradoxically, at their moment of triumph and fastest growth, cities need nature more than ever. Only if our urban world is full of biophilic cities will the coming urban century truly succeed. Cities are quintessentially human, the perfect forum for interaction, and we are entering what could justly be called the urban century, the fastest period of urban growth in human history. Yet a growing body of scientific literature shows that the constant interaction, the hyper-connectedness, of cities leads to an urban psychological penalty. Nature in cities can be solution to this dilemma, allowing us to have all the benefits of our urban, connected world yet also have that urban home be a place where humanity can thrive. This book presents best practices and case studies from biophilic design, showing how cities around the world are beginning to incorporate nature into their urban fabric. It will be a valuable resource for scholars and professionals working in the area of sustainable cities. Robert McDonald is Lead Scientist at The Nature Conservancy, based in Washington, DC, USA. He researches the relationship between cities and nature. Timothy Beatley is the Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities, in the School of the Architecture at the University of Virginia, USA, where he has taught for the last thirty years. He also directs the Biophilic Cities Network Acknowledgments 5 Contents 6 List of Figures 7 List of Tables 9 Chapter 1: The Urban Century 10 Hunter’s Point 10 Life in the Urban Century 12 Designing the Cities of the Future 15 This Book 16 References 18 Chapter 2: Cities as Quintessentially Human 19 Our Greatest Invention 19 Why Is Everyone Moving to Cities? 21 Urban Benefits to Production 21 Urban Benefits to Consumption 25 An Urban World, Ready or Not 26 Closing 27 References 28 Chapter 3: Cities as Inhumane: The Urban Health Penalty 31 The Urban Healthy Penalty Historically 33 The Urban Health Penalty Today 37 Causes of the Urban Psychological Penalty 39 Compositional Differences 40 Social Cohesion Breakdown 40 Environmental Stressors 41 The Irony of the Urban Health Penalty 42 References 43 Chapter 4: Nature as a Solution 48 Nature Can Make the Urban World Humane 48 How Does Nature Make Cities More Humane? 49 Categories of Ecosystem Services 51 Health and Nature Exposure 52 Physical Health 54 Flood Risk Reduction 54 Cooler and Cleaner Air 56 Mental Health 57 A Brief History of Natural Infrastructure in Cities 60 Nature Exposure in Cities Currently 61 Trade-Off Between Density and Natural Infrastructure 63 Closing 64 References 65 Chapter 5: Biophilic Cities: Vision and Emerging Principles 69 The Vision of Biophilic Cities 70 A Global Movement and an Emerging Network 71 City in a Forest: A Vision of Immersive Urban Nature 73 Nearby Nature and Everyday Wildness 73 Biophilic Cities Provide Extensive Ecosystem Services 74 Biophilic Cities Are Resilient Cities 75 Biophilic Cities Are Healthy Cities 75 Repurposing Land, Making Room for Nature 76 Biophilic Cities Embrace Wildness in the City 76 The Importance of Horizontal and Vertical Nature(s) 77 Biophilic Cities Take a Whole-of-City Approach 78 Outside Lies Magic (in Cities) 79 Hiking the Biophilic City 80 Biophilic Cities Maximize Moments of Awe 81 Making Room for Other Forms of Life 82 Biophilic Cities Is About Humans Caring About Nature 84 Nature Is a Birthright: Toward Just Biophilic Cities 84 Biophilic Cities Support Landscape Conservation 86 Targets and Metrics 87 Some Key Conclusions 89 References 89 Chapter 6: Innovative Biophilic Design and Planning: From Rooftop to Neighborhood to City 92 Building- and Site-Scale Biophilic Innovations 93 Biophilic Design at the Neighborhood Level 97 Citywide Biophilic Planning Innovations 102 How Do Biophilic Cities Work Nature into Their Plans? 104 Biophilic Implementation Tools: Codes, Programs, and Initiatives 107 Connecting Cities to Continental-Scale Conservation Visions 109 Some Key Conclusions 111 References 111 Chapter 7: The Choice 114 The LA River Story 114 The Stakes 117 The Choice 119 Challenges in Making the Biophilic Choice 120 Concerns About the Cost of Biophilic Design and Planning 120 The Relevance of Biophilic Design and Planning to the Global South 120 Avoiding Eco-gentrification 121 Smart Cities vs./and Biophilic Cities 122 Future of Urban Nature-Hybrids 122 The Indoor-Outdoor Conundrum 123 Cities Working on Behalf of Global Nature 123 What You Can Do 124 The Urgency of Now 125 Parting Thoughts 125 References 126 Index 128 Front Matter ....Pages i-xi The Urban Century (Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley)....Pages 1-9 Cities as Quintessentially Human (Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley)....Pages 11-22 Cities as Inhumane: The Urban Health Penalty (Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley)....Pages 23-39 Nature as a Solution (Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley)....Pages 41-61 Biophilic Cities: Vision and Emerging Principles (Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley)....Pages 63-85 Innovative Biophilic Design and Planning: From Rooftop to Neighborhood to City (Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley)....Pages 87-108 The Choice (Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley)....Pages 109-122 Back Matter ....Pages 123-124