Frontiers in Social–Ecological Urbanism

Abstract

This paper describes a new approach in urban ecological design, referred to as social–ecological urbanism (SEU). It draws from research in resilience thinking and space syntax in the analysis of relationships between urban processes and urban form at the microlevel of cities, where social and ecological services are directly experienced by urban dwellers. The paper elaborates on three types of media for urban designers to intervene in urban systems, including urban form, institutions, and discourse, that together function as a significant enabler of urban change. The paper ends by presenting four future research frontiers with a potential to advance the field of social–ecological urbanism: (1) urban density and critical biodiversity thresholds, (2) human and non-human movement in urban space, (3) the retrofitting of urban design, and (4) reversing the trend of urban ecological illiteracy through affordance designs that connect people with nature and with each other.

Computer-Aided Greenery Design—Prototype Green Structure Improving Human Health in Urban Ecosystem

“…These findings give the direction of research inquiries and architectural practices experimentation toward enhancing relationships with nature in cities and developing new typologies of designing with greenery such as ecological urbanism, biophilic urbanism, or landscape urbanism [16][17][18]. Urban forests and parks are considered key elements of the urban green infrastructure that deliver multiple health services; thus access to green spaces should inform urban policies and planning decisions [19].…”

Addressing the sustainable urbanism paradox: tipping points for the operational reconciliation of dense and green morphologies.

“…The global increasing proportion of MFR in newly-built housing in western countries (e.g. in France in 2021, a twice higher rate than for individual housing) just like in most southern emerging countries, could be an opportunity to implement sustainable urbanism, but operational guidelines for urban forms with data-based evaluation of the sustainability-liveability balance are lacking 37 . The paradox of sustainable and ecological urbanism lies in the delicate balance between densification (i.e.…”

“…In the current state of knowledge, reconciling density (FAR) (Floor Area Ratio i.e the ratio between total floor area and plot area 43 ) with greening remains elusive 44 . The lack of systemic studies of urban morphology and environmental benefits has been highlighted 37 and calls for the study of fine morphological metrics and mediating variables to be related to scale and context 39 . Among the urban form metrics, open space ratio (OSR, defined as the ratio of unbuilt open spaces area to the total floor area built) has recently been suggested as a potential indicator for identifying tipping points related to biodiversity and ecosystem services capacity 37 as this metric encompasses both open spaces supply and the potential pressures they face.…”

“…The lack of systemic studies of urban morphology and environmental benefits has been highlighted 37 and calls for the study of fine morphological metrics and mediating variables to be related to scale and context 39 . Among the urban form metrics, open space ratio (OSR, defined as the ratio of unbuilt open spaces area to the total floor area built) has recently been suggested as a potential indicator for identifying tipping points related to biodiversity and ecosystem services capacity 37 as this metric encompasses both open spaces supply and the potential pressures they face. Showing the existence of "qualitative density" tipping points in the balance between open spaces and floor area would be critical for guiding cities within safe operating urbanism practices through effective regulatory requirements.…”

Editorial: Social-ecological urbanism: Developing discourse, institutions and urban form for the design of resilient social-ecological systems in cities

“…SEU is increasingly used by researchers to improve resilience in the urban built environment. The approach is positioned at the interface of urban ecology and urban design (Marcus and Colding, 2014;Colding et al, 2022). It points out how resilience in interlinked social and ecological urban systems can be addressed through informed design of institutions and urban form, both shaped by urban discourse.…”