Keeping the Urban Jungle Alive
As humanity becomes more of an urban species, more nature-centric urban planning approaches will be needed to help mitigate the impact of growing cities on our planet.
Growing urban centres have become the ultimate and most visible example of the impact we have on the planet - places made by and for humans alone: Anthropocities.
Rampant urbanisation is taking its toll on ecosystems, biodiversity and human health. Estimates suggest that cities are responsible for 75 percent of global CO2 emissions, with transport and buildings being among the largest contributors. At the same time, cities are facing new threats from climate change, ranging from heat islands to flooding.
We cannot tackle these challenges without transforming the way we build and manage our cities, which is why urban planners are now increasingly approaching the city as a living ecosystem, in which the natural and the urban can coexist, become complementary and less mutually exclusive. Let’s explore this paradigm shift in the “natural” cities of tomorrow.
