urban ecology

WOHA Architects – Buildings for high density tropical Garden Cities

WOHA is Singaporean architectural firm that aims to re-invent skyscrapers for dense urban living. Some of their influential projects are The Met Apartments in Bangkok, and the Singapore School of the Arts, and the Parkroyal on Pickering hotel in Singapore. School of the Arts, Singapore designed by WAHO. Photo by wikipedia user Katmorro. WOHA was founded in 1994 by architects Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell. It has designed projects [...]

Garry Peterson2016-12-12T13:55:18+00:00design, infrastructure, Technology, Urban, urban ecology|Comments Off

Restoration of Cheonggyecheon River

How can urban cities be renovated to provide opportunities for their residents to reconnect to nature? Cheonggyecheon river restoration project in Seoul replaced a highway with urban green spaces and a highly engineered river. The project opened in 2005 and has become popular place for people to visit in Seoul. The restoration of the Cheonggyecheon aimed to provide people with access to nature in the city as well as to revitalise downtown Seoul's culture and [...]

Garry Peterson2016-10-27T07:11:30+00:00transport system, Urban, urban ecology|Comments Off

Indian Bend Wash – Resilient Safe Fail Urban Green Infrastructure

How can infrastructure protect urban areas from extreme weather, while providing other benefits when weather is non-extreme? Indian Bend Wash in Scottsdale Arizona is a 17 km greenbelt that runs through the Phoenix metropolitan area in the SouthWest United States. It is "green infrastructure" designed to provide both flood protection and recreation. Indian Bend Wash is a historic floodplain, which was urbanized in the 20th century. In the late 1960s, development in the floodplain [...]

Garry Peterson2016-10-21T00:20:01+00:00infrastructure, United States, Urban, urban ecology|Comments Off

Urban Office/Urban Farm

Using urban farming to grow food and promote a beautiful work environment in central city

Garry Peterson2016-05-16T08:01:53+00:00business, Food, infrastructure, Technology, urban ecology|Comments Off

mySidewalk: internet enabled democracy

How can the networking power of the internet be used to leverage more representative democracy? Imagine having a simple, direct way of informing city planners and local decision-makers of your views about traffic, schools, parks, libraries and other issues that affect your life. What if sharing your opinion on municipal planning was as simple as going online? mySidewalk offers online forums for community engagement. All photos from mySidewalk.com [...]

Anna Kusmer2016-05-11T14:00:30+00:00Technology, United States, urban ecology|Comments Off

Makapads

How can reconfiguring small-scale industrial production enable a community to tap local ecosystems services sustainably to address social challenges? In Uganda, and in much of the developing world, when school-aged girls hit puberty, they are often forced to miss school during menstruation due to the inaccessibility of affordable sanitation products. Fifteen years ago Moses Musaazi, an engineering lecturer from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, was asked by social [...]

Megan Lindow2016-05-06T18:41:56+00:00business, health, sustainable living, urban ecology|Comments Off

Mandated Multi-functionality

Can mandated multi-functionality, supported by government at multiple scales, address multiple Anthropocene challenges while building social capital? Mandated multi-functionality is a concept being studied and implemented by researchers and partners in British Columbia, Canada developed through the Solutions Agenda Research Project. The general concept is to re-think spaces and land-use in ways that better accommodates multiple functions, and ultimately mandate the implementation of multi-functionality in communities. This can include interior spaces that [...]

ciararh2015-12-18T09:46:45+00:00infrastructure, Integrated social-environmental, Social-Ecological Seeds, sustainable living, transdisciplinary research, urban ecology|Comments Off

Cities for People

How can we turn individual urban improvement initiatives into systemic change to produce resilient, livable cities? Cities for People is an initiative based in Montreal, Canada that believes that like an ecosystem, a city’s strength and resilience depends on its ability to nurture the full diversity of its inhabitants and give them what they need not just to survive, but thrive. Cities for people has focussed on fostering collaboration, cross-pollinating [...]

Garry Peterson2015-10-20T18:47:12+00:00community, infrastructure, Social Seeds, sustainable living, urban ecology|Comments Off

Urban Designed Experiments

How can learning and experimentation improve urban sustainability? Urban Designed Experiments are projects that embed ecological research into urban design to study and shape buildings, landscapes, and the infrastructure of human settlements. Designed Experiments are a type of project rather than a specific project, and several have been conducted in the USA. They combine elements of adaptive management with landscape architecture and urban renewal to co-create new urban landscapes that are sustainable and human-friendly. The projects are adaptable, flexible and are based on connecting educational organizations, grassroots organizations, local Governments, and local Stakeholders. [...]

Garry Peterson2015-09-18T13:00:00+00:00infrastructure, Integrated social-environmental, transdisciplinary research, United States, Urban, urban ecology|Comments Off

Seeds are existing initiatives which hold potential to shape the future. They are likely not widespread nor well-known. They can be social initiatives, new technologies, economic tools, or social-ecological projects, or organisations, movements or new ways of acting that have that appear to be making a substantial contribution towards creating a future that is just, prosperous, and sustainable.

We gather seeds from diverse research disciplines, communities of practice, and individuals that have different world-views, values, and problems. This diversity means that not everyone will agree on the importance or value of every seed.