Habitats for humanity: Why our cities need to be ecosystems, too

[xchrom]

http://grist.org/cities/habitats-for-humanity-why-our-cities-need-to-be-ecosystems-too/

?w=470&h=265&crop=1

The whole better-greener-more-awesome-cities movement has a problem: We haven’t found a good name for it. Sustainable cities! The term brings to mind such mundanity as energy audits and transit routes. Resilient cities! The notion requires us to consider, first, what horrible shit is coming down the pike. Carbon-neutral cities! Ugh. Don’t get me started on that one.

Enter University of Virginia urban and environmental planning professor Tim Beatley with the solution, FINALLY. Here he comes, with the delivery. Wait for it…

Biophilic cities.

Wait, come back! It’s better than it sounds! Biophilic cities are places where animals and plants and other wild things weave through our everyday lives. The name comes from “biophilia,” E.O. Wilson’s theory that humans have an innate connection to other living things, because we evolved alongside them. It’s futurism with a paleo twist: An effort to create human habitat that can also host a menagerie of wild creatures — and not just for their sake, but for ours.

The idea seems to be catching. In October, Beatley helped launch the Biophilic Cities Network, which includes eight cities worldwide, and there are more to come. “Reducing your emissions, hitting people over the head about turning the lights off — we need to do those things,” Beatley says. “But to motivate people I think we need that vision of where we want to go, not just how much less we want to consume of something.”

[hunter]

1. Very interesting...

... says me, living in a house covered with vines, living within a dense suburb a bike ride away from our small city's downtown.

All we need now is far fewer automobiles, more public transportation, and small shops we can walk to. This could be accomplished with zoning changes.

Building upon what you've already got is usually the best solution.

[cprise]

2. Cars can't possibly be compatible with this concept

if wild animals are to be an important part of a biophillic city.

Bikes should be no problem, though.

[hunter]

3. I've been to Yosemite Valley in the summer. It's a city.

And it would be much nicer without the cars.

I've also seen coyotes walking casually among the tourists there. Many tourists don't seem to realize they are not dogs.