Community Case Studies
Sustainable Urbanism: Vision and Planning Process Through an Examination of Two Model Neighborhood Developments
Eirini Kasioumi, Berkeley Planning Journal
The emergence of the concept of “sustainable development” has provoked an interesting discussion about the physical, technological, and socioeconomic attributes of the sustainable city, but less has been said about the role of planning in achieving them. This paper explores the planning processes underlying two new neighborhood developments broadly regarded as exemplary sustainable districts: Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm, Sweden, and Quartier Vauban in Freiburg, Germany.
Biophilic Cities Are Sustainable, Resilient Cities
Timothy Beatley and Peter Newman, MDPI Sustainability Journal
There is a growing recognition of the need for daily contact with nature, to live happy, productive, meaningful lives. Recent attention to biophilic design among architects and designers acknowledges this power of nature. However, in an increasingly urban planet, more attention needs to be aimed at the urban scales, at planning for and moving towards what the authors call “biophilic cities”. Biophilic cities are cities that provide close and daily contact with nature, nearby nature, but also seek to foster an awareness of and caring for this nature. Biophilic cities, it is argued here, are also sustainable and resilient cities.
Biophilic Cities and Health
Sarah Milliken, Benz Koten, Sonali Walimbe, Christopher Coutts, & Timothy Beatley; Cities & Health Volume 7 Issue 2
Biophilic design emerged at the beginning of the twenty-first century as an integral part of restorative environmental design, an approach that seeks to re-establish positive connections between nature and humanity in the built environment by minimizing damage to natural systems and human health (low environmental impact design), and by fostering positive experiences of nature in order to enrich the human mind, body and spirit (biophilic design) (Kellert Citation2005).