Building the Ecological City

Front Cover
CRC Press, 2002 M03 5 - 238 pages
Our cities are plagued by problems of congestion, waste, and pollution that deplete natural resources, damage the environment, and reduce the quality of life for their citizens. The irony is, as this fascinating new study shows, it doesn’t have to be like this. Building the Ecological City describes the problems we face and puts forward solutions to the question – how can we build cities that provide an acceptable standard of living for their inhabitants without depleting the ecosystems and bio-geochemical cycles on which they depend?

The book suggests and examines the concept of urban metabolism which characterizes the city as a set of interlinked systems of physical flows linking air, land, and water. A series of chapters looks at the production and management of waste, energy use and air emissions, water supply and management, urban land use, and air quality issues. Within the broader context of climate change, the book then considers a range of practical strategies for restoring the health of urban ecosystems from the remediation of ‘brownfield’ land to improving air quality and making better use of water resources.

A major contribution to better urban management and planning for both citizens and the environment, Building the Ecological City is an invaluable sourcebook for urban and national planners, architects, and environmental agencies.

From inside the book

Contents

Cities for the new millennium
3
It isnt waste until you waste it
31
Cities and the hydrological cycle
64
whats gone wrong?
77
2
83
4
91
The air we breathe and the climate we are changing
97
The water we use and abuse
114
Clearing the air
147
Water our most precious resource
165
International issues
181
Do we have the means to build the ecological city?
194
Charter of European Cities and Towns Towards
209
Final Nagoya Declaration
215
signatories to the Kyoto
219
Index
231

Restoring urban land to productive use
131

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