Ecopolis Development Principles
by Paul F Downton
1. Restore Degraded Land
2. Fit the Bioregion
3. Balance Development
4. Create Compact Cities
5. Optimise Energy Performance
6. Contribute to the Economy
7. Provide Health and Safety
8. Encourage Community
9. Promote Social Justice and
Equity
10. Enrich History and Culture
Aim
The Ecopolis Development Principles seek to:
- Minimise Ecological Footprints (biophysical)
and
- Maximise Human Potential (human ecology).
in order to:
- Repair, replenish and support the processes that maintain life.
History
Initially drafted in association
with Chérie Hoyle and Emilis Prelgauskas, the Ecopolis
Development Principles (EDP) were intended to provide a clear
set of precepts for developing human settlement that restored,
rather than destroyed, ecological health.
In its first incarnation
there were 12 principles. The revised version here has 10 principles
divided into ‘biophysical’ and ‘biosocial’
groups - one being about minimising ecological footprints, the
other being about maximising human potential.
TEN PRINCIPLES
MINIMISE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS
1. Restore Degraded Land
Use urban development to restore the health and vitality of the land
Rehabilitate and maximise the ecological
health and potential of land as a consequence of the development
of human settlement.
- Clean-up contaminated land
- Heal degraded rural areas
- Re-establish native vegetation
- Encourage farming practices which
sustain ecological health
- Introduce green corridors of
native vegetation in rural and urban area
It is only
possible to make healthy places for humans by maintaining
the health of non-human habitats. (Hough 1995)
2. Fit the Bioregion
Create human settlements which work with the natural cycles
of the region
Conform to the parameters of the bioregion,
fit the landscape with the patterns of development which follow the
inherent form and limitations of the land, understood in socio-biophysical
terms.
- Maintain the natural cycles of water
and nutrients in the landscape
- Create buildings and urban form that
fit the landscape and respond to the climate
- Conserve water and recycle effluent
- Use locally produced building materials
as much as possible
- Respond to the culture of the region
- 're-habitation'
- Introduce green corridors of native vegetation
in rural and urban areas
…to become dwellers in the
land…the crucial and perhaps only all-encompassing task is to
understand place, the immediate specific place where we live…'
we need to appreciate 'the cultures of the people, of the populations
native to the land and of those who have grown up with it, the human
social and economic arrangements shaped by and adapted to the geomorphic
ones, in both urban and rural settings… (Sale 1991 p.42)
MINIMISE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS
3. Balance Development
Balance development with the ‘carrying capacity’ of the land
Balance the intensity of development against
the ecological carrying capacity of the land whilst protecting all viable
existing ecological features. Develop and enhance links between urban
and rural areas of an integrated city-region approach.
- Reduce the impact of the city on the
land beyond its boundaries (the 'ecological footprint')
- Encourage the diversity of land-use:
residential, commercial, recreational, educational, etc
- Develop urban food producing gardens
- Recognise the place of all living organisms
in the environment - urban design for non-human species
MINIMISE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS
4. Create Compact Cities
Reverse sprawl and stop ad-hoc development from consuming the
landscape
Develop human habitation at relatively high
density within inviolable green belts of natural or restored ecologically
viable landscape with the overall development density constrained by
ecological limits.
- Have clearly identifiable (but not 'hard')
boundaries for urban areas
- Provide for most daily needs within the
city
- Create 'walkable' cities and promote
non-motorised forms of transport
- Develop integrated transport networks
which minimise car use
- Access by proximity
- 3-dimensional built form
In living nature, the notion
of unlimited sprawl seems to be adopted by organisms at the lower
levels of evolution. (Soleri 1987 p.12)
MINIMISE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS
5. Optimise Energy Performance
Generate and use energy efficiently
Operate at low levels of energy consumption,
using renewable energy resources, local energy production and techniques
of resource reuse. All ecological development should seek to be energy
self-sufficient. The primary energy base for development should come
from renewable sources.
- Minimise energy consumption
- Use renewable energy of solar and wind
power
- Generate power locally
- Reduce fossil fuel consumption
- No nuclear power
- Design buildings with solar access and
natural ventilation
- Use effective insulation and 'thermal
mass' in buildings
- Climate responsive design
MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
6. Contribute to the Economy
Create work opportunities and promote
economic activity
Support and develop ecologically and socially
responsible economic activity. Materials and component manufacture should
be derived from, or be located in the local bioregion to the maximum
practicable extent. Finance for ecological development from ethical
sources, exclude financial support derived from exploitative activity.
Capital input to ecological development should be local and financial
structures should ensure that ownership and control ultimately rests
with the users and inhabitants of the development.
- Develop ecologically responsible industries
- Develop exportable "green technologies";
and services
- Create appropriate information technologies
- Provide incentives for innovation and
enterprise linked to ecologically responsible performance
MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
7. Provide Health and Security
Create healthy and safe environments for all people
Employ appropriate materials and spatial
organisation to create safe and healthy places for people to live, work
and play in the context of an ecologically resilient environment.
- Reduce pollution and promote environmental
quality
- Ensure a safe water supply, Recycle effluent,
Maintain clean air
- Provide food security - urban agriculture
- Provide habitat for animals and birds
The evidence we have all points in the
same direction: passers-by help in deterring crime. More visible neighbours
is better than fewer, good visual relations to the public domain is
better than seclusion. (Hillier and Shu 1999 p.6)
MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
8. Encourage Community
Cities are for everyone
Create cities with strong citizen
involvement - community participation, not just consultation.
The community should govern itself. Community needs must drive ecological
development. Ecological development must meet community requirements
including the community of life that is the eco-system.
- Create development as a community driven
process
- Ensure community involvement in public
administration and management
- Provide community facilities
…there is room for everybody in
the ecocity effort. It is not vicarious but participatory, not to
be dictated, but to be created in a million ways simultaneously from
the grassroots to the highest levels of planning and back down again,
with a role for each of us.(Register 1987 p.49)
MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
9. Promote Social Justice and Equity
Equal rights and access to services, facilities
and information
Employ economic and management structures
which embody principles of social justice and equity. Ensure equal rights
and access to essential services, facilities and information. Alleviate
poverty and create work opportunities.
- Involve all levels of the community in
development processes
- Provide affordable housing
- Public use of public space
- Direct democracy
What is interesting to note in the urban
context is that certain integrated land use and public transport policies
— assuming no other changes — can have an income and substitution
effects on the less well-off; for example, if a household does not
require two private motor vehicles to travel to work and engage in
other everyday activities of modern living, there is more money available
for, say, housing. (Hundloe & McDonald 1997 p.93)
MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
10. Enrich History and Culture
Respecting the past whilst looking to the
future
Maximise the value of previous worthwhile
human endeavour in terms of both heritage and manufactured artifacts.
- Restore and maintain cherished local
monuments and landmarks
- Identify and celebrate the spirit of
place
- Celebrate and encourage cultural diversity
- Respect indigenous peoples’ inhabitation
of the land
Diverse cultural and social groups
provide the basis for socially vital cities
Support and promote cultural diversity,
incorporating ecological awareness into all aspects of the making and
maintenance of human settlement. Art and craft should be integral to
both the construction and the operation of ecological development from
the individual site to the city and its region.
- The whole process of creating ecological
development and its subsequent operation requires education and skill
development.
- Develop culture by involving all aspects
of the arts including music, electronic media and technology
- Develop culture by integrating the arts
and sciences with both daily life and special events and occasions
- Promote ecological awareness as part
of cultural development
- Support community art and craft events,
fairs, fêtes and functions and develop festivities and
events which relate to the locality
- Encourage multicultural art and festivities
Spaces should be created for
cultural expressions, such as music, amateur theater, and the arts.
(Streeten 1997 p.204)
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