BIOURBANISM – A MODEL FOR DESIGNING CLIMATE RESILIENT CITIES

Abstract

Adrian McGregor argues for a paradigm shift from current thinking and practice in favour of a bio-urbanism approach to the planning and design of cities in order to make them more resilient and liveable. His approach is both evidence-based, backed up by data, and creative and philosophical. This article summaries the key issues, principles and strategies that are required and offers examples.

About the Author

Adrian McGregor is the Founder and Chief Design Officer at McGregor Coxall, a biolab-led urban design, landscape architecture and environment firm located in Australia and the UK. He is the author of Biourbanism – Cities as Nature. Practising globally, he is a bio-urbanist and landscape architect and is Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra. Nominated as one of Sydney’s 100 most creative people, he has helped the firm receive more than 200 international design awards including the Prime Minister of Australia’s Award for Urban Design.

Contact: T +61 (02) 9188 7500 and https://mcgregorcoxall.com

See Linkedin: @Biourbanism page and @mcgregorcoxall page

Preface

The biourbanism model is founded on landscape architecture and ecological science and is set out in in the author’s book titled: “Biourbanism – Cities as Nature” /1. Already in 1969, Ian McHarg in his seminal opus “Design with Nature” proposed an ecological design approach to urban planning, landscape architecture and urban design where natural systems are paramount and cities are seen as subservient to, not dominating or destructive of, nature. Fifty-five years later we continue to see massive destruction of the natural environment as cities grow at an exponential rate and scale with commensurate impacts such as the climate emergency. Adrian McGregor calls for the planning and design of cities to not merely respond to nature but to actually be viewed as nature – biocities with living and dynamic systems inextricably linked to the planet’s ecosystems. In this way, he argues, cities can be made resilient. They can be the solution to the natural crises besetting us worldwide and not just the problem. Adrian McGregor, in his book, defines resilience as “the capacity for renewal, reorganisation and development when redesigning for a sustainable future.”    

Raeburn Chapman, Editor, Urban Design Review

Article

In the face of unprecedented urbanization and the looming threat of climate change, cities around the world are seeking innovative solutions to ensure their prosperity. One such solution gaining traction is Biourbanism – a holistic model for designing cities that are not just resilient to climate change but thrive in harmony with nature /2.

Founded on landscape architecture, urban design and ecological sciences, Biourbanism is a nature-centric city planning model that assists mayors, city leaders, planners and designers create healthier, more climate resilient cities.

It challenges the traditional notion of cities as separate entities from nature. Instead, the research-led model asserts that cities must be considered a form of nature, or anthrome /3.

This shift in perspective is crucial, especially as we grapple with the reality of the Anthropocene – an era defined by humanity’s profound impact on the planet.

 

The world’s 10,000+ cities now emit more than 75% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, making them hotspots for environmental degradation and vulnerability to climate-related disasters.

With over 70% of the world’s population living in urban areas, cities are both the cause and solution to the climate crisis.

Biourbanism proposes a paradigm shift in urban design thinking, emphasizing the interconnectedness of various systems within cities.

It identifies ten key systems – five bio (life-supporting) and five urban (non-living) – that are essential for the health, prosperity, and resilience of cities.

These systems include citizens, food, landscape, water, waste, economy, energy, infrastructure, mobility, and technology.

Implementing the model allows designers, planners, and governments to take a holistic view of cities to manage the intricate interplay between these ten systems. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital twins and geospatial analysis, city planners and urban and landscape designers can develop evidence-based strategies to address complex urban challenges.

Through a series of resilience indicators and targets, championed through data and evidence-based design, planners and governments can quantify constraints and create strategies that respond accordingly.  The Biourbanism Resilience Action Plan facilitates the creation of evidence-based policies that can be measured over time to support a city vision.

Harnessing the power of digital twins /4, cities can anticipate and respond to emerging threats, such as extreme weather events and resource scarcity. Virtual replicas of physical cities linked to real-time data, digital twins enable stakeholders to simulate and visualize the impact of various interventions, from infrastructure projects to policy changes.

 

 

Case Study 1: Bristol Climate Resilience Strategy

The city of Bristol in the UK is dealing with increased environmental pressures including ecological decline, poor air quality, more frequent flooding events and the wider impacts of climate change.

Recently McGregor Coxall’s Lab was commissioned to develop a Climate Resilience Strategy and Delivery Plan across the Bristol City Council Property Estate. Bristol City Council’s Estate totaled almost 4747 ha, comprising six distinct spatial typologies, and was fragmented across over 1600 individual land ownership boundaries.

The Strategy and Delivery Plan uses urban science as an evidence base to anticipate, plan for, respond to and recover from shocks and stresses caused by the climate emergency.

Utilising a city digital twin developed by McGregor Coxall, the strategy makes recommendations for the future planning, design, construction and operation of the property estate.

 

The body of knowledge generated through this project, so far, allows Bristol City Council to initiate the process of identifying where “at-risk” city-wide natural and built-environment assets lie within their holdings.

This strategic knowledge and understanding of the city has translated into McGregor Coxall currently designing ten key development sites within Bristol spanning the city centre, post-industrial sites, parks and waterfronts. All aiming to improving the city’s resilience through the biourbanism platform and philosophy.

 

Case Study 2: Sydney’s Campbelltown City Centre

Over the past five years, McGregor Coxall have undertaken strategic studies such as Sydney Green Grid: Tool Kit, where models have allowed the lab to diagnose acute issues impacting the planning and growth of city districts.

Taking that city wide scale thinking to the masterplan level, McGregor Coxall were engaged by Campbelltown City Council to further develop the “Reimagining Campbelltown City Centre,” including the delivery of a data-driven urban management platform that visualises key liveability and resilience indices in real time: a 3D model of the city centre that provides a live visual perspective of proposed developments.

 

Concept: Sydney Mega Park

Sydney is projected to become a megacity by 2070. To support its ongoing livability, McGregor Coxall have proposed that a new Mega Park of regional proportions be created. The proposal creates a new 1,000-kilometre ring of open space that unites the disparately managed parks and waterways of the Sydney Basin into a world-class urban park. This shows that a scientific, data-driven approach to urban design does not rule out creative ideas.

 Conclusion

This environmental interrogation of a place and its systems has translated into delivered city schemes that rebalance humanities’ relationship with nature. By embracing this model, cities can not only mitigate the impacts of climate change but thrive well into the future.

Acknowledgements

McGregor Coxall is an international design firm with studios in Australia and the UK. We are a global collective of innovators committed to shaping prosperous cities and environments. Interdisciplinary design is our DNA, research is our validation, humanity is our motivation and environmental regeneration our resolve. Our global team provides services through the Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Environment and Biourbanism Lab disciplines. Embracing leading digital technologies, we deliver design solutions for complex urban and environmental challenges.

Notes & References

1. Adrian McGregor. Biourbanism: Cities as Nature. A resilience model for anthromes. Biourbanism Publishing Pty Ltd, October 2022. ISBN: 978-0-646-85316-1

2. Biourbanism is a system-based model for creating prosperous, resilient cities that frame them as anthromes, that is, as part of nature (Adrian McGregor).

3. Anthromes, also known as Anthropogenic Biomes, or Human Biomes, are the globally significant ecological patterns shaped by sustained direct interactions between people and ecosystems, including urban, village, cropland, rangeland and cultural anthromes. https://anthroecology.org>anthromes

4. Digital Twins: A digital twin is a 3D digital model of an intended or actual real-world city, a data-driven urban management platform that visualises key liveability and resilience indices in real time. It provides a live visual perspective of proposed developments, scenario planning and impact assessments.