Ecological Urban Planning (HL) (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Ecological Urban Planning

Key principles of ecological urban planning

1. Urban compactness

• Encourages the development of dense urban areas where housing, jobs, schools, and services are close together

• Reduces urban sprawl

• Minimises the need for long-distance travel

  • This encourages walking and cycling

• Compact designs often reduce infrastructure costs

  • This is because fewer roads and utilities need to be extended to distant areas

2. Mixed land use

• Combines residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational spaces within the same neighbourhoods

  • This reduces the need for long commutes by ensuring essential services are located nearby

• Increases economic opportunities by increasing foot traffic for local businesses

• Creates a more vibrant community environment by encouraging diverse activities in a single area

3. Social mix practices

• Aims to ensure neighbourhoods are inclusive of people from different:

  • Income groups

  • Backgrounds

  • Social classes

• Helps reduce social segregation

  • Leads to greater social equality in access to services and opportunities

• Ensures all residents have equal access to green spaces, schools, healthcare, and transport

Sustainable advantages of ecological urban planning

• Reduced urban sprawl:

  • Compact development limits spread of cities into rural and natural areas

    • Helps conserve forests, wetlands, and farmlands

    • These ecosystems are critical for biodiversity and carbon storage

  • Reduces the environmental impact and economic cost of creating new infrastructure

    • E.g. building roads and utilities in remote areas

• Less car dependency:

  • Compact urban areas enable people to use public transport, walk, or cycle instead of driving

    • This reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution caused by vehicles

    • E.g. in Copenhagen (Denmark) over 60% of residents commute by bike, reducing traffic and emissions

• Reduced energy consumption:

  • Dense housing requires less energy for heating and cooling due to shared walls and smaller surface areas

  • Walkable cities lower the energy needed for transport

• Improved public transport:

  • High population density makes public transport systems efficient and widely used

  • Reduces congestion

  • Provides affordable travel options for all income levels

    • E.g. Curitiba (Brazil) has implemented a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that efficiently serves a large population

• Increased accessibility:

  • Residents can easily access schools, healthcare, jobs, and recreational areas

  • Improves access for vulnerable populations e.g. the elderly and disabled

• Social equality and environmental justice:

  • Ecological urban planning ensures all communities have access to green spaces

  • This prevents environmental injustices

    • E.g. locating industrial zones or waste disposal sites near lower-income communities

    • This can often result in lower-income groups being excluded from green spaces

  • Improves mental and physical health by integrating parks and recreation areas into urban environments