The Ecopolis Development Principles

Paul F Downton

Previously published in The Urban Ecology Newsletter 43 - August 2002

Also at: Ecopolis Architects: Ecopolis Development Principles

The Principles

Minimise Ecological Footprints

1. Restore Degraded Land

2. Fit the Bioregion

3. Balance Development

4. Create Compact Cities

5. Optimise Energy Performance

Maximise Human Potential

6. Contribute to the Economy

7. Provide Health and Security

8. Encourage Community

9. Promote Social Justice and Equity

10. Enrich History and Culture

History

Initially drafted in association with Chérie Hoyle and Emilis Prelgauskas, the Ecopolis Development Principles 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.

In order to repair, replenish and support the processes that maintain life, the Ecopolis Development Principles seek to: Minimise Ecological Footprints (biophysical) and Maximise Human Potential (human ecology).

Minimise Ecological Footprints

1. Restore Degraded Land

Use urban development to restore the health and vitality of the land

It is only possible to make healthy places for humans by maintaining the health of non-human habitats. (Hough 1995).

Rehabilitate and maximise the ecological health and potential of land as a consequence of the development of human settlement.

2. Fit the Bioregion

Create human settlements which work with the natural cycles of the region

…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).

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.

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.

4. Create Compact Cities

Reverse sprawl and stop ad-hoc development from consuming the landscape

In living nature, the notion of unlimited sprawl seems to be adopted by organisms at the lower levels of evolution. (Soleri 1987 p.12)

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.

5. Optimise Energy Performance

Generate & 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.

Maximise Human Potential

6. Contribute to the Economy

Create work opportunities & 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.

7. Provide Health and Security

Create healthy & safe environments for all people.

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 & Shu 1999 p.6)

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.

8. Encourage Community

Cities are for everyone.

…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)

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.

9. Promote Social Justice and Equity

Equal rights & access to services, facilities & information.

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)

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 & create work opportunities.

10. Enrich History and Culture

Respect the past whilst looking to the future.

Spaces should be created for cultural expressions, such as music, amateur theatre, and the arts. (Streeten 1997 p.204)

Maximise the value of previous worthwhile human endeavour in terms of both heritage and manufactured artifacts.

Diverse cultural & 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.

2007.2.8