ORIGIN OF THE BIOSPHERE ECO-CITY (BEC) APPROACH – A Story Inspired by Biosphere Reserves In 20 years of coordinating Canada’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs), J learned about sustainability from many people. BRs are outstanding examples of the world’s terrestrial and coastal ecosystems. Managers promote sustainable development in BRs. When UNESCO began looking for an […]
Malmo, Sweden, a planned city. Photo: Metropolitaneando on Pixabay Most of the world’s cities do not have enough resources to become sustainable through planning alone There has been remarkable progress in sustainable city planning. Beginning in Curitiba, Brazil, the movement has spread worldwide. Yet making a city sustainable through planning is not easy. It requires […]
Many international initiatives address sustainability. They also share goals of engaging people and improving quality of Life. For these reasons, BEC can complement many of them. For example: The Mega-Cities Project builds relationships to transform cities. A BEC approach could support Mega-Cities goals for sustainability and well-being. Placemaking and the Future of Cities (pps.org) builds […]
Potential benefits of BEC are quality of life, urban-rural balance, local conservation and global sustainability The benefits of BEC are both human and environmental. They are: Quality of Life Market in Paris, France. Photo: J. Birtch Life improves for people in urban and rural parts of a Biosphere Eco-City, as negative environmental impacts (generally human-created) […]
Enterprise means “willingness to venture, undertake a bold venture, use energy and initiative” (Webster and Oxford Dictionaries). We need enterprise in order to create innovative solutions to issues of sustainability. Governments and universities encourage this Innovation. But a top-down approach misses a broad source of innovative ideas. Any city has untapped potential in its people […]
Human capital can increase sustainability where planning systems are weak, and where they are strong. Human Capital is the energy and ideas of people. It is innovative and the basis of cultural change. With guidance, Human Capital could increase sustainability where planning systems are weak, and also where they are strong. Here are two examples […]
WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability means using only the resources we need to fulfil our needs, and leaving the rest for nature and future generations to use. WHY WE NEED SUSTAINABILITY To solve current problems and ensure a good future We need sustainability to solve current problems and to ensure a good future. Humans lived sustainably […]
BEC can help people decide where to put their efforts, adapt to new conditions, and create action agendas. The need for climate action is urgent! Yet the other sustainability issues cannot be ignored – especially the biodiversity crisis, and unrelenting pressure on natural resources on land and in water. The natural world is holistic and […]
Sustainability is the Environment with People Sustainability addresses the environment and people together, with a goal of achieving harmony. We care about the environment, and we can respect the Deep Ecologists (read Arne Naess). But we want benefits for people too. Every BEC Theme has a human element. This includes even the Theme of Habitat, […]
Sustainable cities reduce urban impacts, export ideas of sustainability worldwide, and improve quality of life. BEC focuses on cities for three reasons: Reduce environmental footprints of cities – Inflow of resources, outflow of impacts (waste, pollution etc.) from an urban area, including urban expansion, can affect much of the countryside. Reducing negative outflows could reduce […]
