8.2 Urban systems and urban planning

• Biotic components: plants, animals, life forms

• Abiotic components: soil, water, air, climate, topography

• Built-up area with high population density

• Buildings and infrastructure

• Cities, towns, suburbs

• Buildings, microclimate, transport, goods/services

• Power/energy, water/sewage, humans, plants, animals

• Population shift from rural to urban areas

• Land becomes more built-up and industrialized

• Greater proportion now live in urban systems

• Push-pull factors, forced vs. voluntary

• Movement from dense central to lower-density peripheral areas

• Urban sprawl

• Loss of agricultural land, forests, ecosystems

• Water quality changes, river flow changes, air pollution

• Decide best land and building use

• Meet stakeholder needs: physical, domestic, environmental, commercial

• Quality housing, public transport, green spaces

• Renewable resources, waste recycling, energy efficiency

• Treats urban system as ecosystem

• Urban ecology: green spaces, wildlife habitats

• Urban farming: beekeeping, horticulture, city farms

• Biophilic design: green walls/roofs, water features, natural light

• Resilience planning: vertical farming, flood-adaptive building

• Regenerative architecture: air-scrubbing building skins, energy export