Architects form the University of British Columbia are calling on cities to "go wild" -- mainly by integrating ecological features into the cityscape to make it more self-contained. The result would be both sustainable and exciting, they say.
"Their proposal is based on seven tenets that run the gamut from buildings that multitask as homes, offices, farms and reefs to facades reshaped with warps, folds and hollows."
"The hypothetical result of this schematic approach, say Fujita and Soules, is a future city that's not only ecologically self-contained, but also much more exciting to live in."
"The EcoMet tenets can be applied to any generic modern metropolis, but use Vancouver as a laboratory and inspiration, partly because Fujita and Soules live and work here. The city also has plenty of raw material close by, what with all the stray coyotes and nearby marine life."
"What's more -- and there's no polite way to put this -- Vancouver could really use the help: it has become an architectural monoculture, the urban equivalent of a tree farm."
FULL STORY: Is Your City Boring? Make It Wild

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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