Focal Areas
FOCAL AREA :: ECOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE The science of ecology is still a relatively recent addition to the diverse set of approaches used in the study of cities. In our Department, we focus on applying landscape ecology and conservation biology to the strategic design of urban infrastructure. What this means is that we look for ways to structure and guide the flows of organisms, materials, and energy that pass through a city in ways that support the characteristic biodiversity of a region. |
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This represents a fundamental change in the priorities for urban infrastructure, although it continues to encompass the early-20th Century urban goals of enhancing the health, safety and welfare of humans. As researchers have learned more about urban ecology, we have recognized that human health is intimately connected to the health of other species in a region. Similarly, the safety and welfare of humans is dependent on the sustainability of our built environment. Together, these insights have led to an increasing focus in urban design on building “sustainable infrastructure,” which must make sense in terms of its long-term social and environmental costs as well as in its short-term capital costs. |
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In
the Seattle region, our studies of ecological infrastructure have
brought ecological reasoning to bear on the design of stormwater
drainage strategies at multiple scales, from site to city; to
the design of sidewalk networks in urban neighborhoods that encourage
walking; to the design of public park systems; and to the design
of public transit systems, such as the Seattle Monorail. Our
approach incorporates the approach of Landscape Urbanism, in
which we consider the self-organizing capacity of biological
systems as one of the most important tools designers can use
to develop ecological infrastructure at the scale of a city and
region. Classes and projects that address ecological
infrastructure: |
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