Ebook: Ecopolis: Architecture and Cities for a Changing Climate
Author: Paul F Downton (auth.)
- Genre: Art // Design: Architecture
- Tags: Applied Ecology, Environmental Management, Architecture general, Climate Change, Urbanism
- Series: Future City 1
- Year: 2009
- Publisher: Springer Netherlands
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- pdf
From 2008, for the first time in human history, half of the world's population now live in cities. Yet despite a wealth of literature on green architecture and planning, there is to date no single book which draws together theory from the full range of disciplines – from architecture, planning and ecology – which we must come to grips with if we are to design future cities which are genuinely sustainable.
Paul Downton's Ecopolis takes a major step along this path. It highlights the urgent need to understand the role of cities as both agents of change and means of survival, at a time when climate change has finally grabbed world attention, and it provides a framework for designing cities that integrates knowledge – both academic and practical – from a range of relevant disciplines.
Identifying key theorists, practitioners, places and philosophies, the book provides a solid theoretical context which introduces the concept of urban fractals, and goes on to present a series of design and planning tools for achieving Sustainable Human Ecological Development (SHED). Combining knowledge from diverse fields to present a synthesis of urban ecology, the book will provide a valuable resource for students, researchers and practitioners in architecture, construction, planning, geography and the traditional life sciences.
Dr Paul Downton is a practising architect in Sempahore, Australia
A magnificent study. In an age where eco-has become the necessary prefix in urban design and building, Downton is a breath of fresh air. He speaks to the best within us and offers not only hope, but a blue-print for achieving sustainable communities that are in touch with people and place. Downton's Ecopolis represents both a vast theoretical knowledge (detailed particularly in a chapter entitled 'weavers of theory') but also the wizened experience of an architect who seeks to implement the ideas he advocates. Included in this volume are accounts of three projects Downton has personally been involved in. Written in the lineage of Christopher Alexander & Richard Register, Downton's Ecopolis is set to become a modern classic. Peter Burdon, University of Adelaide, School of Law