ABSTRACT

Earth’s ecosystems–communities of living organisms and their non-living environments (air, water, earth)–provide everything needed for life on the planet, from clean air and water to food, fuel, medicines, building materials, carbon capture and pollination. A sustainable ecosystem recycles discarded matter and replenishes resources: one species’ waste is another’s food. Climate regulation is one crucial service of global ecosytems: CO2 controls the earth’s temperature and terrestrial ecosystems act as a carbon ‘sink’, sequestering greenhouse gases. Indigenous populations have adapted to their climate and geographical regions with long-lasting, vernacular building responses. There are many obvious benefits to well-designed, high-density development: efficiencies in transportation and costly infrastructure, reduced energy consumption and land loss. Buildings release their internal heat and the sun warms the city, which is enveloped in a bubble of trapped warm air: this is the urban heat island (UHI) effect. UHI means urban temperatures are higher than rural ones, and cities have more cloud cover and precipitation than the countryside.