ABSTRACT
Growing Urbanism is a vision for a new urban ecology that explores the intersection of humans, nature, and technology, and imagines how the holistic reconceptualization of their relationship might assist cities to become living ecosystems composed of biological urban structures. Growing Urbanism honors the idiosyncrasies of every ecosystem and contends that cities can only become thriving ecological environments when they acknowledge their local natural context. It establishes interconnected water, energy, waste, and nutrient cycles by recognizing and capitalizing on the distinct characteristics and resources of the three urban districts: Dense City, Tidal City, and Water City. Environmental capitalism adds natural capital to labor, land, goods, and finances as a criteria used in the evaluation of economic health. Based on the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the Department of Energy monitors the deployment of smart-grid technology in the US nationwide. Urban agricultural landscapes are an example of a Growing Urbanism soft system.
