ABSTRACT
Is it a naive idea to think that cities could actually contribute to nature’s biodiversity and help build soils, tap into the renewable energy flows of sun, wind and water, and recycle other resources essentially forever? Or maybe the notion is the foundation for the only approach that makes any sense. Cities are the largest things human beings build, and cities may have the power to prevent further crises. But to get to such a strategy, of thriving, not just maintaining, in a deteriorating situation, we have to start our thinking there, not in reaction to anything. Better to create something actively good in the first place rather than respond to problems that urban design has created. Looking at cities in this frame of mind is crucial because ecologically informed urban design coincides with, and is in no way contrary to, the best solutions brought forward by an attempt at adaptation. Actions for building cities that solve the climate change problem at the root cause together with actions at the level of adaptation to what residuals of the problem remain open us up to the full spectrum of tactics for a strategy of thriving into the future.
