ABSTRACT
The ecological effect of urbanization is becoming an increasingly important research issue in the context of the rapid urban changes of Asian cities and regions. The urbanization processes usually create highly visible changes such as urban sprawl, or landscape fragmentation where large habitats or land areas get broken into small parcels and splintered shapes. The vegetated and agricultural landscapes are radically transformed by the built environment through the stock and flow of materials related to the construction industry. 1 How then do we minimize the utilization of land resources, diminish the environmental impact from the management of material flow, and maximize the ecological integrity in a context of urban growth and intensification of land development? How should urban planners and designers make better planning decisions of the extent, intensity and spatial configuration of the natural and built environments?
