Designing The 21st Century City in Nature;

Prospects for a High(er) Density Urbanism

Caroline Stalker
Cities Are THE Global Issue
Population growth and rapid
urbanization mean we need to create
the equivalent of one new city of one
million people every 5 days between
now and 2050.
(source: The Anthropocene Journal)
How we continue to modify natural systems in cities will be
fundamental to survival: design is pivotal

So why are we still designing 20th century cities?

The City versus Nature
Long drives in air-conditioned cars from large air-conditioned homes to air-
conditioned workplaces………………
“…reconnection to the natural world is fundamental to human health, well-being, spirit, and survival.”
Richard Louv, The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder:
How do you do that in high
density?
Definition of green+blue infrastructure
‘Natural or semi-natural networks of green (soil covered or
vegetated) and blue (water covered) spaces and corridors that
maintain and enhance ecosystem services’

NAUMANN S, DAVIS M, KAPHENGST T, PIETERSE M, RATMENT M (2011) DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION & COST ELEMENTS OF GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, FINAL REPORT TO THE EU COMMISSION (ECOLOGIC INSTITUTE AND GHK CONSULTING)
Arup City Water Resilience Framework
Urbanism in the ‘torrid’ zone - torrid: weather, intensity of urbanization.
“Torrid zones” are special, and important.
40% of the world’s population live in
the tropics. By 2050, it will be over
50%

Tropics the most bio-diverse region

on Earth, hosting about 80% of the
planet’s terrestrial species and over
95% of its corals and mangroves
Source: State of the Tropics Report
2015
 Rapid pace of urbanization…………

Many of the world’s fastest growing cities are in the tropics and subtropics
 Architectus, Brisbane

Architectus, Brisbane

WOHA, Singapore

Tropics and subtropics are fantastic places to make 21st century ecological cities:
CLIMATE WATER VEGETATION
Climate comparisons;
Mumbai, Brisbane,
Hong Kong,
Guangzhou
Water a resource; with climate change flood, drought – resilience key
Vegetation can grow profusely in
tropical and subtropical climates;
coolness, ecology, water, air,
human health
How to make subtropical and tropical green cities at higher densities?
Transport is fundamental, but we need L.O.D as well as T.O.D.
In tropics and subtropics more sense to create linear neighbourhoods
organised around transport and ecological/water and landscape corridors
Architectus project
Will the driverless car make it possible to recapture urban green and manage water?
Architectus
 Brisbane - we are
consolidating –
higher densities -
how can we rebuild
natural systems at
the same time?

BCC CCMP 50 new

towers in 20 years

Reinvest informal/modified inner city ecology into high rise? Habitat,

green, small spaces, canopy
Porous urban mesh in plan Patchwork of green Seams of green
and section (backyards, parks and (watershed and ecological
treed streets) corridors)
Architectus
Model ‘porous green’ high rise

Architectus
Connect green
on the ground

Architectus
Sky gardens, garden
rooms, green
meeting spaces,
apartment gardens,
green terraces

Architectus
BCC CCMP 50 new towers over 20 years – hypothetical sites mapped to demonstrate transformative impacts
Architectus
Brisbane streets 21m wide Brisbane City Council City Centre Master Plan
‘Buildings that Breathe’
Design projects over several years – more porous, open and green
ground plane, public and semi public areas - series of ‘types’.
Architectus
Cool shady retreat – stepped levels for entries – ‘Urban undercroft’

porous to breezes and raingardens Architectus

 Subtropical Loggia
Deep shaded occupied edges for west and east facing
buildings Architectus
The ‘biophilic’ aspects have to have tangible value –– usable gardens, indoor outdoor spaces
designed for climate, filtering water that are commercially viable, valued.
Brisbane ground plane now Effect of 50 subtropical building bases over 20 years
443 Queen St Brisbane
Architects: WOHA and Architectus
443 Queen St Brisbane
Architects: WOHA and Architectus
Implementation - Singapore world leaders in making biophilic cities
Vancouver
- Sustained initiatives,
‘branding’ and
commitment to being an
ecological city
- Unique series of
leaders with planning
backgrounds
-Unique combination of
history, geography,
culture and politics
 Ecological cities in Australia ……. utopian?
• Era of:
• small government struggling to keep up with basic service provision
• political volatility, less leadership stability
• no frameworks for incredible complexity of city making
• inconsistent policy settings across scales and jurisdictions
• Need robust strategies that can survive this

Ecological Utopia for Paris Proposed by Vincent Callebaut

Vision of Singapore by WOHA
Visions of Paris by Roland Castro
This is the city we get from siloed practice
ROADS

BUILDER
/DEVELO
PER

LAND
PACKAGES

LAND
USE

ARCHITECT

LANDSCAPE

Fragmented city
 COMMUNITIES
STAKEHOLDERS
POLITICS
ARCHITECT
LANDSCAPE

ECONOMIST

ENGINEERING
DISCIPLINES

CITY COLLABORATION
PLANNER

ENVIRONMENT

SYNTHESISE
COMPLEXITY
DESIGN!

Complexity needs different approaches and tools

Design as a platform for collaboration
Arup
BUT STILL NEEDS TO BE ROBUST
Robust strategies and integrated thinking across sectors, across
scales
Introduction
Meaningful
Infrastructure
Ulsoor Lake, Bangalore

• Retrofitting
polluted lake
• Physically
reconnecting to
high density city
as a resource
• Private developer
driven strategy
A holistic and lasting approach to transform Ulsoor lake

4 key moves for enduring transformation

1. clean the lake 2. Reactivate the lake 3. Connect the lake to the city 4. Engagement and governance
The source of the pollution lies within the Unlocking the potential of the spaces Ulsoor lake currently is disconnected from Key to the success of the overall strategy is
dense urban catchment. The strategy sets surrounding the lake with new interventions the thriving urban realm around it. The building support with the local community in
out a series of sequential measures that into the landscape and lakeside edge, Ulsoor strategy creates bold moves to remove calibration with the organisations charged with
work in tandem towards the vision of a lake can once again form an active heart of the barriers and prioritise the movement of its maintenance and curation. The success of
that once again provides a potable water local community with capacity to provide for people over cars. Interventions along streets the new spaces and the water quality strategy
source for Bangalore. a broad range of existing and new public and the extensive nalah network will form a relies in part on behavioural change within the
uses. green infrastructure strategy for the city. catchment, supported by some of the specific
initiatives in the 20 projects by 2020
programme.
Clean the lake

Project intercept Community toilets Project connect

Ulsoor lake Skimmers Project Aerate Continuous wetland treatment

Reactivate the lake
.
The Promenade, providing a continuous route away from traffic and close to the water and nature
Ulsoor Gardens with terraces giving access to the water
Ulsoor Lake, Bangalore
In process of delivery – the value of the infrastructure –
Queen Elizabeth Park , London – value of the property
around
Surfers Paradise North of Surfers; ear marked for
. higher density, but vulnerable to
sea level rise
.
 2017: light rail, walking
catchments, employment, retail

Gold Coast Climate 2100: inundation

Resilience Proposal
 2037 Gold Line
light rail extended

2047 Green Line

manage water’s edge
Gold Coast Climate
Resilience Proposal
 2057 Sky Line
Linear high density city
form extended to north

Gold Coast Climate

Resilience Proposal
 Gold Line

Green Line

Skyline
Gold + Green + Sky Line
• Complete the linear city of high
density villages

• Reinforce waterfront as
destination whilst protecting land
behind from sea level rise

• Urban framework to integrate

public and private benefits –
mutual dependence
Resilience:
Integrated framework for:
-civil
-water
-architecture
-planning
-economics
-transport
-property
-community
-density

Waterfront – social/economic value

enhanced whilst protective
structure created

Interdependencies require
integrated implementation and
thinking
Creating the 21st century higher density city in nature
• Integrated, connected up thinking across disciplines and deliverers is
critical: water, green, property, transport, architecture, planning,
implementation , community
• Meaningful infrastructure – understanding the people and city shaping
value – link to commercial nous in era of small government
• THE challenge of 21st C city making