Ecopolis Development Principles
by Paul F Downton
1. Restore Degraded Land
2. Fit the Bioregion
3. Balance Development
4. Create Compact Cities
5. Optimise Energy Performance
6. Contribute to the Economy
7. Provide Health and Safety
8. Encourage Community
9. Promote Social Justice and Equity
10. Enrich History and Culture
Aim
The Ecopolis Development Principles seek to:
- Minimise Ecological Footprints (biophysical)
and
- Maximise Human Potential (human ecology).
in order to:
- Repair, replenish and support the processes that maintain life.
Historyid="rhs"
Initially drafted in association with Chérie Hoyle and Emilis Prelgauskas, the Ecopolis Development
Principles (EDP) were intended to provide a clear set of precepts for developing human settlement that
restored,rather than destroyed, ecological health.
In its first incarnation there were 12 principles. The revised version here has 10 principles divided
into 'biophysical' and 'biosocial' groups - one being about minimising ecological
footprints, the other being about maximising human potential.
TEN PRINCIPLES
MINIMISE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS
1. Restore Degraded Land
Use urban development to restore the health and vitality of the land
Rehabilitate and maximise the ecological health and potential of land as a consequence of the development
of human settlement.
- Clean-up contaminated land
- Heal degraded rural areas
- Re-establish native vegetation
- Encourage farming practices which sustain ecological health
- Introduce green corridors of native vegetation in rural and urban area
'It is only possible to make healthy places for humans by maintaining the health of non-human habitats.'
(Hough 1995)
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MINIMISE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS
2. Fit the Bioregion
Create human settlements which work with the natural cycles of the region
Conform to the parameters of the bioregion, fit the landscape with the patterns of development which
follow the inherent form and limitations of the land, understood in socio-biophysical terms.
- Maintain the natural cycles of water and nutrients in the landscape
- Create buildings and urban form that fit the landscape and respond to the climate
- Conserve water and recycle effluent
- Use locally produced building materials as much as possible
- Respond to the culture of the region - 're-habitation'
- Introduce green corridors of native vegetation in rural and urban areas
'…to become dwellers in the land…the crucial and perhaps only all-encompassing task
is to understand place, the immediate specific place where we live…' we need to appreciate
'the cultures of the people, of the populations native to the land and of those who have grown
up with it, the human social and economic arrangements shaped by and adapted to the geomorphic ones, in
both urban and rural settings…'
(Sale 1991 p.42)
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MINIMISE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS
3. Balance Development
Balance development with the 'carrying capacity' of the land
Balance the intensity of development against the ecological carrying capacity of the land whilst protecting
all viable existing ecological features. Develop and enhance links between urban and rural areas of an
integrated city-region approach.
- Reduce the impact of the city on the land beyond its boundaries (the 'ecological footprint')
- Encourage the diversity of land-use: residential, commercial, recreational, educational, etc
- Develop urban food producing gardens
- Recognise the place of all living organisms in the environment - urban design for non-human species
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MINIMISE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS
4. Create Compact Cities
Reverse sprawl and stop ad-hoc development from consuming the landscape
Develop human habitation at relatively high density within inviolable green belts of natural or restored
ecologically viable landscape with the overall development density constrained by ecological limits.
- Have clearly identifiable (but not 'hard') boundaries for urban areas
- Provide for most daily needs within the city
- Create 'walkable' cities and promote non-motorised forms of transport
- Develop integrated transport networks which minimise car use
- Access by proximity
- 3-dimensional built form
'In living nature, the notion of unlimited sprawl seems to be adopted by organisms at the lower
levels of evolution.'
(Soleri 1987 p.12)
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MINIMISE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS
5. Optimise Energy Performance
Generate and use energy efficiently
Operate at low levels of energy consumption, using renewable energy resources, local energy production
and techniques of resource reuse. All ecological development should seek to be energy self-sufficient.
The primary energy base for development should come from renewable sources.
- Minimise energy consumption
- Use renewable energy of solar and wind power
- Generate power locally
- Reduce fossil fuel consumption
- No nuclear power
- Design buildings with solar access and natural ventilation
- Use effective insulation and 'thermal mass' in buildings
- Climate responsive design
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MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
6. Contribute to the Economy
Create work opportunities and promote economic activity
Support and develop ecologically and socially responsible economic activity. Materials and component
manufacture should be derived from, or be located in the local bioregion to the maximum practicable
extent. Finance for ecological development from ethical sources, exclude financial support derived from
exploitative activity. Capital input to ecological development should be local and financial structures
should ensure that ownership and control ultimately rests with the users and inhabitants of the development.
- Develop ecologically responsible industries
- Develop exportable 'green technologies'and services
- Create appropriate information technologies
- Provide incentives for innovation and enterprise linked to ecologically responsible performance
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MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
7. Provide Health and Security
Create healthy and safe environments for all people
Employ appropriate materials and spatial organisation to create safe and healthy places for people to
live, work and play in the context of an ecologically resilient environment.
- Reduce pollution and promote environmental quality
- Ensure a safe water supply, Recycle effluent, Maintain clean air
- Provide food security - urban agriculture
- Provide habitat for animals and birds
'The evidence we have all points in the same direction: passers-by help in deterring crime.
More visible neighbours is better than fewer, good visual relations to the public domain is better than
seclusion.'
(Hillier and Shu 1999 p.6)
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MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
8. Encourage Community
Cities are for everyone
Create cities with strong citizen involvement - community participation, not just consultation.
The community should govern itself. Community needs must drive ecological development. Ecological
development must meet community requirements including the community of life that is the eco-system.
- Create development as a community driven process
- Ensure community involvement in public administration and management
- Provide community facilities
'…there is room for everybody in the ecocity effort. It is not vicarious but participatory,
not to be dictated, but to be created in a million ways simultaneously from the grassroots to the highest
levels of planning and back down again, with a role for each of us.'
(Register 1987 p.49)
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MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
9. Promote Social Justice and Equity
Equal rights and access to services, facilities and information
Employ economic and management structures which embody principles of social justice and equity. Ensure
equal rights and access to essential services, facilities and information. Alleviate poverty and create
work opportunities.
- Involve all levels of the community in development processes
- Provide affordable housing
- Public use of public space
- Direct democracy
'What is interesting to note in the urban context is that certain integrated land use and
public transport policies - assuming no other changes - can have an income and substitution
effects on the less well-off; for example, if a household does not require two private motor
vehicles to travel to work and engage in other everyday activities of modern living, there is more
money available for, say, housing.'
(Hundloe & McDonald 1997 p.93)
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MAXIMISE HUMAN POTENTIAL
10. Enrich History and Culture
Respecting the past whilst looking to the future
Maximise the value of previous worthwhile human endeavour in terms of both heritage and manufactured
artifacts.
- Restore and maintain cherished local monuments and landmarks
- Identify and celebrate the spirit of place
- Celebrate and encourage cultural diversity
- Respect indigenous peoples' inhabitation of the land
Diverse cultural and social groups provide the basis for socially vital cities
Support and promote cultural diversity, incorporating ecological awareness into all aspects of
the making and maintenance of human settlement. Art and craft should be integral to both the
construction and the operation of ecological development from the individual site to the city
and its region.
- The whole process of creating ecological development and its subsequent operation requires
education and skill development.
- Develop culture by involving all aspects of the arts including music, electronic media and technology
- Develop culture by integrating the arts and sciences with both daily life and special events and occasions
- Promote ecological awareness as part of cultural development
- Support community art and craft events, fairs, fêtes and functions and develop festivities and events
which relate to the locality
- Encourage multicultural art and festivities
'Spaces should be created for cultural expressions, such as music, amateur theater, and the arts.'
(Streeten 1997 p.204)
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