scholarly journals Torontonians have a nature problem - can biophilic design be a solution?

Author(s):  
Megan Easton

Biophilic design stems from the term biophilia; a concept that describes humans’ innate connection and love for nature. It is an innovative way to bring nature into cities, reconnecting urban residents to the natural world through the built environment, while simultaneously contributing many mental, physical and environmental benefits. Despite extensive research on the significance of biophilic design, application in many urban environments, including Toronto, is minimal. This paper investigates what, if any, obstacles may be preventing Toronto from integrating biophilic design. Research was conducted through a literature review, case study analysis and four key informant surveys. It finds that there are obstacles to local implementation including a lack of supportive planning framework, a lack of economic support and incentives, lacking professional expertise and absent demand. The paper acknowledges the literature, case studies and informant responses through the provision of recommendations that are designed to help the city overcome these obstacles. Key words: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Planning, Toronto

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Easton

Biophilic design stems from the term biophilia; a concept that describes humans’ innate connection and love for nature. It is an innovative way to bring nature into cities, reconnecting urban residents to the natural world through the built environment, while simultaneously contributing many mental, physical and environmental benefits. Despite extensive research on the significance of biophilic design, application in many urban environments, including Toronto, is minimal. This paper investigates what, if any, obstacles may be preventing Toronto from integrating biophilic design. Research was conducted through a literature review, case study analysis and four key informant surveys. It finds that there are obstacles to local implementation including a lack of supportive planning framework, a lack of economic support and incentives, lacking professional expertise and absent demand. The paper acknowledges the literature, case studies and informant responses through the provision of recommendations that are designed to help the city overcome these obstacles. Key words: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Planning, Toronto


2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (6) ◽  
pp. 206-214
Author(s):  
David Montes-González ◽  
Juan Miguel Barrigón-Morillas ◽  
Ana Cristina Bejarano-Quintas ◽  
Manuel Parejo-Pizarro ◽  
Guillermo Rey-Gozalo ◽  
...  

The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) led to the need for drastic control measures around the world to reduce the impact on the health of the population. The confinement of people in their homes resulted in a significant reduction in human activity at every level (economic, social, industrial, etc.), which was reflected in a decrease in environmental pollution levels. Studying the evolution of parameters, such as the level of environmental noise caused by vehicle traffic in urban environments, makes it possible to assess the impact of this type of measure. This paper presents a case study of the acoustic situation in Cáceres (Spain) during the restriction period by means of long-term acoustic measurements at various points of the city.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Luca Cardani

The architectural work of John Hejduk (1929-2000) is marked by theoretical-design research, collected in series with titles and periods. Among these series the one entitled Masques, developed since about 1979, can be considered the nucleus of his research on the architecture of the city and the place of origin of his language of construction later developed in his realized buildings. This paper analyses the dense network of references and analogies established by Hejduk to create his Masques, trying to fix its origin in the idea of the city as a theatre of characters composed of architecture. Starting from the name chosen for the title of this series, the paper tries to trace the threads that lead from the general work of the various projects of the Masques series, to the reflections and ideas that produced it. Then, it comes back again to the observation of architecture and of a case study (Security, 1989), to understand and explain its meaning and the compositional methods involved into the process of genesis of form. Through the entire work named Masques, and its recognizable link with the buildings and installation realized around the world, Hejduk has built an archive of architectural prototypes ready to construct different parts of the city, thus highlighting the strong connection that his work establishes with reality in order "to conceive it, represent it and finally realize it".


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Cogliano

The current planning framework in the Province of Ontario is based on principles of “smart growth” including transit oriented development, intensification, and a focus on building complete communities. While the advancement of these principles has been positive in certain cases, the literature identifies that industrial lands may face redevelopment pressure as smart growth principles are adopted. This paper provides the opportunity to assess the extent of which this is the case in the context of the City of Markham. A content analysis of twelve employment land conversion applications provides for an on-the-ground case study of how the planning framework in Ontario, informed by smart growth principles, is leveraged by developers to support employment land conversions. Research findings include conflicting interpretations, among stakeholders, of planning policy goals related to employment land. Recommendations include the need for a more consistent articulation of policy goals and a rethink of traditional zoning strategies for industrial lands.


2022 ◽  
pp. 1220-1237
Author(s):  
Angel Bartolomé Muñoz de Luna ◽  
Olga Kolotouchkina

The disruptive growth of new information technologies is transforming the dynamics of citizen communication and engagement in the urban context. In order to create new, smart, inclusive, and transparent urban environments, the city governments of London and Madrid have implemented a series of innovative digital applications and citizen communication channels. Through a case study approach, this research assesses the best practices in the field of digital communication and citizen engagement implemented by London and Madrid, with a particular focus on the profile, content, and functions of these new channels. The results of this research are intended to identify relevant new dynamics of interaction and value co-creation for cities and their residents.


2019 ◽  
Vol 281 ◽  
pp. 03003
Author(s):  
Rida Tadmouri ◽  
Hamdi Sief

Municipal waste management is an important component of ecosystem and one of the essential part in sustainable development. This paper analyzes Tripoli landfill’s situation. According to Municipality of Tripoli, the average production of waste reached 148.5 million in 2015 where all of these waste was dumped in north of the city which leads to many environmental and health crises. The maximum height point in the landfill reached 30 m in 2013 which is more than acceptable engineered height. The paper took Tripoli landfill as case study to account for the amount of economic and environmental benefits if it is subjected to around zero waste management. The study takes into account the waste generated in 2015 till 2065 by assuming 1.5 % growth in population. As a result lots of economical, healthful and environmental benefits can be extracted if the generated waste is subjected to composting, recycling, reuse and incineration instead of throwing them.


2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda L. Murphy, PhD ◽  
Gregory S. Anderson, PhD ◽  
Ron Bowles, PhD ◽  
Robin S. Cox, PhD

Disaster resilience is the cornerstone of effective emergency management across all phases of a disaster from preparedness through response and recovery. To support community resilience planning in the Rural Disaster Resilience Project (RDRP) Planning Framework, a print-based version of the guide book and a suite of resilience planning tools were field tested in three communities representing different regions and geographies within Canada. The results provide a cross-case study analysis from which lessons learned can be extracted. The authors demonstrate that by encouraging resilience thinking and proactive planning even very small rural communities can harness their inherent strengths and resources to enhance their own disaster resilience, as undertaking the resilience planning process was as important as the outcomes.The resilience enhancement planning process must be flexible enough to allow each community to act independently to meet their own needs. The field sites demonstrate that any motivated group of individuals, representing a neighborhood or some larger area could undertake a resilience initiative, especially with the assistance of a bridging organization or tool such as the RDRP Planning Framework.


2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djordje Romanic ◽  
Ashkan Rasouli ◽  
Horia Hangan

Urban wind resource assessment in changing climate has not been studied so far. This study presents a methodology for microscale numerical modelling of urban wind resource assessment in changing climate. The methodology is applied for a specific urban development in the city of Toronto, ON, Canada. It is shown that the speed of the southwest winds, that is, the most frequent winds increased for .8 m s−1 in the period from 1948 to 2015. The generated wind energy maps are used to estimate the influences of climate change on the available wind energy. It is shown that the geometry of irregularly spaced and located obstacles in urban environments has to be taken into consideration when performing studies on urban wind resource assessment in changing climate. In the analysed urban environment, peak speeds are more affected by climate change than the mean speeds.


Urban Climate ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 100582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandro M. Oswald ◽  
Brigitta Hollosi ◽  
Maja Žuvela-Aloise ◽  
Linda See ◽  
Stefan Guggenberger ◽  
...  

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