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Ecocities Emerging
To support humanity's transition into the Ecozoic Era
| Ecocity Builders
March 2012
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Greetings from Nairobi, Kenya, where I am attending planning meetings hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for the UN Rio+20 conference on sustainable development coming up in June in Rio Janeiro, Brazil.
Cities and human settlements are places of opportunity, focal points and engines of economy and culture. Today, more than half of the world's population lives in cities and according to United Nations projections by 2050 this figure will rise to three-quarters. Cities consume over two-thirds of the world's energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions, the most prevalent of the greenhouse gases. And cities are particularly vulnerable to climate change; for example, 75% of urban settlements are located in coastal areas at risk from sea-level rise. Meanwhile, the demographic divide - the inequality in the population and health profiles of rich and poor countries - is widening. Two sharply different patterns of population growth, mostly focused within and around cities and human settlements, are evident: Slow growth or even decline in most wealthy countries and continued rapid population growth in the world's poorest countries. Given these circumstances and trends, urbanization has been identified by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of the top emerging environmental issues of the 21st Century. "21 issues for the 21st Century," the results of the UNEP Foresight Process on Emerging Environmental Issues lists "Boosting Urban Sustainability and Resilience" as a top global priority. According to the report, "There are, in fact, many different ways of achieving sustainability and resilience in urban areas. These ideas have been compressed into the concept of 'green cities' also known as 'ecological cities', 'eco-cities' or 'sustainable cities'." The report goes on to identify Ecocity Builders' President Richard Register's term 'access by proximity' as a key concept in envisioning healthy mixed-use settlement patterns. (p. 21) Ecocity Builders has recently been appointed as the focal point for sustainable cities and urban issues for the NGO Major Group at the United Nations. We are continuing to bring the International Ecocity Framework and Standards into the world discussions on sustainable development in the lead up, during and continuing on after the upcoming UN conference on sustainable development, Rio+20. Now is the time for cities, citizens and countries to join together and restore living systems to safe conditions and define a way we can live and thrive on Earth as a global community. As we build, so shall we live. 
Kirstin Miller Executive Director, Ecocity Builders Lead Facilitator, International Ecocity Framework and Standards (IEFS) Ecocity Builders
339 15th Street, Suite 208
Oakland CA 94612 USA
www.ecocitybuilders.org
www.ecocitystandards.org
Keeper of the International Ecocity Conference Series
Ecocity Builders is a non-profit organization dedicated to reshaping cities, towns and villages for long-term health of human and natural systems.
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21 Issues for the 21st Century
The UNEP Foresight Process on Emerging Environmental Issues calls for ecocities to help boost urban sustainability and resilience
 | | Joesph Alcamo, Chief Scientist for UNEP at UN briefing on the Foresight Report, Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by Kirstin Miller |
The UNEP Foresight Process produces, every two years, an authoritative ranking of the most important emerging issues related to the global environment. In the 2012 report, "Boosting Urban Sustainability and Resilience" has been ranked #11. According to the report: "The key to sustainability lies in the concept of 'green cities' or 'eco cities' which differ from conventional cities in that they are more compact, have a vital mix of land uses within their boundaries, provide many different low-energy transportation opportunities, and produce some of their own renewable energy. Such cities would provide their citizens with a high level of environmental quality and livability, and have a lower environmental footprint outside their borders." |
Carless in Vancouver by Sven Eberlein 
A few of days ago I arrived in Vancouver, B.C. for a week of urban planning and playing. On the official schedule are presentations about leading practices in resilient urban systems, a workshop to assess the City of Vancouver's rating in the International Ecocity Framework and Standards (IEFS) initiative, a brainstorming session to redesign the campus of the BCIT's School of Construction and the Environment into an ecocity fractal, and a weekend retreat of the IEFS Core Advisory Committee discussing the IEFS on the road to Rio. Read Eberlein's three part series on his ecocity experience in Vancouver -- interesting photos, hidden treasures and ecocity insights abound! Part 1: Boots on the ground Part 2: Going for the high-hanging fruit Part 3: Follow the flow |
The International Ecocity Framework and Standards (IEFS) initiative seeks to provide a vision for an ecologically-restorative human civilization as well as a practical methodology for assessing and guiding progress towards the goal.Website http://www.ecocitystandards.org
To date in English, Chinese, German, French, Korean and Portuguese |
Ecocity Insights
by Jennie Moore,
Director, Sustainable Development and Environmental Stewardship, British Columbia Institute of Technology and Alexandre Hebert, Energy and Sustainability Manager
 
On Friday, February 10th, 2012, Richard Register and Kirstin Miller from Ecocity Builders facilitated a workshop at the BCIT School of Construction and the Environment, located on Canada's west coast in Metro Vancouver. The purpose was to explore ecocity education. What is needed in terms of curricula, and what is needed to develop a campus that embodies ecocity principles? In 2006, BCIT developed the notion of developing its campuses as living laboratories of sustainability (Sinclair 2008). The School's strategic vision is to embody ecocity principles within curricula and the campus environment. In 2009, the School sponsored a workshop where architecture students worked with Richard and Kirstin and a host of professionals from the BCIT community and industry to develop a vision for the campus following ecocity principles. An overarching goal was to reduce energy and materials throughput on campus by a factor of four (75%) to ten (90%). READ ON
is Lead Sponsor of the International Ecocity Framework and Standards Initiative
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Founded in 1992, Ecocity Builders is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reshaping cities for the long-term health of human and natural systems. www.ecocitybuilders.org
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ANNOUNCING
Ecocity World Summit 2013
NANTES, FRANCE
Conference details to come.
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Ecocity Builders Upcoming Events in 2012, February - June
March 3-12 Richard Register and Kirstin Miller in China to advise on ecocity development
March 26-27 3rd Intersessional Meeting of UNCSD, UN Secretariat, New York March 28-29 Richard Register to speak at the 2nd International Degrowth Conference, Barcelona, Spain
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"The problem is the present design of cities only a few stories high, stretching outward in unwieldy sprawl for miles. As a result of their sprawl, they literally transform the earth, turn farms into parking lots and waste enormous amounts of time and energy transporting people, goods and services over their expanses. My solution is urban implosion rather than explosion."
-Paolo Soleri
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Lessons from Favelas to Transform the World's Cities by Richard Register 
It's closer than you think to the UN Rio + 20 Conference! We in Ecocity Builders see this as a time of immense importance. A time to rekindle and uplift spirits of the possible, desirable and creatable. That of course depends on having the right ideas and the energy to pursue them. And we think we are on board in exactly that way. There is an enormous opportunity there if we can grasp it and inspire others. We bring two especially strong solutions: First - and this is very particular to Rio de Janeiro - the world is growing slums faster than cities, and that's saying something frightening, but also something in a strange way hopeful in that at least some of the favelas hold lessons for the sustainable future while we in the ecocity movement hold complementary lessons of our own. If we can help answer the problem of slums and if it turns out to answer a range of other crucial urban issues - and it does - then we are accomplishing something truly profound. Bringing the two together in Rio - favela solutions and our own solutions from the ecocity movement - could be a move to cross over the threshold of resistance and glumness we see pervading most attitudes toward the United Nations recently, especially disturbingly exhibited in the way negotiatios for climate solutions have been stonewalled. But the solutions at the confluence of the Rio/Ecocity confluence could be a breakthrough. READ ON |
Beyond Architecture
by Aparajithan Narasimhan, architect and planner, Chennai, India
The realm of architecture is generally considered to be the bounds of the site and its environs. Frequently, the design process calls for designing in an enclave bound by the site and is driven by various factors such as client brief, bad surroundings, detached development and a style statement. While it may be successful in its endeavour as a building, the collective form of the urban built environment needs to be seriously considered. While doing so the biggest factor that comes to the fore is that of "Social Capital". READ ON |
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Car Free Journey
By Steve Atlas
Today, we begin a short series of columns spotlighting walkable communities in the greater Los Angeles region. Today, we will visit Long Beach, California: rated 11th most walkable large city in the United States by WalkScore.com.
You don't need a car to enjoy a weekend getaway here. Metro's Blue light rail Line will take you to Long Beach either from Los Angeles' Union Station, or (with 2 easy connections) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Take the Blue Line to Long Beach's Transit Gallery station. Once here, it's a short walk to restaurants and hotels. Long Beach Transit's Passport buses (either free or $1.25-$4 for a day pass) will take you to major attractions and walkable neighborhoods.
READ ON
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Principal Features of an Ecocity
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PRINCIPAL SPONSOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL ECOCITY FRAMEWORK AND STANDARDS
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