Ecological urban planning
Introduction
A sustainable city, ecocity or ecópolis is a city that is designed following ecological principles. The idea of ecocities arises as a new approach to sustainable development. Environmentalists, as well as more people every day, consider that life in cities is polluting and destructive to the environment, since it encourages the accumulation of garbage and unhealthy conditions.
An ecological city can provide for itself with minimal dependence on the rural areas around it, and creates the smallest possible ecological footprint for its residents. This results in a city that is environmentally friendly, in terms of pollution, land use and reduction of the causes that contribute to global warming.
Ecocities can be characterized by several aspects, for example:
Examples of eco-cities exist a few, such as the solar neighborhood Vauban (Freiburg) "Vauban (Freiburg)"). On a smaller scale, there are bio-built buildings, such as the Melbourne municipal building, in Australia. Many informal settlements today practice the principles of eco-cities: efficient energy use, recycling, community agriculture, and pedestrianization. The Sociópolis project (in the Spanish city of Valencia) aims to develop integrated housing with low environmental impact, combined with areas of traditional agriculture and irrigation systems; the "Ecumenópolis" or Magnum Astron Eco-Cities project) in Colombia, which proposes the inclusion of advanced technology and high energy performance of its own invention. But perhaps the most ambitious project is being carried out in China, a country that has encouraged the construction of five eco-cities (three near Shanghai and two in Beijing). The first of these, Dongtan, is being developed on the island of Chongming, Shanghai, and has been designed to meet rigorous standards to minimize the impact The world's first example of a completely new city - for 50,000 inhabitants - and with 100% solar energy use is Masdar in the United Arab Emirates, designed by the Foster + Partners office in 2006 and which will open in 2020.
Town planning
Barcelona
The city is planning an urban redesign of civic superblocks, they plan to convert nine-block areas into community-scale neighborhoods with an area of 400 meters by 400 meters. The aim is to reduce car-related traffic, noise and pollution by more than 20% and free up up to 60% of road areas for reuse as citizen spaces. This is done to improve the quality of life, increase health by implementing the "15-minute city", a city in which citizens can carry out their daily activities by walking for 15 minutes, going to work, shopping, leisure and recreation spaces, social relations and other activities. By turning streets into spaces for gathering and other activities, farmers markets, bicycles and walkability, a healthier and potentially happier lifestyle is promoted.