The cities of "Integrated/Cyclical Ecosystem" in the times of climatic change: utopia or reasonable prospect?

Abstract

The cities today, face serious environmental problems. As part of the analysis of the "urban – natural environment" interrelations, a new concept has emerged recently, this of "urban ecology". This, in turn, has introduced the notions of "natural capacity", "economy of nature", "ecological footprint" and "city metabolism". An important dimension of the above is the integration of ecological principles in the urban form, which is expressed by the terms "Eco-city" and "Low Impact City". They both constitute innovatory approaches that include a wide spectrum of institutional and political tools, holistic approaches etc. In general, they can be characterized as "cities of cyclical or integrated ecosystems" as they aim to change the way of life of urban dwellers, they try to promote a "human scale" in urban planning, and they seek to protect the natural resources, against the modern, consumerist way of urban planning. A critical analysis, however, has brought to the surface two critical questions concerning their effectiveness and the possibilities for their successful implementation. Can they ensure economic competitiveness in the cities and more generally in the modern economies? Will they manage to convince that they don’t constitute a utopia as a planning process? Their effectiveness is a challenge.