7 Organic farming workshop at Organo Naandi
Photo courtesy of FHD Consultants Pvt Ltd
7
The transition from biophilic to biocentric to biomimetic reflects a progression of ideas: from design elements that benefit a few to nature-inspired solutions that serve many. When buildings attempt the latter, they become subsystems within a larger whole, and are likely to engage in positive exchanges.
In the book Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life (2016), the famed biologist Edward O. Wilson argued that humans must do more16
. We must set aside half the planet for biodiversity and ecosystems. For
this to be viable, the future metropolis, he argues, must be autonomous. Emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology and robotics, will make us smarter and more efficient, creating closed-loop, circular systems. Circularity is not a new idea but Wilson makes an explicit link between resource flows in cities and the health of natural systems at the global scale.
We are nowhere close to his vision but there is growing interest in the relationship between nature and cities. Singapore, for instance, has seen a shift from biophilic to biocentric thinking, an interest in ecosystems and biodiversity, the connectivity of human-made and natural systems. Of late, the city’s reliance on imported resources has found a new policy foothold. The government announced a zero-waste master plan with targets for recycling and reduced landfills by 2030, which has opened the door to a discussion on the circular economy17
high-intensity, stacked farms that maximise yield per unit of land18
. In a parallel conversation on local food production, new typologies have emerged: . Singapore’s approach is significant, not
only for what is done, but also how: a mix of regulatory controls and market incentives. REGENERATE AND RESTORE
The question of how is a significant piece of the sustainability puzzle. The Green movement relies on
voluntary, market-led actions. Global initiatives like the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals are likewise voluntary and non-binding. Neither paradigm has found traction. It’s worth asking why. There are two answers to this question: problem type and mechanism of change.
The analysis of problem type in the preceding sections of this essay leads us to a concept that has for some time been championed by experts: regenerative design19
. Regeneration seeks partnership and
co-evolution with nature. It is based on whole systems thinking and advocates repair and restoration—i.e., doing good. Globally, however, there are few projects that illustrate application, mostly in North America. It is unclear how regenerative thinking might adapt to Asia where growth is rapid and cities can be hyper-dense.
When preparing Ecopuncture, I looked for and found examples in the region. These projects reduce
impact, yes, but they also alter the world around them. Some offer public space to communities, others blue-green networks for biodiversity. Many produce a surplus of resources, an excess energy, water or food produced that is shared with the community-at-large. Several repair damaged systems by reverse- engineering contaminated land or interrupted hydrological flows. The question that I ask in the book is why these projects aspire to said outcomes and how their approach might be replicated.
Many cases in Ecopuncture are publicly funded; a few are privately funded and profit-making. What emerges from the latter group is a new conversation on public good as a pathway to private profit. It starts with defining wealth as several interdependent capitals. When natural capital is increased with, say, the restoration of habitats or hydrological systems, human and social capitals grow as well, because people are drawn to a development. There are examples in the book where the presence of a thriving ecosystem—fresh air, clean water, biodiversity—attracts people and elevates real estate prices. This profitable-by-association argument was also proffered by the Green movement; however, regenerative design does more.
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