5 times Nature influenced Urban Design for the better!

Extreme natural events are becoming increasingly frequent all over the world. Numerous studies indicate that floods, storms, and sea-level rise could affect more than 800 million people worldwide, ultimately costing cities $1 trillion per year by the middle of the century. This suggests that urban survival depends on addressing urban vulnerability as a matter of urgency to protect the city and the population.

Given the background, many urban design projects started to introduce nature-based solutions to provide sustainable management of ecosystems to tackle different environmental challenges. These solutions can reconnect the population with nature, mitigate air pollution, improve thermal comfort in the cities, reduce the effect of urban heat islands, and manage stormwater runoff, among many other benefits to the environment, and to the physical and mental health of urban dwellers.

Here are 5 such urban projects that embody nature-based solutions addressing different challenges of the contemporary world.

1. Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Singapore

The project provides flood prevention and improved water quality, increasing the benefits to the community. Combining natural materials, civil engineering techniques, and plants that can filter and absorb water was essential to stabilize riverbanks and prevent erosion.

Source: The Smart Local 

2. Green Corridors, Colombia

By planting trees along thoroughfares to mitigate the effect of urban heat islands caused mainly by the overuse of concrete and asphalt; this project managed to reduce air temperature by more than 2 degrees Celsius and won the 2019 Ashden Award for Cooling by Nature.

Source: C40 Knowledge

3. Rain Garden, Brazil

Rain gardens are specifically designed to reduce the flow rate, total quantity, and pollutant load of stormwater runoff. The concrete sidewalk in front of buildings began to be removed in Rio de Janeiro, to be replaced with 200 square meters of green space.  

Source: associate.consult2architect.com Credits: Luiz Franco

4. Lineal Gran Canal Park, Mexico

Based on environmental regeneration, through reforestation of the urban fabric and restoration of soil permeability, this project has resulted in a 16% increase in the relative humidity and a reduction of up to 5% in temperature, mitigating the effect of heat lands.  

Source: Archdaily

5. Stormwater Wetland Park, China

The strategy here was to transform a dying wetland into a ‘green sponge’, an urban stormwater park that not only rescues the disappearing wetland but also provides multiple services for the new urban community.

Source: Archdaily

Want to learn more about Urban Redevelopment and Landscape Principles? Join our one-day masterclass on Landscape design and upskill today!