C. EcoCities

Urban Permaculture, Urban Regeneration, etc.

Re-designing cities (on the way to designing for their eventual de-comissioning) is a crucial part of regenerating the earth, as cities have a destructive effect on natural ecosystems, being very concentrated human settlements which remove people (& our consciousness) from the landbase we depend on.

Backyard Permaculture

EcoCity 2011

http://www.ecocity-2013.com/en/ecocity-2011-montreal

Jason McLennan "The Living Building Challenge"

Vitoria-Gasteiz has been declared winner of the European Green Capital Award 2012.

613 HECTARES OF GREEN BELT. 600,000 ANNUAL USES

A Ramsar wetland area HOME OF THE EUROPEAN MINK AND 17 SPECIES OF WATERFOWL.

210 plots of organic farming land.

Sutainable Mobility Plan. New bus network. Two tram lines, 97 kilometres of bicycle lanes, 30 km of pedestrian streets, 5,500 P&R (Park and Ride) lots.

40 Km of pneumatic collection network,

CONSUMPTION OF 117 LITRES OF WATER PER CAPITA

NETWORK PERFORMANCE 88.57%

284 DAYS A YEAR WITH GOOD AIR QUALITY

16 855 SQUARE METRES OF SOLAR THERMAL PANELS INSTALLED IN 2009

Electric vehicle as the key element of the city's strategy

46 m2 of green areas per inhabitant. 130,000 trees in the streets

12 civic centres

About 90% of the population lives within 500 m of basic services

After working for several years in the 1980′s as a lead designer of large scale corporate projects, in the 1989 Mark embarked on a series of cultural immersion projects with numerous indigenous societies in order to derive place-making patterns which could be applied to urban settings in the United States.

These patterns include broad participation, local ownership, and transference of authority to local populations, creative expression in planned and unplanned processes, and social capital as the primary economic engine of change.

His travels lasted until 1995 when he returned to Portland to undertake a series of creative, culturally restorative initiatives.

See more in the live.permacultureday interview page we did with Marc

Jason McLennan was named one of the top 40 under 40 most influential individuals in the design and construction field by Building Design & Construction magazine.

He is the chief executive officer of the Cascadia Green Building Council, the Pacific Northwest's leading organization in the field of green building and sustainable development, and author of the Living Building Challenge, an international green building program.

He is also cocreator of Pharos, the most advanced building material rating system in North America, and founder and chief executive officer of Ecotone Publishing, the only dedicated green building publisher in North America.

Also see http://bit.ly/PermaConstruction

in this e-book

Prepare for our new Climate

Set aside the politics: Data shows that climate change is happening, measurably, now.

And as Vicki Arroyo says, it's time to prepare our homes and cities for the new climate, with its increased risk of flooding, drought and uncertainty.

She illustrates this inspiring talk with bold projects from cities all over the world -- local examples of thinking ahead.