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Podcast - The Importance Of Ecology In Planning And Design

6 July 2006 - 8:00am

Ecology is and should be the defining force in any plan or development, according to ecologist and land use planner Paul Kephart.

We bring you his keynote address to the Los Angeles Green Roof Market Development Symposium, a recent day-long conference focusing on implementing green space and ecology into urban areas. Kephart discusses how keeping nature in mind when planning will ensure the long-term success and sustainability of a project.

Excerpts from the speech:

"From an ecologist's standpoint, I often work with architects and I look at parallels. I think about an ecological reference. And it’s often difficult in a land mass and area the size of Los Angeles where massive alterations of the hydrology and the surface have occurred, probably on a profound scale and nowhere else on earth do we see this."

"Diversity equals stability. This is a tenet in ecology that’s fairly well researched, and at the higher levels of diversity we find in a system -- this may be true for the city of Los Angeles -- the more stability there is in that system."

This podcast was recorded on June 7th, 2006, and produced by Planetizen Assistant Editor Nate Berg.

Related Links:

Rana Creek Restoration Ecology

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

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