A study of two cities at opposite ends of the urban spectrum demonstrate how density matters for a number of ecological services.
Rio de Janeiro is a tightly-packed city with large tracts of natural land surrounding it. Portland, Oregon intersperses many small parks throughout a sprawling urban landscape. A new study by a team of biology researchers finds that the Rio model sustains better natural services, including cleaning water and air, reducing noise, pest control, agriculture, carbon storage, and pollination. Denser cities with large adjoining parks also do a better job of mitigating the "heat island effect," a local temperature increase caused by the concentration of heat-absorbing metal and concrete.
The study finds, however, that less-dense cities with many small parks offer residents a better sense of well-being. As previously reported, there is evidence that walking in a natural setting is more beneficial to mental health than walking in an urban setting. Thus, "policymakers can improve dense cities' healthfulness, the researchers write, by adding some greenery in the form of sidewalk trees, green walls, and green roofs," Francie Diep writes.
Furthermore, Diep reports, "Moderate levels of development, like that of the suburbs, made natural lands lose their services at a disproportionately fast rate, compared to intense development."
FULL STORY: Why Denser Cities Are Better for People and the Environment
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
New York Transit Agency Launches Performance Dashboard
The tool increases transparency about the agency’s performance on a variety of metrics.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.