BioInspired! So What? Now What!

Cities that Function Like Forests: Biomimicry Maps a Sustainable Future

Janine will describe the dream of mapping and modeling these standards worldwide to support the design of “generous” biomimetic cities. She’ll also discuss pilot studies with HOK planners in China and India. It’s time to unify fragmented sustainability efforts in cities. What better framework than one that is place-based, outcome oriented, and proven possible by the local ecologies that graciously gift us, 24/7, with conditions conducive to life?

Biomimicry—innovation inspired by nature—has inspired wind farms that function like fish schools, windows that collect energy like leaves, walls that clean themselves with rainwater, and more. Janine Benyus and her colleagues at Biomimicry 3.8 have a new dream. What if a city could function as elegantly as the forest next door? What if it could fix carbon, store water, cool temperatures, cleanse air, build soil, support biodiversity, and remain resilient despite disturbance? What if cities were functionally indistinguishable from wildlands? Janine and her team believe this is possible, but only if we embed quantitative aspirational goals into geodesign toolkits. Ecological Performance Standards are geo-coded metrics that challenge cities to meet or exceed the level of ecosystem services produced by native ecosystems: metric tons of water stored per acre each year, metric tons of air cleansed, centimeters of soil built and retained, etc. Each block would have a portion of the whole, and BIM-like simulation models would drive design of buildings, infrastructure, and landscapes that collectively meet citywide goals.

Thanks to Christopher Allen for the pointer!