Architecture as Habitat

Reconciliation ecology argues for sharing human-dominated habitats, like cities, with other species. The primary way it is currently practised in cities is with green spaces. However, the amount and connectivity of green spaces in cities are often too low to support essential ecosystem services for the health and well-being of human and non-human urban residents. Having well-connected habitats in urban environments will be especially important as climate change progresses so that species can flee unfavourable conditions triggered by changes in weather and storm patterns.  In dense cities where there is little ground-level space for additional green space, this research argues that buildings could provide vegetated habitats for non-human species and supplement existing urban green spaces. 

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Using Wellington, New Zealand, as a case study, a spatial analysis was conducted to determine the quantity and connectivity of the current green space network in normal and flooding scenarios and compare it to ecological and human well-being targets. Areas where targets were not met were identified, and the amount and locations of green roofs needed to fill gaps in the green space network were proposed. The research concludes that there is a surplus of building roofs that could be used to increase the amount of vegetated habitat in cities for the health, well-being, and resilience of humans and other species.

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The full article can be accessed at: 10.21926/aeer.2104029 

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It was also featured on the Urban Design Forum Aotearoa’s blog at: https://urbandesignforum.org.nz/2021/12/general/can-buildings-provide-habitat-for-native-species/v 

 

Reference

 

MacKinnon, M., Zari, M.P., Brown, D.K. (2021). Architecture as Habitat: Enhancing Urban Ecosystem Services Using Building Envelopes. Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research, 2(4), 029. 10.21926/aeer.2104029 

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Image made using Photoshop and Midjourney (prompt: urban design, urban plan, city map, green corridors, biophilic city, green roofs, 4k)

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