topos 128 | biophilic cities

The cities of the future are nature-based – or at least they should be if we want to live in them tomorrow. While the building of cities was once a symbol of humanity’s victory over wild nature, today more and more metropolises are trying to bring nature back. Greater resilience, sustainability, quality of life and biodiversity are just a few of the many good arguments for doing so. In issue 128 of topos magazine, we take a look at the concept of the biophilic city, its pros and cons, and we discuss hand-picked examples of cities (including San Francisco (USA), Edmonton (CA) and Wellington (NZ)), that have successfully integrated fauna and flora into their urban structures.

Topics

FUTURE CITIES ARE BIOPHILIC CITIES
An introduction by Timothy Beatley

THE BIOPHILIC NETWORK
All official biophilic cities at one glance

CODIFIED INTO LAW
San Francisco's path to becoming a biophilic city

THE POCKET GREEN CITY AND ITS RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Interview with Jennifer Cooper, San Francisco

SINGAPORE'S GREEN RISE
The green rise of a city

THE SPOOKY SPIDER
They are arachnids, not insects!

ECOLOGY, WELLNESS, AND CELEBRATION
Edmonton, Canada

A RIBBON OF GREEN
Interview with Howeida Hassan, Edmonton

THE GREEN GIANTS
The Bosco Verticale – praised as well as criticized

HARBOR AND HAVEN
Colombo, Sri Lanka

THE MURDEROUS MOSQUITO
Among the most dangerous animals

A CITY INTERCONNECTED WITH NATURE
Interview with Liam Hodgetts, Wellington

THE REMARKABLE ROACH
One of the most well-known insects

MOUNTAINS, SEA AND MICRO-FORESTS
Izmir's biophilic approaches

ZOOS AND ZOOCHOSIS
They might be a bad idea

PICTURE SERIES
Some of the most beautiful botanical gardens

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