Table of contents for N. 128 in Topos

Oh, hi there! I’m topos, the leading international magazine for urban planning from Munich, Germany. For me, everything revolves around the sustainable city of the future. Online, I spend 365 days a year dealing with the question: how will we live sustainably, healthily and technologized in the world’s future metropolises? In addition to my home www.toposmagazine.com, I am published four times a year as a print magazine (that’s what you are holding in your hands right now!). I address everyone who is interested in the smarter, greener city of the future and who works in, on and with the city. My readers include CEOs, mayors, architects, landscape architects, urban planners, engineers, digitalization specialists, researchers – simply everyone that is interested in urban development! My great passion is finding and analyzing…

If there has been a silver lining to the global pandemic it is that it has shown us, or many of us at least, just how important nature is to our happiness and wellbeing. Even today, several years after its declared end, many of us simply do not want to go back to working in an office cubicle, detached from the rhythms and beauty of the natural world. We want to take our work outside, and to spend more of our day hiking, strolling, and watching and listening to birds. The experience of the pandemic was a reminder of something at the heart of the idea of biophilia–that we are hard-wired to need and want connections to nature. As the late Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson has said, we as a…

At just under 21,000 acres in size and covering thirty miles, Edmonton’s River Valley Parks is the largest municipally owned park system in Canada. Is this also the greatest strength of Edmonton’s green infrastructure? What is its quality? Edmonton offers an integrated, multi-functional network of parks and open spaces that is renowned as an iconic and defining feature of Alberta’s capital city. The green network supports healthy ecosystems and diverse wildlife habitats, and meets the needs of communities present and future by connecting people with year-round opportunities to learn, commute, recharge, recreate, gather and celebrate. Edmontonians are proud of their green network and enjoy sharing the diverse environmental, economic and quality of life benefits the green network provides. As part of this network of green infrastructure, the river valley is…

In the face of two seemingly unstoppable forces – global urbanization and climate change – cities worldwide are grappling with the challenge of creating sustainable, livable environments for their inhabitants. Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, is no exception. As we stand at the crossroads of urban development and environmental conservation, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the future of our cities lies in embracing nature rather than pushing it away. This essay explores the concept of biophilic design and its implementation in Wellington, highlighting the city’s unique challenges and opportunities in creating a more nature-integrated urban landscape. The term "biophilia," coined by biologist Edward O. Wilson, refers to the innate human affinity for nature. Biophilic design, an extension of this concept, seeks to incorporate natural elements and processes into the built environment.…

Every self-respecting city, big or not, has at least one of them: a zoo. If you're anything like me, you've long had a similarly innocent relationship with zoos, animal parks, aquariums and similar facilities used for the public display of animals. In my work with an animal welfare organization that, among other things, spoke out against zoos, I didn't understand the issue at first. Why take zoos away from poor, stressed mothers and their children who just want to see a lion? It was only gradually that I began to understand why zoos do not arouse the enthusiasm of everyone. Zoos are a controversial topic in the debate about animal welfare, nature conservation and ethics. They have both passionate supporters, but are also subject to considerable criticism. One frequently cited…

A pair of rats can produce 15,000 offspring every year. For New York City, this talent is turning into a huge problem. Two million rats are said to have found a home in the 8.3 million metropolis. This is despite the fact that the Big Apple has been trying to chase the rats out of the city for many years – with alcoholic solutions in which the rodents drown, sterilization pills or even the appointment of its own director of rodent mitigation. Mayor Eric Adams even publicly referred to the rats as “public enemy number one” and said that he hated them. Ironic, really, since the mayor himself has already been ticketed several times for rats at his Brooklyn property. Just this May, Adams received harsh criticism from the animal…

Superblocks, protests against tourists, and Gaudí: Barcelona is known for its architecture, its art, and its attitude. But did you know that the Basque city is also one of the most biophilic in Spain? The lockdowns of 2020 have inspired the city to reimagine its relationship with nature. After seeing what the parks looked like, having been left alone for several rainy weeks, the question was whether to return them to their neat and tidy pre-Covid state, or continue letting nature take its course. Barcelona decided to continue its path to naturalise or rewild the city. It embraced the explosion in plant growth and insects, most notably butterflies, which increased by 74 percent from 2019 to 2020. While the concept of rewilding can lead to protests and scepticism, the lockdowns…

Singapore is considered one of the most biophilic cities on our planet and has established itself as a role model for the integration of nature into urban spaces. Despite being densely built-up and having very little space, the city-state manages the feat of being a green urban oasis – and wants to become even greener in the future. However, Singapore’s success story as a biophilic city did not happen overnight. Its foundations were laid many years ago. Singapore’s biophilic orientation has its roots in the history of the Southeast Asian city-state. Since its expulsion from the Malayan Federation and subsequent independence in 1965, Singapore has undergone remarkable economic and infrastructural development. With a limited land area and a rapidly growing population, the government has been forced to find innovative solutions…

Just this June, Wellington City Council approved the city’s long-term plan. This plan promises to invest an impressive $1.8b in a variety of climate-friendly measurements. However, climate-friendly measures that also contribute to a green infrastructure are always in danger of being neglected in the wake of urgent short-term challenges. How will the city administration of Wellington ensure that this is not the case? Wellington City Council’s vision for the city has nature at its core: Pōneke, te wāhi auaha e whitawhita ai ōna tāngata me tōna taiao* Pōneke (Wellington), the creative capital where people and nature thrive. * the language of our indigenous people, Māori We have clear direction from our elected members around ensuring thriving biodiversity and nature-based solutions in natural and urban environments. I would go so far…

Are you one of those people who see beekeeping as a salvation for the planet? Then read carefully now, because you are lying to a fatal fallacy. Hold on tight as I tell you the following: Beekeeping has about as much to do with nature conservation as keeping dairy cows – namely nothing at all. Just like dairy cattle, the western honeybee is a farm animal that would not exist in this form without humans. The only reason humans keep honey bees is to take honey away from them. If beekeepers were interested in nature conservation, they would set up hotels for wild bees on a massive scale. On the contrary: beekeeping is partly responsible for the extinction of local bee species. Beekeepers already have one species on their conscience,…

Sandra, a female orangutan, made history in 2015 when she became the first animal in the world to be granted the rights of a “non-human person” and was thus given freedom. This is her remarkable story. Half Sumatran orangutan and half Bornean orangutan, the hybrid female ape Sandra was born at Rostock Zoo in Germany on February 14, 1986. After a few years at the German Ruhr Zoo in Gelsenkirchen, she was moved to Buenos Aires. The change of location took place on September 17, 1994. She led a life that is common for many animals in zoos: isolated from her natural environment, in an artificial habitat that she shared with other animals and occasional visitors. But Sandra’s fate took an unusual turn when she became the focus of a…

San Francisco, one of the first North American adopters of the concept, is making measurable strides – both visible and invisible, exciting and tedious – towards becoming a biophilic city. From architectural ordinances to reduce urban bird mortality to a permitting track that allows citizens to convert concrete to gardens, San Franciscans are being allowed more opportunities to engage with nature and biomorphic environments that enter the city grid. Steep streets. An orthogonal city grid forced unsympathetically onto the rolling coastal hills beneath it. San Francisco is a caricature of the battle between human preconceptions of geometric order and underlying native topography. The sharply inclined streetscapes illustrate the domination of man over nature, and thus the “City by the Bay” might seem poorly footed to step into an era of…

Networks for animals to traverse the city, green and blue spaces for people to enjoy nature and celebrate, respect for Indigenous heritage – Edmonton in Canada is well on its way to becoming a biophilic city that excels at integrating these different aspects. Planner Paul Giang gives insights into the city’s Breathe strategy. Edmonton is a city in Canada with 1.3 million inhabitants. Its transformative strategy “Breathe” aims to turn the city into a biophilic habitat with a network of open spaces in each neighbourhood, planning ahead for a future with two million inhabitants. Open spaces include parks, but also plazas, main streets and areas with open space values like trees or seating. Even storm water ponds, drainage facilities and utilities for underground pipes and electricity are part of the…

Centuries of evolution have intertwined water and land, sculpting Colombo and its environs into a city of unique ecological significance. Sri Lanka’s de facto capital sprawls across a patchwork of thirty-six wetlands, crisscrossed by an extensive canal system spanning nearly 100 kilometers. However, this delicate ecosystem faces mounting threats from rapid urbanization, prompting Colombo to confront these challenges head-on. The Kelani River flows past Colombo to the north and the Bolgoda River to the south. In between lies the Colombo Wetland Complex. This complex ecosystem is extremely relevant for the well-being of the city’s inhabitants, as it contributes to water purification, cooling and recreation as well as playing a role in the drinking water supply and urban agriculture. The metropolis is special from a natural, historical and architectural point of…

With its long waterfront promenade, mild climate and many nature reserves, Izmir is an ideal place to experience the Turkish way of life and has good geographical conditions for a biophilic city. However, the privileged location also brings with it difficulties. Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey and is located on the Aegean coast on the Gulf of Izmir of the same name. Away from the hustle and bustle of Turkey’s most populous city, Istanbul, Izmir has “only” around 4.4 million inhabitants. The region’s climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and relatively mild winters with plenty of rainfall – a typical Mediterranean climate that does not usually fall below freezing point due to the proximity of the sea, which serves as a heat buffer. A Curse and…

Tobias Hager is a journalist and Chief Content Officer and member of the management board at GEORG Media. Responsible for all GEORG brands such as topos magazine, BAUMEISTER and G+L, his focus is on the areas of content, digital, marketing and entrepreneurship. t.hager@georg-media.de Gordon Feller Based in Silicon Valley since 1983, Gordon Feller is the Global Fellow at The Smithsonian Institution’s Wilson Center. He has served at the world headquarters of both the UN and World Bank, and helped to design and deliver transformation projects for mayors in more than 45 cities around the world. Gordon@GordonFeller.com Timothy Beatley is the Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities at the University of Virginia, where he has taught for more than thirty years. He helped to found the Biophilic Cities Network in 2013.…

Berlin, the metropolis full of double-edged pseudo-diversity and culture, is not only known for its rubbish problem, extreme housing shortage and extremely famous clubs and parks. In recent years, the city has acquired another unexpected highlight: Wild boars. The city seems to be a magnet for the bristly four-legged creatures, which are increasingly venturing into urban areas. But while tourists and Instagram enthusiasts often view the animal encounters with a wink, Berliners have long been divided in their opinions. The "wild boar plague" phenomenon not only has a humorous side, but also a serious one. Wild boars that rummage through rubbish bins, dig up gardens and don't even shy away from human contact have long been a familiar sight in the idyllic gardens of Berlin’s suburbs and outlying area. "I…