Deep theoretical study of urban structures and their subsequent improvement to qualitatively improve the living standards of the population are the fundamental directions of modern urbanism. Since the ancient human located in civil settlements, it has been important for the inhabitants to create favorable and reliable conditions for comfortable living. Over time, urban systems have become more complex as human consciousness has progressed, but the connection between cities and the natural environment has remained inviolable. The modern developed city, in interaction with natural forms, has become a complex social-ecological system, which includes a human society with the built-up infrastructure and the environment. The name of the systems justifies the idea of the approach — in order to manage the improvement of urban systems, it is necessary to emphasize the social component and the environmental one cumulatively. Thus, the creation of a sustainable social and ecological system of the city that can withstand external and internal impacts without radical changes in fundamental functions is the key task of urban planners. This essay is aimed at discussing the theory of socio-ecological urban systems through the prism of the lecture.
Characteristics of the City
Despite the seeming unacceptability of urban spaces to the Earth’s natural background, civil ecosystems have gradually blended into the landscape. Modern cities are continuously exchanging flows of energy with the environment, as is the case in two natural biogeocenoses. Humans use natural structural materials, food, and space and, as a result, inside the city, these flows intersect and interact. Having exhausted resources, the city gives them back to nature, including in the form of air, water, and soil pollution. The cycle is not disturbed by negative anthropogenic influences, as humans can improve the natural surroundings through several environmentally active measures. Such strict interaction of the two structures makes social-ecological systems difficult to organize, but adaptive.
Adaptivity is an important characteristic of the city, as maintaining a sustainable social-environmental system does not mean the isolation of a dynamic ecosystem. This approach represents the ability of cities to withstand external and internal impacts without destruction and change of functions, as well as the ability to return to its original state after changes under the influence of negative factors — the so-called ecological succession (Jepson, 2020). At the same time, adaptivity also lies in the geographical limitations of the two systems with the resulting organic interactions of components. Urban units are tied to certain natural conditions and cannot be transferred to places with an alternative ecological climate. Consequently, a developed city should encourage people to interact with local flora and fauna, as well as to form ecological thinking of the population.
Urban socio-environmental systems are difficult to predict, so even with a series of qualitative measures to improve the relationship for the benefit of both parties, one cannot be sure of their effectiveness. It seems clear that natural forms that are negative to the population, such as swamps, insect infestations, or lack of moisture, need to be changed, but it is important to do so gradually. A prerequisite for maintaining a healthy living environment in a sustainable city is the gradual elimination of all negative impacts while maintaining the necessary amount of environmental infrastructure within the city and its surrounding areas.
Local Government Actions
While most of the world’s population lives in urban areas, establishing sustainable settlements is an important challenge for local governments. In order to ensure a seamless and close relationship between cities and the environment, authorities need to develop national programs on sustainable settlements (Frank et al., 2017). In a broad sense, such policies should address environmental protection, education of ecological thinking among the citizens, and both natural and urban safety in the system. In the context of more detailed changes, municipalities must move towards creating social well-being for their citizens. This can be done by affordable housing, clean water supply, reduction of pollution from transport and industry, efficient energy conservation, waste management system, and promotion of bicycle transport and pedestrian traffic.
It is important to recognize that the number of particular steps taken by authorities is limited by the existing natural and social environmental conditions. It seems impossible to let the river flows through the city if the settlement is far away from water resources. However, the administrators are able to change the existing systems for the better. Thus, the first step should be to recognize the need for quality development and to promote it among the population. The second step should be to consider and analyze the existing barriers to sustainable growth — it may be a lack of experience among specialists, short-term planning, or difficulty in understanding the idea. Finally, useful changes need to be introduced: a smooth transition from personal to public transport, relocation of industrial facilities outside the city limits, changing the urban landscape, and creating developed urban spaces.
It is important to recognize that city administrations cannot be isolated in matters of urban improvement. Citizens with direct daily contact with the urban environment and the natural surroundings understand what changes must be introduced, while local governments have the authority to implement them. For this reason, urban development must be based on an effective dialogue between all actors involved in the social and ecological environment. The Internet can be a platform for such interaction, hence the authorities need to develop a service that allows citizens to express their opinion and vision. Such an approach will create a synergy effect, as the architect, designer, ecologist, art historian, and ordinary citizen play a role in the joint development of new infrastructure elements to make the city better. Ultimately, the creation of a sustainable socio-economic urban system will significantly improve the living standards of the population and ensure the conservation of natural resources.
References
Frank, B., Delano, D., & Caniglia, B. S. (2017). Urban systems: A socio-ecological system perspective. Sociology International Journal, 1(1), 1-9.
Jepson, E. (2020). URP 4403 lecture 7 [Video]. YouTube.