California is actually making big moves to add more nature in the city, in particular in places like San Francisco. It is going to take time for them to really get to where they need to go, but at least there is movement in the right direction.
This post is the essence of my "Urban Plantasy" movement. Beyond the individual approach to growing food and adding more circular systems individually, we need to get the group level. There is absolutely no reason to build the traditional suburban sprawl homes anymore with the knowledge we have today. Biomimicry and Circular Economy can teach us how to build our homes up to "Living Building Challenge" levels with massive long-term savings. Our neighborhoods can become areas of community gardens, rain-water collection, and so many other techniques that are not only great for the environment, they create solidarity on a physical and emotional level. And when it comes to office spaces, there is a whirlwind of amazing designs that create buildings that make you want to go to work!
We are on the brink of a whole new era of urban planning, architecture, design, and social innovation, but to make it happen, we have to dream big and build together!
Love what you bring up here. I'm familiar with the LBC and have been around some of the building that took part in it. Beautiful stuff folks are creating within such strict guideline.
You're right, we have the knowledge, skills and capacity to do A LOT better on the planning side of human existence and design that we currently are. Thanks for your input.
In part, it has been a materials problem. Up until recently, it was much cheaper to build using "standard" materials that didn't really allow the flexibility to create solutions that matched the location and the people. Now that is changing. We have a greater understanding of biology to see that nature builds things in much different ways than we do, and with 3D printing, we are seeing the material that will give us the flexibility to do the right thing without worrying about the price.
All designers, whether they be artists, architects, or engineers, should have a biologist at the table, because nature knows how to build pretty much anything!