What is an Ecocity?

by Richard Register (orginal post)

An ecocity is a city or town that is compact - "high density" - and complete with a good balance of housing, jobs, commerce, culture and other of society's and economy's essentials. This is sometimes called - "high diversity." The objective of ecocity design is largely to place people, natural resources and human-created resources, products, services and knowledge in close proximity. This general arrangement, also informed by local climate, soils, resources and historic conditions, by sun angles, wind or other renewable energy resources is connected by rail and bicycle, both externally and internally. Watercourses are celebrated and nature is restored adjacent and to some degree inside of such built communities. Very fundamentally, the ecocity is simply small enough in its appetite for land and resources that it makes possible the expansion of farming and restoration of nature. It makes possible the very high ratios of cultural and natural return for investment in material and energy use. This amounts to the most effective means available to humanity for solving climate change and biodiversity loss problems and attaining a new kind of prosperity that can endure forever into the future.