Restorative Design Research Papers

The Restorative Urban Design (RUD) calls for a new urban design and planning approach targeting environmentally responsible re/development of urbanized areas through ecologically responsive impact mitigations. If implemented in a... more

The Restorative Urban Design (RUD) calls for a new urban design and planning approach targeting environmentally responsible re/development of urbanized areas through ecologically responsive impact mitigations. If implemented in a systematic manner, such re/developments can help move urban areas toward the successful restoration of the natural environment of which they are an inseparable part.

The RUD model advocates more rigorous assessment and mitigation of urban impacts by carefully evaluating the environmental performance of urban re/developments within five primary dimensions: Atmosphere (emissions, pollutants, ozone depletion); Hydrosphere (stormwater, domestic water, wastewater); Lithosphere (land use, land cover, food and wastes); Ecology (habitat resilience, biodiversity, population and resources); and Energy (renewability, reduction and efficiency, transportation). The model relies on a scenario-comparison process in order to evaluate and optimize the performance of urban re/development projections through four critical scenarios, which are respectively: 1) Natural Baseline (NBASE); 2) Historic Progression (HPROG); 3) Trajectory Forecast (TFORE); and 4) Restorative Projection (RPROJ).

The RUD Case Study illustrates how the principles and strategies of Restorative Urban Design can be applied specifically to a typical (densely developed) urban area, namely River North District in Chicago Metropolitan Area. The case study focuses exclusively on mitigation of a single critical human impact on the natural environment: Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions. The case study focuses on the design assumptions by which the restorative urban re/development scenarios might exceed beyond the full mitigation of emissions into the global remediation by 2040. The restorative projections illustrate that only a certain portion of emissions can be effectively mitigated onsite (5 to 55%), and that the remainder of projected emissions (45 to 95%) need to be mitigated offsite in order to achieve the necessary sequestration and storage.

The restorative research suggests that the mitigation of major human impacts on the natural environment – not only CO2 emissions but also other major impacts – are likely to require significant urban transformations. Moving beyond the strategies of preservation and/or conservation, the restorative approach asserts that comprehensive environmental restoration is achievable if urban impacts are adequately estimated and then entirely mitigated onsite as well as offsite through a systematic process of urban re/development.

One of the key conclusions is expected to be the realization that environmental restoration is not only possible but also highly achievable if properly designed and planned for. This research is designed to heighten the contemporary goals... more

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- by Tulu Toros, PhD
- •
- 56
  Environmental Science, Economics, Visual Studies, Statistics

Recognizing the interdependence between the natural habitat and its inhabitants the restorative agenda seeks to identify and restore the diminishing balances, resuscitating the lost harmony of humans with natural systems through... more

At the core of this study lies the recognition that the current human civilization is facing a multitude of concurrent environmental challenges converging from many directions. Deteriorating condition of the Earth's rehabilitative... more

At the core of this study lies the recognition that the current human civilization is facing a multitude of concurrent environmental challenges converging from many directions. Deteriorating condition of the Earth's rehabilitative processes and regenerative systems gives out subtle warning signals that these environmental challenges have the real potential of culminating in a total environmental catastrophe, which may conceivably produce widespread devastation unlike any other in human history. This study aims to identify major environmental design principles and strategies to overcome these challenges, and to assist the civilization reestablish the naturally regenerative harmony and the rehabilitative balances of Nature. The results of literature review and resource analyses behind this study suggest that most pressing environmental design challenges can be clustered within a few major categories including environmental degradation, resource depletion, global climate change, and population growth.

As the majority of current environmental challenges appear to originate from planning, design, and operations of urban environments, this study identifies a series of Core Principles from mainstream urban design practices such as Smart Growth, New Urbanism, Resilient Cities, Eco-Villages, Regenerative Design, Living Buildings, as well as Green Urbanism. To complement the core principles, a series of Supporting Strategies are derived from such practices as Urban Redevelopment and Infill, LEED-Neighborhood Development, Transit-Oriented Development, Growth Management, Natural Capitalism, Renewable Sources of Energy and Materials, Urban Agriculture, Hannover Principles, as well as Next Industrial Revolution. Based on this foundation the author synthesizes a new, integrated, comprehensive design agenda aiming at the restoration of natural environment, which is coined here as Restorative Design or Restorative Urban Design. The restorative approach not only realigns a wide variety of fragmented design principles and strategies of designing inherently resilient and sustainable environments but also repurposes their ultimate goals toward the restoration of pristine Nature.

Relying exclusively on multifaceted, multi-disciplinary, long-term, and comprehensive environmental planning principles and strategies, the Restorative agenda sets out to propagate appreciation and respect for Nature in order to prevent the destruction of planetary life and to reestablish human harmony within natural systems. It strongly advocates not only the management of population growth and urban sprawl but also the expansion of open natural areas and natural ecosystems. The Restorative theory encourages phasing out of nonrenewable practices and promotes reliance on current solar income and other renewable sources of energy, placing greater emphasis on increased urban densities, quality of life, as well as equality within economic and social structures. It also seeks new legal instruments, land ownership, mass transportation, as well as agricultural patterns toward transformation of existing urban fabric. Finally, the study concludes that only through such a realignment and heightened purpose can environmental planning and design efforts effectively restore and sustain the richness, diversity, health, and beauty of the natural world. The worldwide application of the outlined restorative principles and strategies can help the recovery, revitalization, and restoration of pristine natural systems to the fullest extent possible.

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- by Tulu Toros, PhD and +1
  Gary Coates
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- 73
  Landscape Ecology, Environmental Science, Materials Science, Development Studies

Human developments impose a multitude of adverse effects on natural environment. Beyond principles of sustainability, restorative urban and architectural design strategies should aim to reverse the impacts of these developments by... more

In today’s increasingly complex urban environments the concepts of urban growth and sprawl are particularly relevant to the long-term sustainability of urban areas. Development and use of effective urban design methods to... more

Are the urban design and planning strategies of the prominent environmental performance assessment systems appropriate methodologies to not only reverse the accumulating degradation in the natural environment but also to restore... more

We are just beginning to comprehend the extent of environmental impacts our modern civilization has been causing on the natural balances of the Earth. And, Nature is bound to come back with an equal and opposite force. As we slowly... more

The greatest challenges of the 21st century will presumably require tremendous shifts in the way cities, neighborhoods and buildings are formed, designed and shaped. While the regulations and constrains predicated primarily by... more

What are the most effective strategies of sustainable architecture and urban design in reversing the adverse impacts of human developments and restoring the natural environment?

Restorative Design

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