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"As
the world becomes more populous, urban, and warmer, we must expect more
from our cityscapes. Urban ecosystems must go way beyond
aesthetics, providing such benefits to residents as shading against the
urban heat island, improving air quality, abating floods, and providing
local food security. Other important objectives are to accomodate
wildlife, purify runoff, and sequester carbon against global warming.
Virtually
every urban environment, no matter how densely populated, may be
optimized relative to the ecological services provided. This
becomes ever more important as cities expand, often at the expense of
natural habitats that provide essential ecological services. . .
The challenge is before us to design urban landscapes that
beautify, perform, improve, and endure."
Charles Reith of Naturally Green
Toward a More Protective Urban Ecosystem, Urban Land, October 2006
PlanGreen's
mission is to help communities move toward a protective urban ecosystem
through the integration of ecosystem services into great
urban design.
  
Photo
by Dave Laclergue, Seattle
Photo by Kathy Gwilym, SvR Designs
Photo by Dave Laclergue, Seattle
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