Abstract Introduction

Shared Habitats

Computational Urban Design II

Shared Habitats is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed at Master’s in City & Technology in 2020/21 by student: Kevin Aragón, Miguel Tinoco, Mario Gonzales, Iván Reyes and faculty: Alex Mademochoritis, Eugenio Bettucchi & Iacopo Neri.

Key Words: Urban Biodiversity Index, Computational Design, Generative Design, Urban Habitats, Sustainability

Abstract

Reversing the degradation or destruction of habitats is linked to some of the most important objectives in the fight against climate change, in general, and in the prevention of collapsing food chains. Addressing these issues within urban space is a contested, complex, yet important area of study. This work explores the creation of a set of tools that allow decisionmakers and designers to integrate ecological indexes as design variables. Specifically, this work uses the Urban Biodiversity Index as a tool for measuring impact. Through generative design procedures, the tools in this work allow its user to plan and design ecological corridors within the urban fabric.

1. Introduction

Cities are a complex set of systems within systems. Some of these systems work within the urban fabric (as would be the green infrastructure or the public amenities) while others are heavily reliant on external unions to other systems (such as food systems or mobility systems). These systems help serve the needs and wants of those who’s lives depend on said systems. The process of manufacturing goods, shipping, storage, selling, buying consuming these systems is referred as the urban metabolism. In the process of producing cities, and in the process exponentially growing its urban metabolism, humans have severely altered the ecosystems in which cities have settled. Through industrial, cultural and political processes, humans have shaped the way in which the ecosystems that share space with the urban metabolic processes. One example of this, is the effect that urbanization has on ecosystems. The process of urbanization requires the transformation of a particular landscape into an extension of the urban fabric. This process is overwhelmingly negative for the species that originally populated the urbanized space. Habitat destruction, or severe degradation, is the main exchange token for the process of urbanization. Habitat loss, or degradation, has been shown to cause severe effects on both local and broader environmental systems. Amongst the effects we may recognize is the huge loss in pollinator population.1

In recent years, researchers and designers have challenged the accepted ecology of urban space buy proposing interventions that will create space, within the existing urban fabric, in order to bring back endemic species. Examples of this push are green roofs and beehives2. While this work considers green roofs and beehives as essential stepping stones, we aim to push the transformation of the urban fabric beyond the limits of the current narrative. The aim of this work is to increase the level of urban biodiversity within our area of study. In order to do so, we have developed a set of indicators that help us evaluate the results of our work.