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Cities as ecosystems: Growth, development and implications for sustainability

Author

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  • Bodini, Antonio
  • Bondavalli, Cristina
  • Allesina, Stefano

Abstract

Prescriptions for a more sustainable society are usually piecemeal. They are inspired by single issue criteria, no matter if sustainability is, rather, a whole system trait as it pertains to growth and development, that are overall system attributes. In this paper urban sustainability is discussed in a whole system perspective using the ecosystem approach as a framework. This required that urban systems were described as flow networks and investigated through ecological network analysis. Three cities are discussed as a case study and their network representation concerned water flows that were identified knowing water exchanges between city components (i.e. sectors of human activity). Network analysis yielded system level indices that condense the complexity of the flow structure (representing system's metabolism) in a few measures that provide information on how systems grow and develop; as such they allow to explore sustainability at the whole system scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Bodini, Antonio & Bondavalli, Cristina & Allesina, Stefano, 2012. "Cities as ecosystems: Growth, development and implications for sustainability," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 245(C), pages 185-198.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:245:y:2012:i:c:p:185-198
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.02.022
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    8. Jiali Huang & Robert E Ulanowicz, 2014. "Ecological Network Analysis for Economic Systems: Growth and Development and Implications for Sustainable Development," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(6), pages 1-8, June.
    9. Francisco Orlando Rosales & Brian D. Fath & Grace Yolanda Llerena, 2023. "Quantifying a virtual water metabolic network of the Metropolitan District of Quito, Ecuador using ecological network methods," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(5), pages 1304-1318, October.
    10. Bob O. Manteaw, 2020. "Sanitation Dilemmas and Africa’s Urban Futures: Foregrounding Environmental Public Health in Contemporary Urban Planning," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 9, September.
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    13. Jørgensen, Sven E. & Nielsen, Søren Nors & Fath, Brian D., 2016. "Recent progress in systems ecology," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 319(C), pages 112-118.
    14. Zackery B. Morris & Marc Weissburg & Bert Bras, 2021. "Ecological network analysis of urban–industrial ecosystems," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(1), pages 193-204, February.
    15. Damjana Gantar & Jana Kozamernik & Ina Šuklje Erjavec & Simon Koblar, 2022. "From Intention to Implementation of Vertical Green: The Case of Ljubljana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
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