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The Metacity: A Conceptual Framework for Integrating Ecology and Urban Design

Author

Listed:
  • Brian McGrath

    (Parsons The New School for Design, 25 East 13th Street, New York, NY 10003, USA)

  • S. T. A. Pickett

    (Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Baltimore Ecosystem Study, 2801 Sharon Turnpike, P.O. Box AB, Millbrook, NY 12545-0129, USA)

Abstract

We introduce the term metacity as a conceptual framework that can be shared by ecologists and designers and applied across the wide variety of urban habitats found around the world. While the term metacity was introduced by UN-HABITAT to designate hyper cities of over twenty million people, for us it is not limited to large urban agglomerations, but rather refers to the proliferation of new forms of urbanization, each with distinct ecological and social attributes. These various urban configurations when combined with new digital sensing, communication and social networking technologies constitute a virtual meta-infrastructure, present in all cities today. This new metacity has the potential to integrate new activist forms of ecological and urban design research and practice in making the transition from sanitary to sustainable city models globally. The city of Baltimore, Maryland will be used both as a site to illustrate these recent urban trends, and also as an example of the integration of ecology and urban design pursued by the two authors over the past seven years [1,2]. Metacity theory is drawn from both an architectural analysis of contemporary forms of urbanism, new forms of digital monitoring and communication technologies, as well as metapopulation and metacommunity theories in ecology. We seek to provide tools and lessons from our experiences for realizing an integrated metacity approach to achieving social sustainability and ecological resilience on an increasingly urbanized planet.

Suggested Citation

  • Brian McGrath & S. T. A. Pickett, 2011. "The Metacity: A Conceptual Framework for Integrating Ecology and Urban Design," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-18, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jchals:v:2:y:2011:i:4:p:55-72:d:14413
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Talal Obaid Alshammari & Abbas M. Hassan & Yasser Arab & Heba Hussein & Fatemeh Khozaei & Maryam Saeed & Basma Ahmed & Manaf Zghaibeh & Wesam Beitelmal & Hyowon Lee, 2022. "The Compactness of Non-Compacted Urban Developments: A Critical Review on Sustainable Approaches to Automobility and Urban Sprawl," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Melissa R. McHale & Steward T.A. Pickett & Olga Barbosa & David N. Bunn & Mary L. Cadenasso & Daniel L. Childers & Meredith Gartin & George R. Hess & David M. Iwaniec & Timon McPhearson & M. Nils Pete, 2015. "The New Global Urban Realm: Complex, Connected, Diffuse, and Diverse Social-Ecological Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-30, April.
    3. Brian McGrath & Somporn Sangawongse & Danai Thaikatoo & Martina Barcelloni Corte, 2017. "The Architecture of the Metacity: Land Use Change, Patch Dynamics and Urban Form in Chiang Mai, Thailand," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 2(1), pages 53-71.
    4. Ann-Kristin Mühlbach & Olaf Mumm & Ryan Zeringue & Oskars Redbergs & Elisabeth Endres & Vanessa Miriam Carlow, 2021. "TOPOI RESOURCES: Quantification and Assessment of Global Warming Potential and Land-Uptake of Residential Buildings in Settlement Types along the Urban–Rural Gradient—Opportunities for Sustainable Dev," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-33, April.
    5. Zahra Mokhtari & Shahindokht Barghjelveh & Romina Sayahnia & Salman Qureshi & Alessio Russo, 2022. "Dynamic and Heterogeneity of Urban Heat Island: A Theoretical Framework in the Context of Urban Ecology," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-17, July.
    6. Chiara Catalano & Mihaela Meslec & Jules Boileau & Riccardo Guarino & Isabella Aurich & Nathalie Baumann & Frédéric Chartier & Pascale Dalix & Sophie Deramond & Patrick Laube & Angela Ka Ki Lee & Pasc, 2021. "Smart Sustainable Cities of the New Millennium: Towards Design for Nature," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 1053-1086, November.
    7. José G. Vargas-Hernández & Justyna Zdunek-Wielgołaska, 2021. "Urban green infrastructure as a tool for controlling the resilience of urban sprawl," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 1335-1354, February.
    8. Vanessa Carlow & Olaf Mumm & Dirk Neumann & Anne-Kathrin Schneider & Boris Schröder & Maycon Sedrez & Ryan Zeringue, 2022. "TOPOI – A method for analysing settlement units and their linkages in an urban–rural fabric," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 49(6), pages 1663-1681, July.

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