Rethinking Urban Infrastructure: Building Cities for and with Nature

Le Nâu

27-03-2025 

“[…] with our intelligence, we can subdue and even change them.”

In “Brotherhood”; Wild Wise Weird [1]

As cities confront the escalating impacts of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, a growing body of research is calling for a reimagining of urban design through blue-green infrastructure (BGI)—integrated systems such as green roofs, rain gardens, and stormwater ponds that merge natural and engineered elements to deliver both environmental and social benefits.

In a recent review, Perrelet et al. [2] highlight that while BGI is commonly implemented to manage stormwater, purify pollutants, and mitigate urban heat, it holds significant, yet underutilized, potential to support biodiversity and strengthen ecosystem services. Incorporating biodiversity into infrastructure design—a practice known as ecological engineering—can enhance system performance, bolster resilience to extreme weather events, and reduce long-term maintenance costs [3].

For instance, incorporating diverse plant species in green roofs or wetlands leads to a wider range of root structures, enhancing water absorption and purification. It is not just the number of species but their functional diversity—traits such as leaf area, root depth, and water-use efficiency—that drives ecosystem performance. Additionally, natural processes like plant succession and species interactions can amplify these benefits by fostering more resilient and self-sustaining communities.

Beyond improving infrastructure performance, Perrelet et al. [2] advocate for “engineering for biodiversity”—designing BGI with the explicit goal of conserving nature. As urban areas in some countries now occupy more land than protected reserves, cities have become critical habitats for wildlife, including threatened species. When ecological needs are addressed at both the site and city-wide levels, BGI can provide vital refuges and corridors that sustain urban biodiversity [4].

While trade-offs may arise—such as increased maintenance demands or tensions between ecological and engineering objectives—the authors advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration and context-specific, adaptive solutions. The overarching vision is not merely to utilize nature in urban infrastructure but to support and sustain it.

Indeed, Perrelet et al. [2] make a compelling case for redefining urban development through the lens of the nature-human nexus. By embedding biodiversity into the design and planning of BGI, cities can cultivate more resilient, cost-effective, and ecologically vibrant spaces—not only benefiting both human communities and the natural world but also helping improve humans’ Nature Quotient (NQ) [5,6].

References

[1] Vuong QH. (2024). Wild Wise Weird. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BG2NNHY6/

[2] Perrelet K, et al. (2024). Engineering blue-green infrastructure for and with biodiversity in cities. npj Urban Sustainability, 4, 27. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-024-00163-y 

[3] Bergen SD, et al. (2001). Design principles for ecological engineering. Ecological Engineering, 18(2), 201-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-8574(01)00078-7 

[4] Colding J. (2007). ‘Ecological land-use complementation’ for building resilience in urban ecosystems. Landscape and Urban Planning, 81(1-2), 46-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2006.10.016 

[5] Nguyen MH. (2024). How can satirical fables offer us a vision for sustainability? Visions for Sustainability. https://ojs.unito.it/index.php/visions/article/view/11267