Ecocity roots

Here I would like to list some of the important people that influenced the formation of ecocity concept. All of them agreed that filling in non-developed areas should be avoided. Also, all of them put emphasis on a sound knowledge of local ecological conditions.

Ebenezer Howard (1898)

The Garden Cities of Tomorrow around the turn of the 19th to 20th century were a self-conscious attempt at cities more harmonious with nature, probably marking the earliest modern eco-city efforts. Howard integrated advantages of cities and the countryside into the Garden City. The key to good living was seen as a provision of good housing and the rational organization of space. Industries designed to be located on the outskirts.

Patrick Geddes (1915)

Patrick Geddes believed that urban planning needed to build from a knowledge of natural regions and their resources. He regarded the river basin as the natural unit for examining different activities associated with cities. Within this context, it would be possible for residents to link with nature and with their own past. He also foresaw the important influences on city size that would be exerted by new technologies such as electicity and motor vehicles. He foresaw that it would be important to bring nature back into the city. He proposed urban settelemnts in a star-like form, with axes of natural space intruding into the city.

Lewis Mumford (1961)

Lewis Mumford took elements of social cohesion and city size of Howard, as well as the river basin approach of Geddes, to create a more direct link between ecological areas and city region development. He proposed new Garden City-type, decentralized urban developemnt, located in river basin regions.

Le Corbusier (1929)

Le Corbisier emphasized higher-density living with considerable provision of open space and generous tree planting in his Plan Voisin.

Richard Register (1970's-present)

In 1975, Richard Register and a few friends formed Urban Ecology, a non-profit organization to " build cities in balance with nature." In 1987, he wrote a book Eco-city Berkley about how Berkley can be ecologically rebuilt over the next several decades. Urban Ecology started publishing The Urban Ecologist journal in 1990. The momentum accelerated when Urban Ecology organized the first International Eco-city conference in 1990 in Berkley. 8th International Eco-city Conference took place this year (December 13-15) in Istanbul, Turkey.