Urban Density: "Density and Nature" webinar

On 23 March, the fourth episode of our webinar series concerning urban density was held. Nearly 150 listeners heard Marion Waller and Philippe Clergeau debate the link between density and nature. Next meeting: 27 April to discuss how architecture can provide breathing space in the city.

This series is part of a season of reflection and production which perspective.brussels is devoting to the definition of a density which can be combined with the quality of life. One Tuesday every month for 6 months, perspective.brussels will be inviting an international practitioner or researcher to talk about their vision of density.

For this fourth webinar, Marion Waller, urban planner, environmental philosopher and advisor to the Mayor of Paris, and Philippe Clergeau, professor of ecology at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, discussed the link between density and nature. You can watch the whole of their discussion and the exchanges by following this YouTube link.

We believe that five lessons should be learned from this fruitful exchange between these two specialists who combine research and practice:

1. Density and nature should no longer be opposed.
2. It is necessary to go further than the mere greening of spaces. We need to think about the place of nature in the city both for the services which it provides and for itself. Nature is a global ecosystem, connected on different scales.
3. Even if significant progress can be made with buildings which promote biodiversity, a central issue for nature in the city is the share of open land. In this perspective, it is also necessary to put the private plots of land at the service of this "natural" system.
4. Understanding nature in the city as a connected system requires us to question territorial scales and the modes of governance on large scales.
5. In order to bring about a new urban model which no longer opposes density and nature, it is necessary to integrate ecological competence to a greater extent into the urban project construction process.

Find all the webinars for this season on the YouTube page of perspective.brussels.