AGGRO URBANIZATION
what is best for the people is low buildings ,and with those we can combine environment so subsequently is best for both.
To stop Urban sprawl means to stop people breeding and good luck on that one and occupying existing buildings instead of building new ones ,and promote country living making it more attractive and practical to stop people from moving to the cities.
High rise building have bad psychological effects on people .
They did tests with rats and it showed that after ten levels they began to eat their young and even each other .Because they went mad.
Also air gets polluted ,makes you think of the mental conditions of the bosses who sit in the penthouses.
Single occupancy house of 3 floors is the ideal hight ,or 3 story apartments ,if all are the same hight and have flat roofs ,a complex farming situation or even nature can be build on top, connecting the roofs with bridges.
William McDonough is an architect who designed a brilliant city underneath the landscape,of just this ,all the rooms get the sun at least once a day ,the city produces its own power recycles its own wastes and utilizes it
and the landscape on top produces all the food ,(vegetables and meat )
this is a brilliant example of Aggro urbanization.
see this youtube the city is at the end
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRjz8iTV...
IN THE PAST
having gardens mixed with cities is not a new idea
Montezuma looked out of his window one day and saw all his peasants in huts of adobe as a blemish on his panorama ,and he ordered the people to hide themselves beneath beautiful flowers (deodorant was not so big in those days),
And so the central Americans were motivated to build living roofs ,turning their village in to a garden with themselves hidden with in .So the idea is by no means original
Babylon was doing very similar things using sophisticated building methods and stone.
TODAY
But today in the cities it is not recommended to grow food.
Because you will end up with cabbages that are contaminated by the city smog.
But to have ornamentals is a great way to liven up the place and combat the diminishings of Nature.
SUBURBS
However in the suburbs is another story ,Aggro urbanization would be a beautiful concept to counteract deforestation ,rising food prices,and a lot more.
It means slightly different construction with concrete roofs at a very gentle slope (for drainage)
damp coursing the concrete with black plastic,(Although the Aztecs used moss)
Installing irrigation systems.and leaving easy ways up to the roof ,with ramps
The walls and reinforced corner pillars must be of sufficient strength to support the extra weight ,as should the cross beams under the roof .
If you decide to go the full living roof way
which means at least 1/4 of a meter of soil to support the weight of the wet soil.
No more than 3 stories is recommended for doing the living roof .
Have the slope in a Northern direction to make full use of the sun(depending which hemisphere you are in,,and so that you could also incorporate solar panels.
To just have some flowers up there as is usual in Holland
But you can also put up lots of flowerpots ,standing on planks (the simple small way).
Permaculture has a lot to say about living roofs
as they are very common in desert environments in Australia.
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PERMACULTURE
It is a collection of sustainable ideas from around the world coupled to present level of knowledge
ideally suited for those who want to get back to the country and build a self sufficient situation for themselves and the family or a community .
People plant rather for the quality of life and to feed their families, than for the market ,so the motivation and the manner are totally different from ordinary agriculture .
Although the basic concept of Permaculture also applies to Organic and sustainable farming,
Utilizing soil management ,and mulching
Building soil instead of diminishing it
The Permaculture designers manual by Bill Mollison,which cost about 40 dollars.
and is the best all round book you can get,on Environmental design,.(tagiari publishing, tagariadmin@southcom.com.au)
This book also has many gardening tips,bio-gas,companion planting and ideas for structures ,how to cool down houses in hot climates ,how to warm up houses in cold climates with out using technology but rather by design.
There are more answers on Permaculture
in my blog on this 360 http://360.yahoo.com/profile-XWsshpgjeb....
Permaculture and Urbanization
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
http://www.populationconnection.org/inde...
http://www.plannersweb.com/sprawl/sprawl...