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Ecocities
An ecocity is a human settlement that enables its residents to live a good quality of life while using minimal natural resources.
Buildings
Its buildings make best use of sun, wind and rainfall to help supply the energy and water needs of occupants. Generally multistory to maximize the land available for greenspace.
Biodiversity
It is threaded with natural habitat corridors, to foster biodiversity and to give residents access to nature for recreation.
Transport
Its food and other goods are sourced from within its borders or from nearby, in order to cut down on transport costs.
The majority of its residents live within walking or cycling distance of their workplace, to minimise the need for motorised transport.
Frequent public transport connects local centres for people who need to travel further.
Local car sharing allows people to use a car only when needed.
Industry
The goods it produces are designed for reuse, remanufacture, and recycling.
The industrial processes its uses involve reuse of by-products, and minimise the movement of goods.
Economy
It has a labour intensive rather than a material, energy, and water intensive economy, to maintain full employment and minimise material throughput.
—Ecocity definition written by our sister organization, Urban Ecology Australia
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339 15th Street, Suite 208
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone/Fax 510-444-4508
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Site contents ©2007 by Ecocity Builders. Please contact Ecocity Builders about reproducing, reprinting or distributing site content. Thank you.
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We are a non-profit organization dedicated to reshaping cities, towns and villages for long term health of human and natural systems. Our goals include returning healthy biodiversity to the heart of our cities, agriculture to gardens and the streets, and convenience and pleasure to walking, bicycling and transit. We visualize a future in which waterways in neighborhood environments and prosperous downtown centers are opened for curious children, fish, frogs and dragonflies. We work to build thriving neighborhood centers while reversing sprawl development, to build whole cities based on human needs and “access by proximity” rather than cities built in the current pattern of automobile driven excess, wasteful consumption and the destruction of the biosphere.
(Above, Ecocity San Francisco by Richard Register)
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Berkeley Center Street Perspective by Walter Hood and Hood Design
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NEW!
ECOCITIES EMERGING
To support humanity's transition into the Ecozoic Era.
Ecocities Emerging is an initiative of Ecocity Builders and the International Ecocity Conference Series.
February 2009 Issue
January 2009 Issue
December 2008 Issue
November 2008 Issue
October 2008 Issue
September 2008 Issue
August 2008 Issue
DONATE TODAY
SUPPORT ECOCITY BUILDERS
ECOCITY MEDIA
Ecocity Media is a compliation of articles, videos, projects, blogs and general information on the ecocity movement world wide.
VISIT ECOCITY MEDIA
URBAN VILLAGES
Ecocity Builders has been awarded a two year grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District under their Regional Strategy category for Climate Protection to explore the Urban Villages approach to sustainable development, working with the City of Oakland, California, and local community partners and organizations.
LINK TO OAKLAND PROJECT PAGE
Urban Villages Project Featured in the San Francisco Chronicle—Read Article
HEART OF THE CITY
With funding from the Helen & William Mazer Foundation and Berkeley patrons, Ecocity Builders has hired celebrated landscape architect Walter Hood to develop a design for Center Street in downtown Berkeley, California.
BERKELEY PROJECT DESIGN PAGE
Watch BERKELEY ELECTION FORUM 2008
INTERNATIONAL ECOCITY CONFERENCES
ECOCITY 2009: ISTANBUL, TURKEY, December 12-15.
http://www.ecocity2009.com
Ecocity Builders convened the 7th International Ecocity Conference (Ecocity World Summit) April 22-26, 2008 in San Francisco.
http://www.ecocityworldsummit.org
Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco, addresses the delegates.
Photo credit: Mona Miri 2008
OIL INDEPENDENT OAKLAND
Richard Register served on Oakland's "Oil Free Oakland by 2020" Task Force. You can download the draft OIO Action Plan from the City of Oakland's website, which adovates for the Urban Villages approach.
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