Ecological Infrastructure: An Examination of Three Canadian Cities

Abstract

This paper examines the idea of ecological infrastructure within the
context of three Canadian cities located in three distinct ecological
regions i.e., the boreal forest (in the Precambrian Shield), the tall-grass
prairie and the short-grass prairie. Each city was examined through the
design studio process using a combination of GIS investigations and
CAD based design iterations. The paper illustrates how design context,
understood as the convergence of natural and urban systems, provides
the basis for modelling urban ecological infrastructure, beginning with
a macro scale long term ecological plan of the city and resolved through
a series of site specific design investigations. Three approaches to
designing green infrastructure are proposed: colliding infrastructures,
designing for succession and regeneration, and designing for capture
and inertia. Examples are presented for each approach.