The growth of cities has become unsustainable: the construction sector is one of the main emitters of greenhouse gases and devours enormous quantities of resources, while urban sprawl devours natural and agricultural soils. In eco-construction, experiences are multiplying but are still marginal. Densification and metropolization have not brought the expected environmental benefits, while the vulnerabilities of too great a human concentration are revealed. As for the promises of increased technologization, the virtues of future smart cities remain mysterious or tenuous, despite the incantations.

What if cities weren’t meant to grow forever? The sooner we protect our agricultural, natural and forest lands from artificialization, the greater our resilience will be in the face of future risks and ecological crises. As quickly as possible, cities must – and can – become stationary. It is not a question of freezing them, but of transforming and beautifying them, of exploiting the immense heritage already built. Above all, it is our relationship with the territories that must evolve, by promoting the redistribution of services and jobs, by working towards a new attractiveness of medium-sized towns, towns, villages and countryside. From now on, metropolises must no longer attract and grow, but spread.

 

Reference

The stationary city – How to put an end to urban sprawl?

Philippe Bihouix (engineer), Sophie Jeantet (architect-urban planner) and Clémence de Selva (architect)

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-2330168735