Urban Ecological Design and Environmental Law

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering urban ecological design principles, sustainability goals, green infrastructure, and South African environmental legislation.

Landscape

A human construct created in the "eye of the beholder" that bears witness to the cultures that shape it and is inherently relational to human perception.

Renaissance Garden

A framework that served as a "mediator" between the sacred city and the profane countryside.

Precautionary Principle

A baseline in urban design suggesting that a designer must "first do no harm" to the environment or the people.

Emissions (Buildings)

Buildings contribute approximately $40\%$ of greenhouse gases and consume $40\%$ of energy.

Emissions (Transportation)

Transportation systems contribute $27\%$ to both greenhouse gas production and energy consumption.

EcoResponsive Design

An approach that integrates human needs with an ecosystemic understanding of natural systems across all scales.

Noos Process

A 10-phase systematic, linear process for managing urban design projects where the Greek root signifies reason, intelligence, and intention.

Bioregion

A geographic area defined by natural boundaries, such as watersheds or plant communities, rather than political ones.

Constructed Wetland

An engineered system designed to use natural processes involving wetland vegetation and soils to assist in water management.

Ecological Planning

The use of biophysical and sociocultural information to suggest opportunities and constraints for landscape decision-making.

Ecological Urbanism

A practice and theory viewing the city as a form derived from biological evolution and natural processes.

Urban Heat Island

A phenomenon where urban areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding natural areas due to light-absorbing surfaces like black asphalt.

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)

An approach integrating the management of the total water cycle into urban design to minimize environmental degradation.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A collection of 17 global goals established by the United Nations in 2015 to improve human life and the planet by 2030.

SDG 11

A goal specifically focused on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

Biodiversity (UN Definition)

The variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems.

Habitat Fragmentation

The process where a large expanse of habitat is transformed into several smaller, isolated patches separated by a matrix of different habitats.

Ecosystem Services

Benefits provided by ecosystems to human well-being, categorized as Provisioning, Regulating, Cultural, and Supporting.

Resilience (Urban Systems)

The capacity of a system to absorb disturbances, deal with impacts, and adapt while maintaining its basic structure and functionality.

Multifunctionality Principle

An approach in green infrastructure planning that protects urban green spaces to provide several ecosystem services simultaneously.

Green Infrastructure (GI)

A strategically planned and managed network of natural and semi-natural areas designed to protect biodiversity and deliver ecosystem services.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS)

An umbrella term for actions intended to protect, restore, and manage ecosystems to address societal challenges effectively.

Response Diversity

The diversity of responses to environmental change among species that contribute to the same ecosystem function, critical for resilience.

Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs)

Landscape elements vital to natural resources, such as wetlands, ridges, steep slopes, floodplains, and wildlife habitats.

Green-Grey Integration

The combination of nature-based solutions with engineered infrastructure to provide cost-effective environmental solutions.

Recombinant Habitat

A unique urban habitat created by the combination of local and introduced species.

Silo Mentality

A challenge where city departments operate in isolation, leading to unaligned priorities and uncoordinated resources.

Green-value Gap

A phenomenon where environmental needs are undervalued compared to socio-economic urgencies and political agendas in urban development.

D’MOSS

Durban Metropolitan Open Space System; a GIS-based, ecologically viable network of open spaces in eThekwini.

Waste Dilution

A physical process in the TOSF where river flow volume reduces pollution concentrations.

Waste Assimilation

A biological process in the TOSF where plants and organisms absorb phosphates and nitrates to maintain water quality.

Section 24 (SA Constitution)

Establishes the fundamental right to an environment not harmful to health or well-being and mandates protection for future generations.

NEMA

National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998); the principal environmental statute in South Africa.

Listed Activity

A specific action defined by regulation, such as clearing indigenous vegetation, that requires a formal environmental permit to commence.

Development Footprint

The specific zone within a site directly affected by activity, including ancillary structures like roads and power lines.

National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA)

The primary tool for monitoring and reporting on the state of biodiversity within South Africa.

Greenwashing

The practice of making misleading or unsubstantiated claims about the environmental benefits of a product, service, or design.

Extensive Green Roof

A lightweight green roof system with a thin layer of vegetation requiring minimal maintenance.

Intensive Green Roof

A deep-substrate green roof system that can support large plants like trees and shrubs, often designed as accessible park space.

Bioswale

A vegetated, shallow depression designed to capture, treat, and allow stormwater runoff to infiltrate the ground.

Sinuosity

The natural curvature of streams maintained within greenway systems to regulate flow and sedimentation.