Urban Nature in Daily Doses

Abstract

The graduation project within the field of Urbanism investigates the impact of urban environments on personal and ecological well-being, with a focus on the decreasing quality of life in cities due to the diminishing urban green spaces resulting from growing urbanisation and densification. Moreover, the project highlights the importance of natural environments in mitigating daily stresses and the consequences of climate change. Therefore, preserving and enhancing urban nature at all scales is vital.

As part of the study, the pattern language “Restoration with Urban Nature” was developed to create design principles for improving personal and ecological well-being. The pattern language is organized into six categories that provide overarching, general patterns as well as suggestions related to activity, environment, senses, and implementation. Additionally, it contains a few “bonus patterns”.
Resulting from the pattern language, design principles are applied to the design location Moabit West in Berlin and then transferred to two other areas in Berlin: Helmholtzkiez and Flughafenkiez. A co-creation workshop with stakeholders from the first design location was also held to test the pattern language and ensure a participatory design process. Furthermore, the project utilises ecosystem services and parameters of restoration to evaluate the effectiveness of the design principles.

The results of the study provide insights into how urban design can improve personal and ecological well-being in urban areas by creating restorative environments with a focus on urban nature. Thus, an integrated approach that considers the various needs of humans and natural systems is needed to improve restoration and the provision of ecosystem services in Berlin and other urban contexts.

As personal and ecological well-being are strongly related, social-ecological urbanism holds high potential for cities. Consequently, the thesis contributes to the development of sustainable urban design strategies that prioritise the preservation and enhancement of urban nature for the benefit of both residents and the environment.
The findings are relevant for urban planners, designers, and policymakers who seek to create health-promoting and climate-adaptive urban environments. In order to implement the developed principles, raised awareness of the urgency of the topic is needed among all stakeholders. Furthermore, interdisciplinary cooperation fosters the successful development of restorative environments.

Finally, with its versatile green structure, the city of Berlin holds high potential for providing restoration and ecosystem services. The challenge lies in discovering and valuing those potentials.