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“I suggest that if we are to understand ecosystems in which humans are the key players, we need a paradigm shift in the way we study these ecosystems,” wrote Marina Alberti. “As ecosystems are increasingly dominated by human action, they move toward a new set of feedback mechanisms. Their state is unstable. We can drive them to collapse or we can consciously steer them toward outcomes we desire.”

“The relationship between humans and the rest of nature is not always easy. We have entered the Anthropocene – an era in which our species has emerged as a major force of nature,” stated Torgny Holgren. “This is particularly visible in relation to water, where human interventions occur throughout the hydrological cycle: Change in land use alters evaporation which in turn can change atmospheric movements of moisture and cause droughts or floods in distant river basins.”

The county is currently developing a plan to meet 20 percent of L.A.’s current demand. “We get a lot of our water from outside of Los Angeles, from northern California, Colorado, and it is getting more and more expensive,” said Dr. J.R. DeShazo. “It’s getting less reliable, and the water quality from some of those external supplies is getting worse.” Advocates hope to build support for green infrastructure designed to capture and store a largely untapped resource that could help quench the county’s constant demand for water – and provide multiple benefits for L.A.’s communities.

The fused grid network pattern recently passed another test with top marks – the traffic safety test. Planers using it for its rainwater management advantages can now be confident that it will also enhance safety. “The city plan is organized in repeatable wards, with a square in the centre, which is visible to half of the homes in each ward”, explained Fanis Grammenos, “The square is protected from heavy traffic since through streets are located at the boundaries of the ward, leaving the centre relatively calm for casual strollers.”

“Commissioned by the Liuzhou Municipality Urban Planning department, the city will host some 30,000 residents and feature the hallmarks of a typical city, such as offices, houses, hotels, hospitals and schools. These buildings will draw on geothermal energy and rooftop solar panel for their power needs,” wrote Nick Lavars. “Construction is currently underway, with the Liuzhou Forest City expected to be completed by 2020.”

“Along with the explosion of the motorcar in the early 20th century came paved surfaces. Rainwater – instead of being sucked up by plants, evaporating, or filtering through the ground back to rivers and lakes – was suddenly forced to slide over pavements and roads into drains, pipes and sewers," wrote Sophie Knight. "As the recent floods from Bangladesh to Texas show, it’s not just the unprecedented magnitude of storms that can cause disaster: it’s urbanisation."

“Other languages like French and German often use more exact terms than English for 'stormwater' and 'wastewater', and this changes how relationships and worth are perceived,” states Robert Hicks. “The reason why other languages use more exact terms relates to the structural nature of those languages.

“Going ‘Green First’ means we can meet our regulatory requirements while also reducing local flooding, decreasing basement backups, improving the resiliency of our communities to disaster during extreme weather events, and enhance economic development in the City,” stated Mayor Bill Peduto. “The draft plan proposes to manage runoff from 1,835 acres with green infrastructure over the next twenty years.”

A Blue-Green City aims to recreate a naturally oriented water cycle while contributing to the amenity of the city by bringing water management and green infrastructure together. As co-editor of the October 2016 issue of Sitelines magazine, Julie Schooling was responsible for developing the storyline and overseeing story development. “It was so exciting to have such a diverse and relevant group of contributors for this issue,” she said.

“I love epic stories with universal meaning for varied audiences around the world. In sum, that is why I think Jonathan F.P. Rose‘s new book will become a must-read classic. And, if 400-pagers are not your style, it’s at worst a well-written, must-browse wonder, with relevant lessons for us all,” wrote Chuck Wolfe in a book review. “Even those who prefer the short length of a tweet should immerse themselves in Rose’s ideas.”