Urban institutional and ecological footprint: A new urban metabolism assessment tool for planning sustainable urban ecosystems

Abstract

Purpose

This paper is part of a PhD research in urban metabolism assessment tools. Its purpose is to propose a new strategic urban metabolism assessment tool that can be integrated in the urban ecosystem planning process.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the systemic approach to build a model of an urban ecosystem in order to understand its structure and function; understand its metabolism flows and how to assess and “control” it. This systemic model outlines the role of the ecological footprint (EF) in the assessment of urban metabolism flows and demonstrates the need for a new tool to assess the function of metabolism control.

Findings

The research paper proposes a new strategic assessment tool composed of the EF, as an assessment tool of urban metabolism flows, and of a new tool dedicated to the assessment of the urban metabolism control function. This tool, fully integrated in the urban planning process, will bridge the gap between urban metabolism assessment and urban metabolism control and planning.

Originality/value

There are many urban metabolism assessment tools that are developed to assess and evaluate urban metabolisms, but urban planning practitioners need a strategic tool to transform assessment results into urban actions integrated in the urban ecosystem planning process.

Citation

Dakhia, K. and Berezowska‐Azzag, E. (2010), "Urban institutional and ecological footprint: A new urban metabolism assessment tool for planning sustainable urban ecosystems", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 78-89. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777831011010874