Turning to nature to solve modern day problems

Abstract

As populations grow and settlements expand, the landscape is rapidly changed and increasingly modified to accommodate people. Green areas are replaced with grey infrastructure, and necessary natural resources, such as water and soil, are polluted, impacting the wider environment. Grey infrastructure developments require expert knowledge to construct and maintain, are vulnerable to natural disasters and fluctuating climatic conditions and can create bigger problems should they fail. In many parts of the world, engineers are now looking back to nature to build resilience into designs for more sustainable solutions. Incorporating plants and other natural elements into infrastructure have been proven to have many benefits in comparison to traditional building methods. Construction material is often cheaper, can create added benefits to communities, such as fodder and thatching, increases in strength over time, and is easier to maintain – a plus for local residents in difficult-to-reach places.

Authors

Categories