Contemporary urban agglomerations manifest generally unsustainable ecologies. The depletion of material resources, the accumulation of waste, the over-expenditure of non-renewable energy are direct consequences of the predatory expansion of urbanization.

Although commendable, so-called “green approaches” present more often than not a conflict vis-à-vis widespread economic constraints either concerned with optimizing the return on monetary investment or the lack of financial means. Thus, a standoff remains between costly environmental measures and prevailing economic systems.

Alternative solutions and technologies, while available and mostly tested at the level of individual buildings, have yet to be assessed for their applicability to the urban scale. This challenge provides a platform for identifying potential procedures that are not only ecologically sensitive, but also economically, socially, and aesthetically sustainable.