THORNHILL, ONTARIO, CANADA, February 24, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CityAge Survey Findings:

• 83% percent of survey respondents are concerned about how Houston’s growth will impact the natural environment.
• 93% of survey respondents are concerned about the impact of flooding on the natural environment.
• 90% are concerned about resiliency to storms and extreme weather events.

Houston, long seen as America’s oil capital, should be a place that integrates nature into its future development, a new CityAge survey of the city’s residents concludes.

Approximately three out of four Houston residents surveyed believe the city should embrace “biomimicry”, an emerging idea in urban design that builds natural ecosystems into building global cities.

The concept means embracing the benefits of natural ecosystems and integrating these ecosystems into a city’s built environment to naturally manage their water, energy, green space, and rapid growth.

“This is a significant finding for America’s cities,” said Alon Marcovici, CityAge’s Managing Director. “Houston pioneered the oil age. Texas is now on the forefront of wind solar and more sustainable ways of using fossil fuels. Houston residents clearly believe we need to embrace nature to get there.”

“These findings highlight how residents of one of America’s fastest growing cities, and the epicenter of the country’s energy sector, would prefer strategies that allowed for coexistence with their natural surroundings,” added ted Marcovici“Houston residents want solutions to reduce air pollution, mitigate climate change and protect the natural environment. At CityAge, we call the idea The Natural City.”

Despite their concerns, 70% of respondents remain optimistic about Houston’s ability to restore natural habitat. The Natural City is one way city designers could do it. CityAge, Jacobs, and Biomimicry 3.8 are bringing together leaders from Houston and other American cities to further explore the idea at The Natural City digital event.

“We are excited to be engaged with CityAge and Biomimicry 3.8 on this journey to define a new model for sustainable growth, and extremely proud to have the City of Houston as our partner. Jacobs has a long history of impact in the Bayou City and feel that it is a perfect example to explore how we move beyond business as usual sustainability to realize a more generous and nature positive future,” says Steve Clarke, PE, Vice President, Strategic Project Development for Cities and Places - Americas South at Jacobs, Sponsor of the CityAge event, The Natural City, held virtually on February 24.

Jacobs is joined by Biomimicry 3.8 in exploring the possibilities for regenerative design in Houston.

“Nature is our best, and perhaps only, successful blueprint for resilience and regenerative design,” says Nicole Miller, Managing Director for Biomimicry 3.8, “as communities grow, we have an opportunity to design and build in a way that creates positive benefits to people and the planet. This is an exciting time as cities and communities around the world demonstrate that integrating more nature and green space into urban environments generates an abundance of opportunities for improved health, wellness, and economic prosperity.”

About CityAge Insights:
CityAge Insights is a division of CityAge: a platform that brings together a community of leaders who are building the future of our cities and planet. Through in-person, hybrid and digital events, along with original content, CityAge highlights the ideas, people and technologies solving some of society's biggest challenges and creating new opportunities. Established in Vancouver, BC, in 2012, CityAge curates networks of people who introduce big ideas and technologies, and make those ideas a reality by creating public interest and driving stakeholder engagement. For more information about our upcoming events and to see our original content, visit cityage.com.

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