Life-centred Urban Design
Sustainable, regenerative, and nature-inclusive human-made spaces
Life-centred urban design expands the lens of urban planning beyond human users to include the needs of all life supported by a city. Instead of treating ecosystems as scenery or constraints, it positions them as co-beneficiaries and co-shapers of design.
Circular
Circular design in urban design focuses on creating regenerative cities where resources are reused, waste is minimised, and systems are designed for long-term sustainability.
Inclusive
Inclusive design in urban design ensures that cities and public spaces are accessible, safe, and welcoming for people of all abilities, ages, and backgrounds.
Nature-Inspired
Urban spaces that draw from nature’s design and bring more nature into their design benefit from nature’s natural circular and regenerative aspects, while also reconnecting people with nature.
More Than Human
More than Human Urban Design reimagines human-made spaces to nurture the needs of the urban plants and animals for greater biodiversity.
Impacts of urbanisation on the 3 Life Groups
Urban design shapes far more than how cities look or function. The way we plan streets, buildings, and public spaces creates cascading impacts on people, animals, and the environments that support all urban life.
- Displacement and loss of housing from development and rising land values.
- Unequal access to safe, accessible, and well-serviced public spaces.
- Health impacts from air pollution, heat, noise, and traffic-dominated streets.
- Safety risks from car-centred design and poorly lit or maintained spaces.
- Limited community participation in planning and decision-making.
- Habitat loss and fragmentation from roads, buildings, and hard surfaces.
- Light and noise pollution disrupting feeding, breeding, and migration.
- Barriers to movement from fences, traffic, and sealed surfaces.
- Injury or death from vehicles, glass façades, and urban infrastructure.
- Reduced food and shelter due to loss of native vegetation.
- Land sealing and loss of soil, reducing water absorption and carbon storage.
- Urban heat islands increasing energy use and heat stress.
- Water pollution and flooding from runoff on hard, impervious surfaces.
- High material and energy use in construction and maintenance.
- Reduced biodiversity and ecosystem resilience in heavily built areas.
More Than Human Cities
For Urban Planners and Sustainability and Climate Workers
LCD Lab has been developing More Than Human Urban Design to innovate cities and human-centric spaces to also welcome wildlife, restore ecosystems, and reconnect people with the living systems around them.
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