About

The Urban Greenprint applies biomimicry - innovation inspired by nature - to revitalize our cities. By studying how predevelopment ecosystems functioned, we identify strategies to strengthen the ecological systems within our urban centers and help cities function like the forests, wetlands, and prairies they replaced.

We bring together scientists, designers, planners, and community members to translate nature's strategies into actionable, place-based design.

• How can a city function like a forest?
• What can we learn from Nature to improve the health, resilience, & livability of our cities?
• How can our buildings and roads sequester carbon, treat polluted runoff, and support biodiversity?

The goal of the Greenprint is not to recreate the predevelopment ecosystem but instead to understand how urban buildings and spaces can restore the functions those earlier ecosystems provided. Through place-based research and a biomimetic process to understand Nature's strategies, the Urban Greenprint identifies approaches cities can implement to operate more sustainably and improve quality of life.