Abstract

This paper explores the value of the ecosystem analogy as an interpretive model for sustainable development in urban environments. The industrialised world adopted machines as an analogy, constructing a mechanistic world view, which resulted in an unsustainable methodology and a compromised natural environment. The ecosystem analogy inspires various environmental fields to advocate the reorganisation of human systems to emulate ecosystems. Ecosystems are inherently sustainable models that have endured for millennia. Analogous interpretation can assist the diagnosis of destructive urban conditions and offer directions for adaptive response. A number of urban conditions in Hong Kong will be examined in relation to ecosystem theory. The research anticipates a greater resemblance between emerging urban patterns and ecosystems, and presents evidence of transitional change.