Wu, Y; Azmi, A; Ibrahim, R; Ghafar, A A and Salih, S A (2025) Creating a sustainable urban ecosystem: The Azheke village model. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 14(4), pp. 1150-1171. ISSN 2046-6099
Abstract
Purpose: With rapid urbanization, cities are facing various ecological and environmental problems. Living in harmony with nature is more important than ever. This paper aims to evaluate the ecosystem and ecological features of Azheke village, a key component of the Hani Rice Terraces World Cultural Heritage in China. The focus is on exploring effective ways to improve the relationship between humans and the natural environment through urban design in order to create a livable and sustainable city that can promote the development of sustainable smart urban ecology design. Design/methodology/approach: This study conducted a systematic literature review to answer the following research questions: (1) How does Azheke design achieve harmony between humans and nature? (2) What are the effective approaches to improve the relationship between humans and nature within urban ecosystems? (3) How can urban design learn and integrate from Azheke's ecological features to improve the relationship between humans and nature? Findings: Azheke sustains long-term human-nature harmony through traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and efficient natural resource use. By incorporating biophilic design and nature-based solutions from Azheke, along with biodiversity-friendly urban planning, we can boost urban ecosystem health and create unique Azheke-inspired urban designs. Research limitations/implications: This research primarily focuses on the human-nature relationship, exploring design strategies based on biodiversity without delving into the interactions between other components of urban ecosystems, such as social-cultural and economic components. Originality/value: This paper provides a new perspective and strategies for developing sustainable and smart urban ecology design. These findings can provide theoretical references for urban planners, designers and decision-makers.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | azheke village; built environment informatics; smart and sustainable city; urban ecology; urban ecosystem |
| Index terms: | biodiversity, natural resource, strategy, nature-based solution, urban ecology, China, design strategy, built environment, designer, biophilic, systematic literature review, methodology, interaction, sustainable city, urban design, urbanization, planner, urban planning, informatic |
| Subjects: | biodiversity, research methods, environmental science, Geography, design methods, environmental resource management, urban design, information science, management, profession, behavioral psychology, research evaluation and metrics, urban planning, infrastructure and transport systems, design incorporating nature |
| Topics: | Business Strategy, Geographical Context, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Governance, Urban Studies, Design Practice, Sustainability, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here