The Greening of Human Settlements

The document argues that a new industrial revolution is emerging, driven by 'natural capitalism' and integrative design, which aims to increase resource productivity by 10- to 100-fold. The author posits that market-driven green design in human settlements—characterized by high density, pedestrian-centric transport, and resource-efficient buildings—can align commercial profitability with environmental restoration, potentially making traditional government spatial planning obsolete.

• The current industrial shift is driven by a transition from a scarcity of people to a scarcity of nature, which will lead to using nature "10- to 100-fold more productively." This shift is characterized by "natural capitalism," where reducing pollution and resource depletion to nearly zero is viewed as "extraordinarily profitable" using existing technologies and integrative design.
• Integrative design in land use and buildings typically combines high density, beauty, and diversity with pedestrian- and cycle-dominated transport, natural hydrology, and buildings requiring little to no energy. Such designs can achieve high comfort levels in temperatures ranging from -44°C to +46°C while maintaining lower construction costs.
• Case studies demonstrate the practical benefits of green development. In Curitiba, Brazil, the population grew to 2.6 million over 20 years while the city became one of the world's great cities through integrative design. In Davis, California, the Village Homes development used natural drainage swales to save $800 per house, which funded edible landscaping and contributed to a crime rate 90 per cent lower than in adjacent car-centric developments.
• The author suggests that the commercial merit of green design may eventually render government spatial planning unnecessary. This is evidenced by developers in the US building green towns like Haymount in Virginia under laissez-faire regulation because such designs "work better, cost less, and sell better."

APA

Lovins, A. B. (n.d.). The Greening of Human Settlements. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D00-35-Greening-Human-Settlements-.pdf

Chicago

Lovins, Amory B. The Greening of Human Settlements. RMI, n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D00-35-Greening-Human-Settlements-.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory B. |title=The Greening of Human Settlements |publisher=RMI |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D00-35-Greening-Human-Settlements-.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lovinsndgreening, author = {Lovins, Amory B.}, title = {{The Greening of Human Settlements}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D00-35-Greening-Human-Settlements-.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }