Abstract
This chapter is aimed to analyze the relationships between environmental sustainability, urban ecosystems, and green innovation. The method employed is the critical analytical review of literature and further discussion on the issues focusing the city´s experience on managing the formulation, generation, development, implementation, and evaluation of new behaviors and ideas in green innovation. It is concluded that the green innovation is directly related with the environmental sustainability and urban ecosystems. The interest of this analysis lies in providing support to urban settlements in managing the risks inherent in green area innovation, incremental or radical as a community's management would experience in relation to the environmental sustainability in urban ecosystems.
TopEnvironmental Sustainability
The urban economic growth and development perspective considers the city as the location where production, distribution, consumption contributing to the process of urban innovation taking place. Sustainable urban planning policies must adopt innovative approaches to consider the anticipation of risks and rationalization of investments. The process of urban innovation is inherent to the practice of sustainable development. Environmental sustainable urban planning and development as a theoretical framework supported by transitional theory can be adapted to specific issues of urban land use and infrastructure. Environmental sustainability transitions may contribute to improve economic growth and development.
A sustainable city is supported by an urban planning and designing paradigm. Urban design and planning supported by local governments are urged to spur technical innovations, innovative practices and contribute to develop new business models and marketing strategies aimed to find green resource-efficient solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation while restructuring and reinventing local economies.
Integrating environmental sustainability issues into green areas innovation strategy and greening the innovation process are becoming a strategic opportunity for organizations, communities, local governments, neighborhoods (Porter & Reinhardt, 2007). Research and green innovation resources are available and accessible in a network, which can be used adaptable to some specific demands, such as technologies, tools, data, experimentation and testing facilities, and user groups.
Environmental sustainability is an integral part of green area innovation requiring greater demands of ecological performance out of eco-efficient green technologies with reduction and mitigation of green negative environmental impacts. An innovation environment creates new business opportunities. Leon (2006) identifies the need to transform efficiency and quality of public infrastructures and services and the creation of a business environment as the necessary factors for a city to become an innovation hub (Komninos & Sefertzi, 2009).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Urban Space: It is the proper space of a city, that is, of a population grouping of high density. It is characterized by having an infrastructure so that this large number of people can cope harmoniously in their daily lives.
Sustainability: It refers to biological systems that can preserve diversity and productivity over time.
Ecosystem: Biological system constituted by a community of living beings and the natural environment in which they live.
Environmental: Of the environment or related to it.
Green Innovation: The creation and diffusion of technological means to remedy climate change.
Sustainable City: That city where there is adequate mobility, saving energy and water resources, reducing auditory pollution and creating pleasant public spaces where there are green areas with great functionality.
Urban: Of the city or related to it.