Earlier this year Janine Benyus spoke at the 2014 Geodesign Summit, an annual gathering of professionals interested in using geospatial technologies to arrive at the best and most sustainable design solutions.

The talk she gave was recorded and would be great to share with students studying urban planning, architecture, or landscape architecture. In her address, Janine describes how cities could be designed to function just like a forest: restorative, regenerative, sustainable, life giving. She also gives a great introduction to the concept of ecological performance standards, a set of design guidelines that could be used to build resiliency back into our urban environment.