Restructuring of Urban Metabolism System

Abstract

This report concerns a study on the method for solving the serious problem of waste management faced by today's urban society. At the beginning, the metabolism of material consumption by human society is analysed in historical order and defined into five development stages: (1)the stage of natural eclogical cycle; (2)the stage of ecological production cycle; (3)the stage of a cycle of production in farms and consumption in towns; (4)the stae of a cycle of industrial production, consumption and disposal;and (5)the stage where development of artificial material cycle system is need. The report points out that although up the 4th stage the metabolism of human society could depend on the natural eco-system, in the 5th stage it is no longer possible and is now at its turning point. The author then discusses the concept of social eco-system composed of such sud-systems as market system, community system, governmental system, citizen's activity system, and regulation and monitoring system, and proposes a method for controlling it. As practical examples of this method, the report makes analytical assessment of the development procedure of the Suita city project in Japan and the Kommunekemi system in Denmark, then based on this study, suggests concrete method for restructuring the conventional waste management system into a social eco-system.