Functional organization analysis for the design of sustainable engineering systems

Abstract Sustainable engineering design requires consideration of technical and ecosystem structures and processes. Even though the concepts of ecosystem services and natural infrastructure are maturing, their application in concrete engineering design is currently lacking due to their ambiguous definitions and a lack of methods that allow for the combined consideration of ecosystem and technical approaches in engineering design. This article proposes and discusses a new functional organization analysis (FOA) method for the comparative analysis and design of supply systems for basic needs (i.e., water, energy or food). This method allows for the analysis of the organization of system functions as well as underlying technical and ecosystem structures and associated processes. On this basis the method allows one to gather data, information, and knowledge about alternative system designs, and analyze their synergies. The theoretical and conceptual background of the proposed FOA method is presented, along with a case study regarding sustainable food supply systems in Southwestern Ontario.

[1]  William J. Mitsch,et al.  Ecological engineering—the 7-year itch , 1998 .

[2]  R. Sparks,et al.  THE NATURAL FLOW REGIME. A PARADIGM FOR RIVER CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION , 1997 .

[3]  J. W. Termorshuizen,et al.  Landscape services as a bridge between landscape ecology and sustainable development , 2009, Landscape Ecology.

[4]  Lran.  Report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter , 2011 .

[5]  Lennart Olsson,et al.  Categorising tools for sustainability assessment , 2007 .

[6]  J. Novak.  The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How To Construct Them , 2004 .

[7]  Brigitte Moench,et al.  Engineering Design A Systematic Approach , 2016 .

[8]  Dean Tjosvold,et al.  Book review : Group model building : facilitating team learning using system dynamics , 1998 .

[9]  D. Pimentel,et al.  Environmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems , 2005 .

[10]  Peter Checkland,et al.  Systems Thinking, Systems Practice , 1981 .

[11]  J. Ascher,et al.  Bee Richness and Abundance in New York City Urban Gardens , 2008 .

[12]  Wolter J. Fabrycky,et al.  Systems engineering and analysis , 1981 .

[13]  Jennifer Reynolds,et al.  Growing urban health: community gardening in South-East Toronto. , 2007, Health promotion international.

[14]  Joel Forman,et al.  Organic Foods: Health and Environmental Advantages and Disadvantages , 2012, Pediatrics.

[15]  R. D. Groot,et al.  Function-analysis and valuation as a tool to assess land use conflicts in planning for sustainable, multi-functional landscapes , 2006 .

[16]  J Halbe,et al.  Towards adaptive and integrated management paradigms to meet the challenges of water governance. , 2013, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[17]  Claudia Pahl-Wostl,et al.  Requirements for Adaptive Water Management , 2008 .

[18]  Hui-lian Xu,et al.  Biological pest control by enhancing populations of natural enemies in organic farming systems , 2011 .

[19]  Hartmut Bossel.  Systems and Models , 2009 .

[20]  Teja Tscharntke,et al.  Insect pollinated plants benefit from organic farming , 2007 .

[21]  M. Wilson,et al.  Investing in Natural Infrastructure: Restoring Watershed Resilience and Capacity in the Face of a Changing Climate , 2012, Ecological Restoration.

[22]  R. J. Salvador,et al.  Agroecology: The Ecology of Food Systems , 2003 .

[23]  Sven Erik Jørgensen,et al.  Ecological Engineering and Ecosystem Restoration , 2003 .

[24]  M. M. van Lookeren Campagne,et al.  Hybrid seed production and the challenge of propagating male-sterile plants. , 2002, Trends in plant science.

[25]  J. Lingard,et al.  Subsistence farming in transitional economies: lessons from Bulgaria , 2002 .

[26]  M. Matlock,et al.  Ecological Engineering Design: Restoring and Conserving Ecosystem Services , 2011 .

[27]  Ezio Venturino,et al.  Spiders as biological controllers in the agroecosystem. , 2009, Journal of theoretical biology.

[28]  Fakhruldin Mohd Hashim,et al.  A framework for function‐based conceptual design support system , 2011 .

[29]  S. Gliessman.  Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems , 2007 .

[30]  Maciej Zalewski,et al.  Ecohydrology - the scientific background to use ecosystem properties as management tools toward sustainability of water resources. , 2000 .

[31]  Peter Maydl.  Sustainable Engineering: State-of-the-Art and Prospects , 2004 .

[32]  William J. Mitsch,et al.  Ecological Engineering , 2012, A Systems Approach to the Environmental Analysis of Pollution Minimization.

[33]  R. Noss.  Indicators for Monitoring Biodiversity: A Hierarchical Approach , 1990 .

[34]  P. Clergeau,et al.  A comparison of 3 types of green roof as habitats for arthropods , 2013 .

[35]  Christopher J. Topping,et al.  Evaluation of wildlife management through organic farming , 2011 .

[36]  Howard T. Odum,et al.  Concepts and methods of ecological engineering , 2003 .

[37]  T. Doré,et al.  Agroecology as a science, a movement and a practice. A review , 2009, Agronomy for Sustainable Development.

[38]  Mechanism and Biological Explanation , 1972, Philosophy of Science.

[39]  Cheryl L. Brown,et al.  The Impacts of Local Markets: A Review of Research on Farmers Markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) , 2008 .

[40]  W. D. Reynolds,et al.  Impacts of Recent Climate Trends on Agriculture in Southwestern Ontario , 2003 .

[41]  Simon Peck,et al.  Group Model Building: Facilitating Team Learning Using System Dynamics , 1996, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[42]  W. Mitsch.  When will ecologists learn engineering and engineers learn ecology , 2014 .

[43]  T. Tscharntke,et al.  Sustainable pest regulation in agricultural landscapes: a review on landscape composition, biodiversity and natural pest control , 2006, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[44]  C. Pahl-Wostl,et al.  The Implications of Complexity for Integrated Resources Management , 2004 .

[45]  Karlson Hargroves,et al.  Whole System Design: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Engineering , 2008 .

[46]  K. Wallace.  Classification of ecosystem services: Problems and solutions , 2007 .

[47]  P. Rosset,et al.  Agroecology and the conversion of lárge‐scale conventional systems to sustainable management , 1996 .

[48]  Hartmut Bossel,et al.  Systems and Models. Complexity, Dynamics, Evolution, Sustainability , 2007 .

[49]  Alberto J. Cañas,et al.  A TEORIA SUBJACENTE AOS MAPAS CONCEITUAIS E COMO ELABORÁ-LOS E USÁ-LOS * THE THEORY UNDERLYING CONCEPT MAPS AND HOW TO CONSTRUCT AND USE THEM , 2010 .

[50]  F. Varela.  Principles of biological autonomy , 1979 .

[51]  D. Dubois,et al.  Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming , 2002, Science.

[52]  D. Bradley Rowe,et al.  Comparison of irrigation efficiency and plant health of overhead, drip, and sub-irrigation for extensive green roofs , 2014 .

[53]  Surindra Suthar,et al.  Evidence of plant hormone like substances in vermiwash: An ecologically safe option of synthetic chemicals for sustainable farming , 2010 .

[54]  Evan D. G. Fraser,et al.  Barriers to the local food movement: Ontario's community food projects and the capacity for convergence , 2013 .

[55]  Slobodan P. Simonovic,et al.  Managing Water Resources: Methods and Tools for a Systems Approach , 2008 .

[56]  V. Christensen,et al.  Towards quantification of ecological sustainability in farming systems analysis , 1995 .

[57]  J. Novak,et al.  Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View , 1969 .