Ke Xu

The intrinsic characteristics of ecological processes are not highlighted in the broader project of urbanism. The novel COVID-19 might lead to a series of consequences, which might make us rethink and re-evaluate the established systems. If the inner-city suburbs were depopulated due to the results, would it be an opportunity to reassess the traditional land-use regime that is intensely occupied by houses? Design research uses a narrative to explore this notion. The propositional parameters are set to simulate the extreme scenarios, the purpose of which is to reveal and exhibit the essential characteristics of ecological processes: activeness, messiness, openness, and indeterminacy. The design proposals sustain and catalyze the onsite ecological processes to celebrate the novel ecology. On the other hand, the hotter and drier climate that might happen in the future further highlights the necessity to embrace those characteristics of ecological processes for the landscape design in the suburb context.