To appreciate the impacts and results of utilizing the urban metabolism model, one must first understand how it works. Urban Metabolism is the study of resource flows through a city. It can be used as a tool for improving urban health and sustainability. Urban Metabolism Information Systems, or UMIS, is a standardized “source to sink” framework, utilized by Ecocity Builders, that provides a visual understanding and analysis of urban systems and resource flows.
The first case study in this series focuses on the metropolitan area in and around the city of Cusco in southern Peru, where several small study areas are located just outside the main city. As part of Ecocity Builders’ Urbinsight project, community members communicated the changes they wanted to see in their city: better management of waste, a cleaner environment, and healthier food. Based on this information and through a collaborative deliberation process between local citizens, city officials, and student researchers from the local university, the Urbinsight team decided to focus on the material flow and how it could be altered to be more circular.