One of the key concepts for unifying economics and ecology is Low Embodied Energy,
the sum of all the energy required to produce any goods or services ... assessing ... raw material extraction, transport, manufacture, assembly, installation, disassembly, deconstruction and/or decomposition as well as human and secondary resources
=> Embodied Energy (Wikipedia)
More than just energy, the "price" of a particular good or service should account for the entire cost to produce and consume it in terms of Ecosystem Services,
the various benefits that humans derive from healthy ecosystems. ... provision of food, natural pollination of crops, clean air and water, decomposition of wastes, or flood control.
=> Ecosystem Services (Wikipedia)
These are imperfect metaphors, of course, but they provide some pegs from which to hang our hats. We want to construct new cities that make "Ecosystem Services" a first-class consideration, and to a first approximation that means reducing "embodied energy".