"Every individual act of building is a process in which space gets differentiated." --Christopher Alexander, The Timeless Way of Building
Photo by VinÃcius Henrique Photography
A lone tree standing on a corner among a teeming mass of buildings and people is a sad commentary on the state of our cities. We have lost touch with the wild, and to do so deafens us to the daily sounds, wisdom and pace of nature. A little green space spread throughout a city is not enough. We must embrace the wild as we move forward into the cities of the future.
We must differentiate space in our cities for the wild and the developed to dwell together. Cities are not unnatural, they are a natural process of the self-organizing nature of humanity. However, cities have primarily been separated from nature, in a way that not only decimates our forests and streams, but also our humanity. We must hear the voice of nature if we are to continue to successfully subsist as a species.
We must incorporate nature's flowing designs and fractals into our cities so that we can assist with the creation of energy, flow, and harmony within our cities. We must begin to understand that it is not humanity against nature, nor humanity subduing nature, rather it is humanity stewarding nature so that we can dwell in symbiotic relationship and harmony in practical and experiential ways that maintain healthy balance in our communities between the needs of nature and the need of humanity.
This is essential for our climate, our planet's rhythms and order, and the quality of living for generations to follow. Humans have already done too much damage to ourselves, our cities and our planet. Now is the time for us to consider the quality of life we want to leave for future generations.
It is not enough to create natural reserves away from the city into which we can escape. We must also create, maintain, and cultivate natural reserves within our city borders and among our people. We must learn to live in harmony alongside the forests and the streams if we are going to live in harmony alongside one another. The Tree of Life must be brought into the central place of our cities and our thinking.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez
Cities must become places not only filled with culture: Museums, art galleries, music venues, sport fields, libraries, architectural wonders, business centers, financial establishments, dining spaces; cities must also be places filled with natural wonders: waterways, gardens, spacious forests, filled with animal and plant life flourishing alongside humans. We must create sanctuaries of place and space that intersect with nature and restore to us the wonder of the creation that surrounds us.
"We need to view the fragility of the planet and its resources as an opportunity for speculative design innovations rather than as a form of technical legitimation for promoting conventional solutions. By extension, the problems confronting our cities and regions would then become opportunities to define a new approach. Imagining an urbanism that is other than the status quo requires a new sensibility—one that has the capacity to incorporate and accommodate the inherent conflictual conditions between ecology and urbanism." -- Mohsen Mostafavi
As an eco-urbanist, I have some strong opinions and ideas about how the interrelationship between nature and the city should exist. It is an ancient view, but one that has been overlooked throughout much of human history.
It is not only a dream, but a goal that I believe is essential if humanity is going to flourish on this planet and steward its resources wisely. This planet does not belong to us, it is a gift given to sustain the growth of human culture and civilization. However, we are only one species of creature on this planet and it is incumbent that we must also steward this gift for the welfare of our neighbors, the animal and plant species we share this planet with, so that they also might thrive.
This is a topic that I have thought about for most of my adult life, and I have a vision of how we might succeed. Next week, we'll explore that vision, in order to generate visionary ideas and thoughts in the minds of my readers, so that together, we can begin to lay the groundwork for a much brighter future for the next generations of life on this planet. I hope you'll join me as we consider "How to Design a Wild City."
Photo by Juan Di Nella
Next Week: 🌳010 • How to Design a Wild City
Sources:
Harvard Design Magazine: Why Ecological Urbanism? Why Now? by Mohsen Mostafavi
Further Reading:
The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander
Ecological Urbanism edited by Mohsen Mostafavi and Gareth Doherty
The Secret Wisdom of Nature by Peter Wohlleben
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