Renew Fairfield | CityDesign / City Design browse

Would you rather live here,	or here?

Introduction by Rachel Gibson

When I was 14, my family and I rented a house on the corner of Court and Kirkwood for about six months. The house wasn't nearly as nice as other places we had lived, but it was by far my favorite because it was within 5 blocks of anywhere I could want to go. I could easily walk to my best friends' houses, to school, to dance class, to the square, to Everybody's, to anywhere. And it was a fairly quiet residential area with lots of trees, etc. so the walk was pleasant and enjoyable. Everything was so convenient and life was so much easier to organize. Admittedly the life of a 14 year old is much simpler than an adult, but what if there were a way to make all life so simple, convenient, and pleasant? This is the idea behind ecological urban design and the development of Ecocities: creating human settlements based upon fulfilling human needs, on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level.

Current cities are designed around cars; different aspects of life – home, work, shopping – are spread out from each other and connected by vast networks of highways and freeways, and huge areas of space are devoted to parking lots to hold the cars once you arrive where you are going. This system uses incredible amounts of fossil fuels, polluting the environment, depleting resources, and increasing global warming, and creates an infrastructure that does not support holistic growth. What if you didn’t need a car to drive to work, because work was just around the corner? And on the way home you could easily do your shopping at the local grocery store, or better yet, stop by the neighborhood garden and pick some fresh produce. Walking along the tree-lined pedestrian-only street you would see numerous familiar faces and stop and chat with your neighbors, increasing friendliness and a sense of community and togetherness.

If designed correctly, cities could become a place that encourages our connection with each other and with nature. Human beings have evolved as a communal species; we build cities, towns, and civilizations so we can live together, not isolated as is encouraged by sprawl and the anonymity of industrial cities. We are also born with an innate affinity to nature. In industrial society and environmental movements man is discussed as either fighting nature or working with Her, but in actuality neither of these distinctions is accurate; man is not separate from Nature. Going against natural principles is going against ourselves, which is why it causes so many negative side effects and hinders progress. Living in modern cities the connection with the rest of nature is lost, and from that environment it is really no wonder that we as a society continue in such ludicrous and shortsighted practices concerning our natural world. The redesign of human settlements can bring the outdoors back to the people. By working with landscaping, natural trails, urban gardens, etc. the contrast between wilderness and city doesn’t have to be so drastic, and we don’t have to lose our modern conveniences to achieve this goal. Through a change in design practices and vision, modern society does not have to be at odds with the natural environment but can take its natural place as a working part of the entire system.

There is a radical shift that needs to take place in city planners, architects, and city leaders. The current design paradigm is quickly using up natural resources, increasing pollution, harming the environment, and degrading quality of life. The problem cannot be solved on the level of what we have now; a whole new way of thinking needs to rise to precedence. Sound like a huge task? Well it is. This is a big-scale issue and it requires a big-scale solution, but all large changes happen first through baby steps. As more people become of aware of the possibilities, make small changes in their own life, and spread the word to others, the collective mentality will change and suddenly the whole field of human society will have changed for the better. Many people think that the way we do things now is the only way, but life contains all possibilities and we can learn from past experiences and new-found creativity to bring these possibilities into existence. So continue to think on the path of change, get involved in the community, and ride a bike to work. Above are links to concrete ideas on how we can redesign our community to better reflect our needs and enjoyment, information on cities around the world using ecological design principles, and resources on where to find more information and professionals who have devoted themselves to changing the face of human settlements, saving us from concrete deserts ruled by machines and returning us to a living holistic paradise.