The work featured above is a collection of samples from my paper, Deep Ecological Urbanism: Ecology, Effciency, and Ethics in Urban Design, which summarized the findings of a semester-long independent study exploring a concept I call Deep Ecological Urbanism. I developed the vision of Deep Ecological Urbanism for I am concerned about the environmental health of our cities, and have been dissatisfied with the results of conventional planning practices—even newer “sustainable” strategies, I feel, are falling short of creating cities that are truly livable and able to meet the triple bottom line. Hopeful for an approach that would encourage cities to become lush, “green” eco-places that are at the same time both socially and economically viable, I looked to Deep Ecological Urbanism for an answer.
As the paper should hopefully illustrate, there is no shortage of alternatives to conventional design and planning, only a shortage of places which are implementing leading techniques. It has been the intention of my studies to identify these alternatives, consider their successes, and evaluate how harnessing a few, or even all of these techniques simultaneously might transform our cities into lasting and delightful places.
In the same fashion as small efforts are springing up across the globe little by little, it would seem that, for the time being, cities are also limited to adopting new ecologically-efficient techniques in a piecemeal manner. However, as my study will reveal, it is a holistic, systems-based approach which is most necessary.
With the Deep Ecological Urbanism approach, I propose a new way to grow our cities, towns, and regions. The feasibility of my hypothesis will soon be tested as I pursue the Deep Ecological Urbanism topic throughout my professional project and leading up to my completion of the Masters of City and Regional Planning (M.C.R.P.) program at Morgan State University, which I anticipate to be in the Spring of 2014.
As the world’s population becomes increasingly urbanized, efficient resource management and city planning will be ever more critical. Cities indeed offer great potential to address environmental issues, albeit only if they are operating correctly. We must address issues relating to resource depletion, efficient design, economic stability, and both environmental and public health. Doing just that, Deep Ecological Urbanism promises that we will be able to meet current needs while not only ensuring the ability of future generations to meet those same needs, but also bestowing upon them places and environments which are healthier and more enjoyable than they are as we inhabit them today. We must leave this planet in better shape than it was when my generation, the millennials, inherited it!
