Urban development has undergone a vast array of changes
over the 150 years since the dawn of the industrial era.
Social, political, cultural and economic systems, through
revolutionary technologies and ideologies, have
transformed the urban landscape into environments that
attempt to accommodate fluctuations in the population.
However, these complex systems often conflict and fail in
their attempts to generate sustainable neighborhoods.
The purpose of this research is to illustrate the
difficulties in deciding among trade-offs between social,
political, cultural and economic systems that affect the
sustainability of our neighborhoods.
In order to begin understanding these difficulties, one must have an understanding of what is meant by
sustainability. And, although a familiar concept, one must know what defines a
neighborhood as well.
When looking at multiple citizens' visions of sustainability, there are several issues
that come to the forefront: diversity, citizen involvement, meeting needs, engagement and
making transitions.
Sustainability is a term that has multiple definitions which are
dependent upon the context in which it is represented. According to
the New Merriam-Webster Dictionary, sustainability is defined as
"provision of nourishment; endurance". This definition seems to fit a purely
social context. However, our analysis focuses on planning for the future
and reaching a balance between physical, social, cultural and
economic elements of a neighborhood. A seemingly closer definition, as stated by the 1992
Rio Earth Summit, is one based on an environmental context.
It states that sustainability" is the enablement of current populations to prepare
and protect the environment for future generations". This definition holds true when
looking at creating sustainability of the environment within the context of planning. It is
very close to our goal of sustainability for neighborhoods but, not close enough. Given
these previously mentioned definitions, none seem to fit into the framework of sustainable
neighborhoods. However, this alludes to an important point: Sustainability is not one vision
but many citizens' visions woven into a singular framework.
Diversity can foster success of communities, like neighborhoods. It is recognizing
that these communities are made up of many different elements and support many different
people. Importantly, diversity must be integrated into that singular vision.
This issue is important because it is about the citizen gaining ownership. If a citizen
contributes to the creation or formation of a vison, then they gain ownership. As a result,
the citizen will be more inclined to fulfill aspects of that vision based on their personal
investment.
Any vision of sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present and the future.
If a human's needs are not met, then he/she will continue to find ways to meet their needs.
These ways may not necessarily be beneficial in reaching that singular vision.
Once a citizen has become involved and invested themselves, then they are able to attain a
level of engagement. This can be accomplished by gaining knowledge through education or technology.
Everyday humans make transitions, whether it is facing Colorado weather by wearing a short-sleeved
shirt on a nice 70 degree day, returning home that evening and waking up the next moring
to 7 inches of snow. As humans, we made a transition because we recognized the shifts in the
weather patterns. As citizens, we must recognize these shifts within in our communities and
personally act upon them by making transitions.
In addition to these issues at the forefront of building a single vision towards sustainability,
one must look at the relationships and tradeoffs which occur within an existing or new community,
like a neighborhood. There are 3 systems that are always in constant shift: carrying capacity,
population and needs & behaviors.
Neighborhood
This is the limit at which an organism or an environment can no longer sustain itself. For
example, a system like infrastructure, more specifically a 4 lane highway, could possibly carry
about 500 automobiles every 30 minutes.
If the population increases then the carrying capacity that the previously mentioned highway
could exceed its limit by supporting extra automobiles.
If the carrying capacity of this 4 lane highway is exceeded, then a shift in the realtionship
between the car and the highway will have to occur. As humans, our behavior will affect that
shift and our behaviors will be a direct result of how our needs are being met. In this example,
a portion of the population recognized the environmental and financial costs that could
be saved by making a tradeoff from driving a personal automobile to an alternative mode of
transportation, like a bus. This tradeoff resulted in a shift away from pressuring the
carrying capacity of the highway and reducing it to a normal level.
In creating sustainable neighborhoods, a
definition of a neighborhood is necessary. A neighborhood can be
defined as an identifiable spatial unit in which people belong to which
defines those small human groups which create the energy and
character that can bring the larger community, town/city as well as the
mosaic of subcultures, to life (A Pattern Language).
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