Module 6

Module 6 material discussed the movements currently shaping urban design and posed the question, what does the future of urban design look like? The answer is found by reflecting upon our journey from hunter/gatherers to the most advanced species on Earth.

            Humans impact this world more than any other creature. In the developed world we use technology to build, communicate, travel, produce food, and almost every other facet of life. We find ourselves vastly removed from what human existence began as. Few people in the developed world harvest their own food. We have created a separation between what keeps us alive and what our daily lives consist of. Ancient humanity lived solely to achieve the simplest needs of food, shelter, and reproduction. Modern day humanity lives to go to work to earn money to pay for the necessities of life. Humanity has greatly strayed from natural order.

There is a very real danger involved in the lifestyle mentioned above. Many movements have begun to address issues such as the separation between the fields and our tables. But these movements can only achieve so much. There is one extreme, living off the land producing your own food, living solely to survive. The other extreme is living totally separate from the natural world and forgetting our dependence upon it. The altruistic approach of living off of the land is not feasible considering the current and ever growing world population. The dangers of living separate from nature are beginning to show themselves in society.

            Considering the above leads to the answer of what is next for urban design. By returning to our origins and assessing the evolution of human society we can find the root causes of the current problems plaguing the urban landscape. Humanity’s urbanization was the biggest step in our evolution. By leaving nomadic lifestyles and coming together in communities to share the burdens of survival humanity began its journey to current day society. The foundation of urbanism is community. The notion of people sharing the burden of survival to make the collective quality of life better is the answer to what the future of urban design should be. Human connection and interdependence is what has made us the apex species on the planet. It is what brought about the advent of art, science, and philosophy. We have community to thank for all of our advancements. If everyone spent their time farming no one would have the time to develop technology, pursue medicine, and understand the chemical and physical composition of our world. Community and its evolution has allowed us to thrive. Yet, community is also what has allowed humanity to create its current predicament of separation from nature. As such, we must realize the power we wield and always asses the way that we utilize it.

             Community is the answer. Urban design must progress into the future built upon an understanding and emphasis on creating and strengthening community. Creating space that creates healthy community must be the highest aspiration of urban planners. Beginning with community, and building up and out from that point, we can solve the problems we face and move forward to continually improve the quality of life. Community must begin at the smallest source. There must be diversity in the built environment. Communities are different and all for reasons crucial to their success. Each community must be built and improved with respect to its unique attributes. Urban design will continue to solve complex and vast problems and our solutions will be founded upon community.