Some of the key changes that cities may experience in a de-growth society - Dissertation Example

?Using examples critically discuss some of the key changes that cities may experience in a de-growth society. In modern society, urban designers haveto respond to two contradictory needs: the need for continuous development, as part of the expansion of modernity, and the need for protection of the local culture and traditions, which can be threatened by modern style of life. On the other hand, the development, as a reflection of the technological and social progress, cannot be prohibited or delayed; but, every such effort need to be carefully monitored in order to avoid social turbulences and conflicts (Albrow 1997). Cities have been traditionally used in order to show the technological potentials of a particular society; moreover, it is through the cities that the local culture and traditions are promoted, as a reflection of the integration of the local society. Under the influence of a de-growth trend, cities could be transformed; this transformation would involve, mostly, in the limitation/ alteration of technology used in daily social activities. However, the independency of cities from modern technological systems and trends could have certain implications. In any case, it seems that such effort would result to significant social and, even, economic benefits, either in the short or the long term. The causes and the aspects of the transformation of cities in the context of a de-growth social process can be understood by referring to examples of cities which have already entered such plans. Primarily, a reference to the patterns and the trends of urbanization, especially as influenced by the de-growth social movement, would be necessary in order to understand the phases and the needs of the specific process. The principles and the rules of urban design have been often criticized as of their appropriateness; the argument that the increased growth of cities has led to the deterioration of the quality of life of the local population is quite common. However, opposite views have been also presented, supporting the continuous development of cities as a way for keeping the economic and technological status – which are reflected in the urban design but also the style of life of local population; in other words, the transformation of cities following the principles of the de-growth society may face delays under the fear that the image of the city – even of the country – as an important social, economic and technological centre will be destroyed. The specific view is aligned with that of Park et al. (1984) who noted that the growth of cities could support the growth of the whole society – the example of the growth of USA as supported by the growth of its cities is provided for justifying the above view (Park et al. 1984). The above fact is also highlighted in the study of Pacione (2005) where reference is made to the role of cities in the progress of civilization. It is not made clear thought whether the involvement of cities in the development of civilization was appropriately designed and monitored; at the same time, no reference is made on the potential existence of individual interests – i.e. not just of public interests – in urban design. At this point, the following issue should be highlighted: the full implementation of the rules of de-growth, as a social and economic trend, could result to the introduction of new patterns of civilization, i.e. societies would have to de-civilize in order to reach, afterwards, a human – friendly civilization (Fournier 2008). Such outcome would not be necessarily negative; rather, it could lead to the improvement of the quality of life for people of all social and economic classes. For this reason, the level at which the changes on cities in the context of de-growth are characterized as positive or not would be depended on the level at which the above perspective, i.e. the elimination of the elements of modern civilization and the introduction of new rules of civilization, would be welcomed. The benefits of de-growth, if fully developed, would be also taken into consideration; these benefits have been indicatively described as follows: the limitation of inputs to production according to ecological constraints; a more equitable distribution of entitlements to natural resources’ (Kennedy 2010, online article). The understanding of the potential changes of cities in the context of a de-growth society requires the reference to the characteristics and the elements of the growth of city – as influenced by the growth of the society. In accordance with LeGates (2011) the growth of the city would be related to the following activities: the physical expansion of the city, the development of ‘the technical services of the city so that city life becomes comfortable, even luxurius’ (LeGates 2011, p.166). The growth of the city would also include its ‘social organization’ (LeGates 2011, p.166). The above elements would be aligned, otherwise, the growth of the city would not be stabilized, i.e. it would be problematic. For this reason, urban designers and the local community authorities should ensure that the physical and technical development of a city would be able to respond to unexpected changes in the city’s social organization, for example the radical increase in its population due to various social or political events. It should be noted that growth is not necessarily a negative element of modern cities; in fact, it is noted that ‘the idea that growth has disorganizing effects on communities and residents should be rejected’ (Baldassare 1981, p.131). From a same point of view, Troy (1995) explained that the growth of cities is unavoidable since cities have to respond to a series of issues, for example ‘housing, sanitation, energy and communication’ (Troy 1995, p.22). However, the continuous increase of population of cities leads to the increase of their needs – referring to those needs presented above; therefore, the growth of cities, is become unavoidable, at least as suggested through the above views. In practice, the de-growth of cities would not lead to the worsening of the quality of life of their residents. The view that ‘the destiny of societies is intrinsically lead to the growth of their urban areas’ (Martine 2008, p.160) would be critically discussed using a series of relevant examples. The transformation of a city’s technical structure and social organization in order to meet the rules of de-growth would include specific activities; these activities could be differentiated – in accordance with the resources available and the level of willingness of local residents to participate in this effort; the ‘Slow-Cities movement’ in California, is an indicative example of the potential form of a city’s involvement in a de-growth plan. In these ‘slow-cities’, ‘three up now, i.e. Fairfax, Sebastopol and Sonoma Valley’ (Reinhardt 2011, online article), the effort for de-growth is reflected in daily social and economic activities. For instance, in Sonoma Valley,’ leaf blowers have been banned; moreover, wetlands are preserved and celebrated’ (Reinhardt 2011, online article). A photo of Sonoma Valley, one of the three ‘slow cities’ in USA, has been included in the Appendix section (Photo 1); through this photo, the changes in architecture/ arrangement of surroundings in Sonoma Valley – compared to the modern urban design, are made clear. On the other hand, in Bolivia, the effort for de-growth has been expanded to all social and economic aspects of life. The ‘ Living Well proposal’ (Thomson 2010) is based on the following principles: ‘to live living a sovereign and communal life in harmony with nature, to work together for family and the society and living a modest life that reduces our addiction to consumption and maintains a balanced production’ (Thomson 2010). In other words, emphasis is given on the independency of population from the consumption, as a priority of life, and the concentration on the promotion of social life and moral values. In this context also, the relationship with nature is developed; nature is respected and is considered as a main source of living. http://www-sre.wu-wien.ac.at/ersa/ersaconfs/ersa04/PDF/346.pdf http://www.mcdonough.com/writings/buildings_like_trees.htm http://www.els.salford.ac.uk/urbannature/news/events/argumenta/1_James-What%20is%20an%20Ecological%20City.pdf http://growninthecity.com/2011/01/slow-cities-in-california-go-for-quality-and-good-food/ The Transition movements developed worldwide belong to the general network of efforts made towards the transformation of the style of life aiming to reduce the dependency on technology and improve the relationship with nature. In the context of the Transition Network communities are ‘inspired, encouraged, connected, supported and trained in order to understand the Transition model’ (Transition Network 2011). This model is consisted from the following 12 rules: a) a group of motivated individuals need to discuss on the aims of a particular Transition initiative/ the project of the Transition needs to be designed in advance, b) awareness for this project needs to be raised, c) analysis and justification of the aims of the project to all the participants, d) a ‘Great Unleashing’ (Transition Network 2011) needs to be organized, e) establishment of the interest groups, f) Open Space technology should be used for ‘running meeting for Transition Initiatives’ (Transition Network 2011), g) Visible manifestations of the project need to be developed, h) facilitation of the ‘Great Reskilling’ (Transition Network 2011), I) a communication channel with the local authorities should be established, k) recognize the contribution of others who have worked in the same field in the past (Transition Network 2011). Another important example of the expansion of de-growth in urban areas worldwide is the case of Can Masdeu, a house in Barcelona, which is organized following the rules of degrowth; its gardens, see Photo 2, Appendix, are unique, indicating the value of de-growth and its potential role in the improvement of life of urban population. Daily life in Can Masdeu is based on indigenous customs, for instance there is no central water and electricity supply; wood burning stoves are used for heating while water is gathered through a series of tanks – a gravity fed water system (Can Masdeu, p.56). The style of life in Can Masdeu shows the life of people before the introduction of facilities, such as central heating, water supply or electricity. This style of life could not be easily adopted by people in modern cities where there is no availability of resources required for the specific style of life – referring especially to fresh water and wood for heating. On the other hand, the global reservations in oil are expected to be significantly decreased – almost eliminated – up to 2080 (see Graph 1, Appendix); this means that up to then, a solution needs to be identified for ensuring the potential of people in urban areas to survive. Large cities will have to be transformed, necessarily, and become independent, as possible, from oil. Patterns of work should be also changed; emphasis should be given not on the management of knowledge but rather on the use of natural resources and agriculture. Plans that could be applicable in the short terms – because of their feasibility – could be also introduced; for example: ‘Mixed use city centre developments that have residential, business, civic, and retail facilities’ (James, p.17); the transformation of a city in accordance with the rules of degrowth would also require the change of patterns of social and family behaviour, for instance children should walk to school, they should be given time for exercise and time with their parents (James, p.17). The influence of the modern urban revolution on cities worldwide is clear; this revolution, which ‘started in Europe in the 19th century’ (Berger 1978, p.84) has led to the transformation of cities to political and economic centres; the social element of cities has been rather ignored. As a result, severe social turbulences and conflicts in cities worldwide have been unavoidable. At the next level, the following fact has been made clear: modern cities can respond to specific social and economic needs of their residents; the radical increase of population in cities lead to the further decrease of quality of life in the specific urban areas since there is no alignment between the social organization and the technical/ physical growth of the city, as described above. On the other hand, it has been proved that the alteration of the style of life in cities (in terms of technology used, of sustainability, of social relationships and so on) would lead to the limitation of conflicts between social organization and technical services; this fact could lead, gradually, to the improvement of life of local population. The above target could be achieved only by aligning the social and technical aspects of modern cities with the rules of the de-growth trend, which can have significant social – and economic – benefits, in the context described above. References Albrow, M. (1997) The global age: state and society beyond modernity. California: Stanford University Press Baldassare, M. (1981) The growth dilemma: residents' views and local population change in the United States. California: University of California Press Berger, A. (1978) The city: urban communities and their problems. Iowa: Brown Can Masdeu (2011) The Can Masdeu mansion, [online] < http://www.inthefield.info/rurbano_revolution.pdf>. Fournier, V. (2008) Escaping from the economy: the politics of degrowth. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 28 No. 11/12, pp. 528-545 James, P. What is an Ecological City? University of Salford [online] < http://www.els.salford.ac.uk/urbannature/news/events/argumenta/1_James-What%20is%20an%20Ecological%20City.pdf. Kennedy, J. (2010) The Growth of Degrowth. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, [online] 14 March 2011 < http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/growth-degrowth-part-2>. LeGates, R. (2011) City Reader. Taylor & Francis Martine, G. (2008) The new global frontier: urbanization, poverty and environment in the 21st century. London: IIED Pacione, M. (2005) Urban geography: a global perspective. London: Routledge Park, R., Watson, E., McKenzie, D. (1984) The city. University of Chicago Press Thomson, B. (2010) Pachakuti: Indigenous perspectives, degrowth and ecosocialism. Climate & Capitalism, [online]. < http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-10-08/pachakuti-indigenous-perspectives-degrowth-and-ecosocialism>. Troy, P. (1995) Technological change and the city. Annandale: Federation Press Appendix Photo 1 – Sonoma Valley, one of the US three ‘slow cities’, aspect of public area Photo 2 – Can Masdeu, community gardens, Barcelona Graph 1 – World Oil Production up to 2080 (Source: James, P.) Read More