Ecological Urbanism [Hardcover]

Mohsen Mostafavi (Editor), Gareth Doherty (Editor), Harvard University (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3037781890 | ISBN-13: 978-3037781890 | Publication Date: May 1, 2010 | Edition: 1

With the aim of projecting alternative and sustainable forms of urbanism, the book asks: What are the key principles of an ecological urbanism? How might they be organized? And what role might design and planning play in the process?

While climate change, sustainable architecture, and green technologies have become increasingly topical, issues surrounding the sustainability of the city are much less developed. The premise of the book is that an ecological approach is urgently needed both as a remedial device for the contemporary city and an organizing principle for new cities.

Ecological urbanism approaches the city without any one set of instruments and with a worldview that is fluid in scale and disciplinary approach. Design provides the synthetic key to connect ecology with an urbanism that is not in contradiction with its environment.

The book brings together design practitioners and theorists, economists, engineers, artists, policy makers, environmental scientists, and public health specialists, with the goal of reaching a more robust understanding of ecological urbanism and what it might be in the future.

Contributors include:

Homi Bhabha, Stefano Boeri, Chuck Hoberman, Rem Koolhaas, Sanford Kwinter, Bruno Latour, Nina-Marie Lister, Moshen Mostafavi, Matthias Schuler, Sissel Tolaas, Charles Waldheim

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mohsen Mostafavi is Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor of Design. Previously he was the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University and the Arthur L. and Isabel B. Wiesenberger Professor in Architecture. Prior to that, he had been the Chairman of the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. He studied architecture at the AA and undertook research on counter-reformation urban history at the Universities of Essex and Cambridge.

Gareth Doherty is a doctoral candidate at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where his dissertation is an ethnographic study of contemporary landscape and urbanism in Bahrain. He has taught at design schools in Europe, North America, and Australia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: Lars Müller Publishers; 1 edition (May 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3037781890
• ISBN-13: 978-3037781890
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review, June 8, 2010

By 

Khaled Alawadi (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Ecological Urbanism (Hardcover)

Ecological Urbanism is a must-read book. Mohsen Mostafavi and Gareth Doherty weave together a comprehensive agenda of urban interventions, ideas, policies, and strategies from different geographic settings in order to build a powerful model and vision for a more ecological future. Drawing on this massive, solid effort and on well-grounded research, the editors provide a series of detailed key lessons from all corners of the world for building a future that is less dependent on diminishing resources and is more socially, economically, and ecologically sensitive. Based on the integration between different disciplines and fields--including architecture, planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and engineering--Ecological Urbanism explores different approaches and solutions that contribute to a more ecological and just world. As Sir Peter Medawar said, "If politics is the art of the possible, research is surely the art of the soluble."

Scaling up is a significant aspect of this book since the vast majority of previous research and studies have focused on architectural and building scales. Only a handful of studies have focused on city and regional scales. Therefore, Ecological Urbanism addresses this gap, providing a collection of theories and practices that aim to articulate and advance design strategies, real solutions, and tactics that craft the foundation of the post-carbon city.

Human beings need a revolution in urban problem solving. The fate of the entire earth is one of the most urgent matters confronting humankind today. It will affect each of us, as well as our children and our children's children. Faced with the pressures of global warming, rapid growth, congestion, water shortage, drought, population explosion, urban sprawl, and pollution, cities today need to use land, water, energy, and resources with ever-increasing efficiency. The ultimate role of Ecological Urbanism is, in fact, to be a revolutionary and compelling guidebook that provides a knowledge base for a more livable and sustainable future for current and future generations. As a reference book Ecological Urbanism is a must read for academics, practitioners, students, policymakers, officials, economists, socialists, environmentalists, and anyone else concerned with the health and well-being of our cities.