Visit http://emporium.turnpike.net/~pflaump This is on the
first.htm page
Peter's comments: I think human ecology "follows the
patterns of nature"
the same way physical planning should. Cooperation is natural, in
the grove of social-biology. The ideas of "Design with nature",
go with the flow, grounded, centered, adjusted, fit-in, feel
comfortable, be at home, live like a "native", et al - it all
means being in touch with our selves and our nature.
The Sufi is from clay (material) to plants, (vegetable) to animal
to human. The brain is built with a lot of distractions - needs,
wants, fears, hopes, and limited ability to understand "the
real".. but we feel what we "think" is real is OK for most of our
needs. It may get us by - even well off depending on what we mean
by success - but it is not "real" and can get us into a lot of
trouble when we mix the map and the territory - when we think the
"idea" is the object. Sometimes the map is to the wrong place and
we begin to worry that we are lost - Rapid change means that
mental maps do not fit the territory and we are lost.
There are guides that help because of our "human nature", the way
our body-mind is built, old ideas of reality can help us. The
ancients understood more about evolution, atomic physics, the
universe, than they should have.. How did they know ? Because
they remembered "we are the stuff of which Stars are made". We
have inside us two billion years of internal knowledge.
But also a lot of dreams, illusions, false hopes, and we get in
our own way. How do you tell what is trash and what is great art,
ideas, people, or organizations? It's not all equal - not just
relative - not just practical and material. Quality is universal,
values are common to all cultures, knowledge can be tested
against reality. That is the "science" of knowledge, of
psychology, of philosophy, and business, education, politics,
life itself. There is a science of living in the way of nature.
We all know what it is but don't pay attention.
RE: Design With Nature: Social Systems
In construction, development and urban planning there has been a
"theme" from Lawrence Halperin - to pay attention to the ecology.
Rather than just build anything anywhere "because it can be done"
- to make every effort to fit into the environment. The use of
local materials, attention to climate, winds, sun light, traffic
flows, clusters and size, all add to the feeling the new
"belongs" and fits into the human scale of Louis Mumford. Sea
Ranch in the Monterray Area, the Market Places, are given as
examples.
When you visit a "nice" community - now with the walls and gates
so common among the "better classes", there is an Authoritian
design including underground utilities, carefully controlled
signs, design control, limits on parking (no RV or boats in
driveways). Condos in Florida set rules for blinds, plants,
colors, more strict than Old Florence. Yet, the political
doctrine in "free markets" and property rights to put anything
anywhere. But not in my backyard. Collective controls protects
everyone's property values. It's synergy. The current political
debate avoids the real issues (what's new) about rational social
responsibility and collective synergy. Good planning, education,
industrial planning, health care - and there is a collective
good; when "special interest" hog the "goodies" the society is
harmed. (Ruth Benedict - Abe Maslow paper)
Ed Wilson's Socio-biology describes "groves" of natural human
behavior. The evolutionary programming of humans involve basic
"groups" of five +/- 2, into task forces, work groups, platoons (
two squads ), and a brigade (company) of 60 +/- 20. Long houses
or hogans were of this size. All social tasks and organizations
work better using the "natural" sizes of human groups because of
synergy ( collective benefits of collective action ) - Mancur
Olson's rational cooperation. The number of people and their
activities that can be tracked at one time is about 7, 5 is
better (odd numbers work better than even ). While other
arrangements "can be done" they are not a design with nature.
From: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, January 29, 1996 3:23 AM
To: Peter Pflaum
Cc: Peter Pflaum
Subject: Re: Design With Nature
<P>
Your post re: design with nature; taking into account ecology
rather than mere ability to do something; use of natural
materials, etc.;
sounds like Paulo Soleri's "Archology". It is a magnificent idea
and we have an experiment in progress here in Arizona called
Arcosanti. There are few things as beautiful as the work they
are doing there following these principles. Unfortunately, it
seems we will have to experience the full negative impact of the
old ways before we can see the wisdom in transforming the way we
design, build, and live in community.
Robert J. Brem
SYNERGY-NET on http://emporium.turnpike.net/~pflaump or
http://metro.turnpike.net/~pflaum [log in to unmask]
** Peter E. Pflaum Ph.D. , Headmaster GLOBAL_VILLAGE_SCHOOLHOUSE
225 Robinson Road, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169-2176 (904) 428-9609
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