week 8 discussion multiple urbanism

Week 8 - Discussion on Urbanism 1. After studying and comparing multiple urbanisms, what are the key principles of sustainability that can be learned from them? Do you think that any of these theories offers a more relevant approach to sustainable development than the others? Why? A: The different types of urbanism espouse recurrent themes and principles, such as adherence to aesthetics (i.e. adherence to a form or style), conservation of energy and resources, identity formation and expression, and lastly, systematic community formation. For the purposes of sustainability, however, the most important principle is the adherence to the conservation of energy and resources, including the protection of the environment. Achievements in this area results to the continuity of human endeavor and existence, which can be considered as "sustainability". While I place primacy on the "Green" group of Urbanism, my opinion is more of a general one. In reality, there exists a plethora of different types of urbanism, each addressing a distinct characteristic, no matter how vague or relatively trivial compared to the contrast found in the more prominent types of urbanism. Having said that, the context of the place is significant in adopting a particular type of urbanism, taking the needs and current status of the place (e.g. economic, demographical, geographical context) into consideration. But still, conservation of energy and resources holds true for almost, if not all the different area contexts. 2. Take a look at four types of site conditions (urban, suburban, greenfield, brownfield) and identify key sustainability issues. Is there a single urbanist theory or planning approach that could in your opinion resolve all the perceived sustainability issues? Could we find solutions to different sustainability issues and site conditions by drawing from multiple theories? A: Using the earlier contemplation regarding the general application of the adherence to conservation of energy and resources, I think the same could be said for the four site conditions, in such a way that the pursuit of sustainability in these areas would entail such ad...