week 1 discussion urbanism

Week 1 Discussion Urbanism 1. What is your definition of urbanism? How do you see urbanism as being different from urban planning and urban design? A: Urbanism refers to the study of the interaction between human beings residing in their respective cities and the man-made structures in their surroundings. Other approaches, such as the types of urbanism that deals with sustainability, also include the natural environment, as well as the other living things and resources, in the discussion. As opposed to urban planning and design which deals with the physical characteristic of a city and how to isolate and manipulate it, urbanism resides on the field of sociology, as it aims to explain the interrelatedness of man and structure. While these two are different, their history is actually intertwined, as developments in urban planning and design in the past are the results of responding to crises or problems experienced by the people, such as the restructuring of the position of buildings after a fire or a plague broke out, or the emergence of civilizations beside riverbeds such as Egypt and Mesopotamia. 2. Which of the approaches to urbanism discussed in the lecture do you find more relevant for sustainable development? Which of this week's readings impressed you the most? Why? Elaborate your response. A: In my opinion, sustainable urbanism is the most all-encompassing and relevant approach to sustainable development. Combining the desire for efficiency and conservation with the nature-friendly motto, sustainable urbanism aims to tackle two issues at once: the issue of pollution and limited amount of energy and resources. Featuring principles such as compactness (which seeks to induce efficiency in urban areas and also prevent the creation of urban sprawls, a characteristic of suburban areas and also the root of several environmental, economic, and social problems), biophilia (which addresses the coexistence of humans with other living things; urban planning with a nature-caring mo...