since prehistory, with opportunities to create new and novel ecosystems that manage both the needs of nature and humans in FIgure 1: The HIlls at Vallco, FIgure 1: The Hills at Vallco Department of Landscape Architecture
since prehistory, with opportunities to create new and novel ecosystems that manage both the needs of nature and humans in place of the natural systems that we have put in place through a classical conservation approach (Marris, 2013). Yet, this decade long debate on human influence and wilderness have been characterised mainly by the question of ‘how do we define nature? The answer will lead environmental design pedagogy, ecological thinking and how we plan our physical environments. Definitions of wilderness have become more and more complex and varied as we know more about functions and values of wilderness. Wilderness was defined by law as land that is designated for preservation and protection with limited action by Man. It is no longer enough for us to make such a simple distinction between preservation and integration (Wittbecker, 2006). It does not seem however, worthwhile for us to take on such a reductive approach in aiding us to analyze the workings of landscape urbanism. We need to be able to delineate the nonhuman nature aspects of wilderness and human influence on ecosystems (Wittbecker, 2006). This anthropocentric critique of landscape urbanism goes beyond a simple, reductive argument that all nature is anthropocentric but suggests that the practices of landscape urbanism has deviated from its theoretical grounding by manipulating ecological processes as subservient to humanist goals of aesthetics and culture, abandoning systemic analysis, resource management and genetic diversity. In a way, landscape becomes a site of intervention that is pruned for the quiet enjoyment of humans. One can see this apparently in one of landscape urbanism’s hallmark projects, The High Line in New York City. The Friends of the High Line and the Regional Plan Association advocated for an abandoned rail line that weaves through 22 blocks of New York City to be converted into a park (Steiner, 2011). The High Line as an example of exemplary ecological design is supposed to evolve with time. Yet with the brimming success of the project, many new high rises surrounding the elevated rail line has affected the survival of plants that were placed there and instead encouraged the growth of weeds which has to be constantly manicured by gardeners. This is a clear, direct example of how the practice of landscape urbanism deviates from its theoretical grounding by readily abandoning ecological processes to fulfill its goals of aesthetics and its place within society; humanist goals. Houston et. al. (2017) argues that conventional planning theory has always been imbued with a sense of ontological exceptionalism of humans. There is an urgent need for us to decipher who should speak for the nonhumanwhen we are planning within the built environment . This undeniable focus of landscape urbanism projects to fit in with its surrounding built environment by appealing to humanist ideals is understandable as first steps within a lengthy process to get people to reimagine their built environment but do little to incorporate the needs of the natural world that does share the urban environment, and do little to embrace complexity and flux as dictated within the manifesto (Waldheim, 2016). How is Ecological Urbanism Different? Drawing from ecology to inspire a new form of urbanism, one that is socially inclusive and sensitive to the natural environment, Ecological urbanism is a more holistic approach towards designing and managing cities, drawn from the critiques of Landscape Urbanism (Gili, 1998). Ecological Urbanism takes on a systems-based approach that integrates and designs complex systems and social processes within the urban environment that are fundamentally humane (Indy, 2010). It is impossible not to acknowledge that cities are naturally extractive entities that feed off the resources around them, but it is worthy to think about how we can shift towards a sustainable productive mode that is more environmentally just. Charles Anderson (2013) took the idea of ecological urbanism further and developed a strand of environmental urbanism that revolves around BIG nature, a design ethic that takes into account environmentally entropic processes, a realization ofa nature thrives within the built environment, that comprises the past, present and future. In a studio that he conducted in conjunction with the University of South California, he quoted “ Nature will find a way during the process of adaptation to embrace the changes that came before, are in process and those that will be anticipated”. (USC, 2013). This is followed by the coining of the term of ‘Urbanature’ by Nichols (2009) which breaks down the dichotomy between nature and city. Nichols (2009) argues that a key concept that Thoreau (1851) brought up in his essay, ‘Walking’ distinguishes the difference between wilderness and wildness. Wildness can be characterized as man’s connection to nature that is present within society, where wilderness is nature in its pristine state and preserved to stay that way. Nichols (2009) elaborated furthered Thoreau’s (1851) argument that it is in wildness, that our world is preserved. This wildness within our urban environment starts with an acknowledgement that animals and humans are interconnected in a web of complex ecosystems. Drawing from Morton (2009) to suggest that we need to do away with traditional conceptions of nature, this acknowledgement includes an implicit understanding that we are never cut away from nature, and that traditional ecological preservation efforts are not enough. Therefore, for us to be able to truly grasp and manage the ecological complexity and flux within landscape and ecological urbanism, we need to plan for animals and other nonhuman creatures and acknowledge that humanity is part of nature. Using this as a starting point, can we answer broader questions about our place within the ecosystem and our relationships with nature. Charles Anderson (2013) took the idea of ecological urbanism further Graduate Seminar Theories of Landscape Architecture Spring 2016
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