in conversation with richard forman 116
When a president or mayor creates a blue-ribbon panel for a big land-use issue, a planner or designer should be on the panel. I’d like to see my former students on leadership panels of the future. Jumpstarting the students with some solid scientific literacy now will greatly enhance their effectiveness in working with engineers, economists, soil scientists, and others for sustainable solutions. + So that is really the missing link in terms of our agency of design?
Yes, ecology or natural systems is the missing link. One could say that economics is, but I don’t think so. Going back to that dynamic perimeter zone of a city, landscape ecologists and conservation biologists are increasingly getting projects and plans there that ecology-savvy planners and designers should have. I was hired to do a project/plan for the Region of Barcelona, a world-class city with a long history of brilliant planning and design by famous people. Why did the mayor and chief architect invite me for this? Probably because I was an ecological scientist, was spatially oriented, and respected, and could communicate well with planners, architects, and biologists. In view of UN population statistics, big problems needing solutions lurk just outside the city. Who will make history by stepping forward to lead with appropriate designs and plans?
+ Do you believe that the efficiency and sustainability of a design lies in interpreting organic patterns often found in nature?
If we just create rectilinear patterns for society, we’ll simply continue to pour money into maintaining and repairing them. That design is expensive, ineffective, and unsustainable. Imagine maintaining a rectilinear grid system with buildings where you largely ignore the powerful flows of water, air, animals, soil, geology, and so on. The ubiquitous patterns of nature are quite different – irregular, fine-textured, aggregated, fractal, dissimilar in size, heterogeneous in type, moving, flowing, changing over time, and at many spatial and temporal scales. Extensive wild areas, which I relish and often spend time in, are essential for biological conservation. In contrast, an urban rectilinear pattern does provide human efficiencies—for measurement, construction, movement—but if a pattern requires constant maintenance and repair, it’s not a very good design. That’s why it is important to identify the major horizontal flows and movements across the land, such as groundwater, floodwater, meandering streams, wildlife movements, streamline airflows, vehicle traffic, and walkers. Concurrently we should pinpoint areas in the surroundings likely to markedly change. After mapping these important flows and changes, then arrange the objects: roads, buildings, wetlands, parks, sewage treatment facility…whatever the challenge. For any plan or project, first map the flows and change sites; then arrange objects.
+ Your career has been defined by an interest in broad-scale ecological patterns, but your last book concerns urban ecology – why this late turn toward the city?
Why, that was quite logical. After numerous published articles and four books on landscape ecology, one road ecology book, and two on urban regions, burrowing into the ecology of cities and suburbs was the obvious next frontier. Also, for 30 years landscape architects, planners, and many other professionals have challenged me with urban ecology queries, which I too often deferred.
Opposite: “Patches, Edges and Boundaries”, from Richard T.T. Forman, Wenche E. Dramstad & James D. Olson, Landscape Ecology Principles in Landscape Architecture and LandUse Planning (1996).
But wait! Suppose 150 years ago, ecology had begun in cities instead of in forest, pond and farmland. Numerous features are fundamentally different in urban and natural lands. Most urban ecology research has tried to apply theories, models and concepts from natural land to the city. That’s really awkward. Rather, we should be developing distinctive urban ecology principles around the distinctive characteristics of built areas. It’s exciting to ponder principles linking organisms, built structures, and the physical environment where people are concentrated. Future ecology texts should become 25% urban ecology. More students will see their future career in urban ecology. Indeed they will be especially interested in what landscape designers, planners and others are doing. Catalyzing the urban ecology frontier with this relatively comprehensive book should draw the fields closer together. In short, I see a great opportunity to begin together creating wonderful cities and suburbs, for both nature and us.