Scribd
Upload
191 views

Design With Nature: - by Ian Mcharg

McHarg presents a method for urban planning and design that incorporates natural systems and processes. He argues that planners should understand the landscape as an interactive system with intrinsic values, and map all relevant environmental factors like geology, hydrology and ecology. These maps can then be overlaid to recommend appropriate land uses that minimize environmental impacts. McHarg advocates considering not just economic costs but also social and ecological values to determine the best design and use of land. His goal is for cities to be harmoniously integrated with the natural world.

Uploaded by

varsha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
191 views

Design With Nature: - by Ian Mcharg

McHarg presents a method for urban planning and design that incorporates natural systems and processes. He argues that planners should understand the landscape as an interactive system with intrinsic values, and map all relevant environmental factors like geology, hydrology and ecology. These maps can then be overlaid to recommend appropriate land uses that minimize environmental impacts. McHarg advocates considering not just economic costs but also social and ecological values to determine the best design and use of land. His goal is for cities to be harmoniously integrated with the natural world.

Uploaded by

varsha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

Design with nature

- By Ian McHarg

Presented by –
Harshita
Varsha
Varshene
McHarg has adopted a self narrated story method, based on his experiences and
ideologies to present his book rather than a text book way of writing things. This in
particular brings a continuity to the matter and a sense of attachment with the author
himself.
• City and countryside
• Sea and survival
• The Plight
• A step forward
• The cast and the capsule
• Nature in the metropolis
• On values
• A response of values
• The world is a capsule
• Processes as values
• The naturalists
• The river basin
• The metropolitan region
• Process and form
• The city-process and form
• The city-health and pathology
• Prospects
City and countrysideAuthor as a metaphor represents his thoughts as two roads- one
to the city and other tothe country side-both has got its values.

For him seeing city and countryside as separate entities doesn’t stand.
Eyes do not divide us from the world but unite us with it.
Sea and Survival
The paradox of treatment of natural resources in
different parts of the globe, like in the example of
dune grass – which is very valuable in Netherlands
but they are not even recognizable in the entire
eastern seaboard as a valuable thing. Problems
Variations in the sea shore environments badly
affects the plant growth of the area causing major
ecological threats to the bay shore itself.

Plight
Author express his anxiety that man has forgotten
country side. According to him city has both stress
and stimuli. But it comes with the attraction of
success. Countryside’s surround the cities not
because we used land wisely but these places are
more resistant to change Our success is based on
GDP which measures money, which itself is discuss
short term future. Commercialization has caused the
death of innovation in terms of rail road… by using it
for profit making .
A Step forward
Highway is a major public investment which affects the economy, the way of life,
health and visual experience. So it should be properly located and designed. An
improved method is needed to incorporate resource values , social values and
aesthetic values than the conventional cost benefit analysis. Shortest distance
between two points meeting the pre determined geometric standards is not he best
route for highways. The best route is the one that provides maximum social benefit at
the least social cost.
Nature in the metropolis

Nature can be understood as an interactive process, responding to laws, constituting to


a value system, offering intrinsic opportunities and limitations to human uses. Need to
regulate construction on flood plains, earthquake prone areas. They account to large
free spaces to be potential public places.
Developer way of looking. Opens space per person! But nature is intrinsically variable.
Planner perspective- green encircle the city. But it doesn’t include the greens within the
city.
Nature is a complex closely related network where each unit constitutes and becomes
part of the whole.
City grows by densifying within and expanding. Thus reducing open spaces though there
is plenty of open spaces.Infusion of open space structure and urban development
required.
Step area- land above 12 % slope no agriculture no construction Prime agricultural
land- fertile land yet cannot compete with the developers land value. Forest an
woodlands- natural capability to create micro climates. Knowing the nature to such
minute details that interventions can be carefully knit.
Mapping all factors of hydrology and
geology to recommend land uses
efficiently.

Move out main industries polluting air


from the identified wind paths from
countryside.
Air inversions is the reason for polluted air
not moving out. Such considerations on a
broader level defines city open spaces.

Impact on part of natural system disturbs


the whole and hence need to have a
holistic approach.
A response to values
Natural phenomenon are dynamic interacting process responsive to laws offering
opportunities and limitations to human use.
So they have to be evaluated – each area has a suitability towards certain functions.
But for that we have to find the land capacity first. By testing it with an existing
site.
Processes as values
Ideal is never a choice of either/ or but combination of both. Every caged animal
however trained it is at the end of the day likes to adapt to its natural setting. Same is
the case with us. The land use which we adopt doesn’t confine to the right way of
assigning uses, since we build where we shouldn’t at all. Recognition of social values
embedded in natural process should precede building process. Project feasibility study
for Staten island, newyork highway shows McHarg’s way of studying these factors to
respond to design.

Staten Island, New York Highway-Feasibility Study Process

• Identifying influential factors climate


• Categorizing under general heads wildlife
hydrology
• Impact study
• Represented in various tones of Study
intensity depending on impact
• Overlaying all these features to Land use
area
physiography have a wholesome idea of the
setting and do appropriate interventions soils
geology
Conservation, Recreation & Urbanization are three factors which we have to look into
broadly. Hence all studies is subdivided under these categories to produce a map of
each factor.

Different features like historic value, social value, geological features natural habitats
etc. are mapped. Later they are classified under common heads of similar nature
Further all these data is combined to get the final overlay plan.
Overlay plan Legend conservation recreation urbanization Land use Existing land use
colors where used An overlay of all three maps gives us required information and data
to proceed with design in a more informative way. Grades to denote the intensity of
factor
The Naturalists Designs are not trying to create a utopia for everyone. A utopia is
different for everyone, and is unique complex in each situation. Naturalists point of
view –
• All can the created to make most people happy.
• Earth & its denizens involved in a creative process and man has a unique role in it.
• Concept of evolution as a creative & reductive process comparing a sand dune & a
forest

CONCEPTION OF FITNESS
• Fit for existence• Fitting process – dynamic + mutation
• Measure of fitness: evolutionary survival..Similar for man & socio cultural factors..
CREATIVE TEST IS TO ACCOMPLISH A CREATIVE FITTING
• Identify[man fit for environment & vice versa]
• Inaugurate process of fitting 2
• Adapting for better fitting
ALTRUISM: concession of some autonomy towards the ends of mutual benefits for the
creatures involved…..cooperative arrangements with other organisms sustaining the
biosphere. World is an ordered place and creatures respond to biological laws that are
intrinsic & self responding
The Metropolitan Region
Most of the people that live in cities, live in this area...so important for this space to be
comforting and respectful. However not many of these areas are connected back to
nature. Causes many problems from the health of the metropolitans citizens, to the
disgracing look of an undeveloped city. Moved away nature itself.
This has caused many problems from the excessive out put of carbon dioxide to us
getting further and further from nature itself.
Some places are not suited for urbanization, some are…QUADRANT[ the selection
process ]
Relief, Geology, Hydrology, Urban Suitability selection process

River Basin
To understand it as an interaction process, to interpret it as a value system…thus to
designate appropriate land uses STUDIES:

RECREATION SUITABILITY
DEGREE OF COMPATIBILITY
OPTIMUM MULTIPLE LAND USE.
Process & form
Some unique designs do have positive effect on the environment.
• Elements are described in terms of form, nucleus and the shells
of orbiting electrons; compounds are described by formal
schema.
• Form as communication , as information
• Look to nature to understand form & a basis for expression
• [man – nature – environment - city ]
• So form follows nothing..its integral ith all the processes
• Form can be ill fit, mis fit, unfit,fit & most fitting

City- process and form


For the true success of the overlay method it needs to be tried and tested in a living
city with all its intricacies. For this city has to be understood by its urban form,
evolution and historic development. To establish a value system and respond to it. By
understanding the geological and physiographical evolution of a place, we can respond
to it intelligently. Historically the physical setting had a huge impact on the social setup
of the kingdom. Axis and elevation where derived by the physiographic setting of the
place. Natural setting of a place with the urban form together creates the drama.
Rivers, mountains and other natural features define the establishment of the city.
History not only pertains to buildings but to every aspect of land and its features.
Design can not only be based on the form but also the various layers of evolution.
CONCLUSION
A book written almost 60 years back, still hold true in our cases since our
country is going through the phase which he was at when he wrote the book.
Our country fast transforming into a developed city is, despite of all the
examples from the other cities is falling into the black hole mentioned in the
conclusion book.
Hence it is still as relevant as it was at that time, since we still develop our own
niches without respecting the nature.
What is needed is a radical shift in the way we respond to the nature and come
up with solutions.

You might also like