Projective Ecologies

The past two decades have witnessed a resurgence
of ecological ideas and ecological thinking
in discussions of urbanism, society, culture,
and design. The field of ecology has moved
from classical determinism and a reductionist
Newtonian concern with stability, certainty,
and order in favor of more contemporary
understandings of dynamic systemic change and
the related phenomena of adaptability, resilience,
and flexibility.
But ecology is not simply a project of the
natural sciences. Researchers, theorists, social
commentators, and designers have all used
ecology as a broader idea or metaphor for a set
of conditions and relationships with political,
economic, and social implications.
Projective Ecologies takes stock of the diversity ofcontemporary ecological research and theory--
embracing Felix Guattari's broader definition
of ecology as at once environmental, social,
and existential--and speculates on potential
paths forward for design practices. Where are
ecological thinking and theory now? What do
current trajectories of research suggest for future
practice? How can advances in ecological research
and modeling, in social theory, and in digital
visualization inform, with greater rigor, more
robust design thinking and practice?
New original essays by Peter Del Tredici, Erle Ellis,
Christopher Hight, Sanford Kwinter, Sean Lally,
Nina-Marie Lister, Chris Reed, Jane Wolff
Reprinted/excerpted essays by Robert Cook,
David Fletcher, Richard T.T. Forman, C.S. Holling.
With drawings by, Gross.MAX, James Corner
Field Operations, Sean Lally, Anuradha Mathur
and Dilip DaCunha, OMA, Stoss Landscape
Urbanism, West 8.