ABSTRACT
In the past decade, ecological urbanism has emerged as an interdisciplinary design process that responds to unprecedented environmental challenges such as rapid urbanization, the exponential growth in population, a growing scarcity of natural resources, and the looming consequences of climate change. This chapter traces the genesis of ecological urbanism in the synthesis of three modes of cultural consciousness: ethics, aesthetics, and cybernetics. By describing moments, or episodes, where nature and technology converge, the chapter also explores the uncharted territories opened up by this holistic approach to design and their potential for redefining our understanding of the environment. Wiener's 1950 article was an early instance of the application of cybernetic principles to spatial organization and the planning of cities. The article also signaled an attempt to popularize a debate about urbanism between scientists and planners and to reorient urban development and planning towards the use of new computational tools.
