Making an argument that is more than 30 years old; Ian McHarg presents a compelling argument for geodesign in the example of the New Jersey Shore. He describes the story of human development on coastal shores tangentially to the basic structure of dune ecology. The lesson is clear: ecological patterns that have evolved over thousands of years to survive in a place will weather a storm where an ill-equipped human civilization will not.
Here, the incredibly charming Ian McHarg describes the environments and vulnerabilities of the shore ecosystem (1:29).
Thinking back to the point made by Donella Meadows: “Once we see the relationship between structure and behavior, we can begin to understand how systems work, what makes them produce poor results, and how to shift them into better behavior patterns” (Meadows, 2008). McHarg clearly explains how the structure of each dune environment is accompanied by a certain behavior, and characterized by certain vulnerabilities (tolerances). If the developers of the New Jersey shore had a better understanding of the vulnerabilities and inherent resiliency of the New Jersey Shore, perhaps they would have designed a place more suitable for the environment.
Unfortunately, development on the New Jersey Shore was not suitable for its environment. It was not designed with nature, which exacerbated vulnerabilities in the system. In November 2012, Hurricane Sandy demonstrated the vulnerability of New Jersey’s humanized coastal landscape.
Drag the slider bar to compare the BEFORE image with the AFTER image.
While the destruction wrought by the storm is tragic, it also offers a harsh lesson. The means to avoid, or at least minimize, vulnerability was written in the landscape. McHarg observed this over 30 years ago. As responsible and ethical designers, we can learn from the New Jersey Shore and expand our definition of geodesign to be a geographically based process that creatively changes and improves the suitability of a place .
It is important that we be able to recognize when a place is vulnerable or lacking fitness. We can begin to attune ourselves to a place by learning to read the landscape. It starts with identifying a problem or issue, then examining the parts, interconnections, and purpose or function of the system that the problem exists within. What are the vulnerabilities in the system? This week’s assignment will give you the opportunity to examine system components and vulnerabilities in a place that is special to you.