One of the most popular definitions of an Ecovillage is taken from the book, Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities, by Robert and Diane Gilman. Ecovillages are “human-scaled, full-featured settlements in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that is supportive of healthy human development, and which can be successfully continued into the indefinite future”. Unlike intentional communities, Kibbutzim, and other co-housing operations, the Ecovillage specifically aims to create an ecological sustainable community and integrating a supportive social structure as well. The idea of an urban village sounds like an oxymoron. Urban is a word that describes something pertaining to a city, which is qualified by a large or important town. A village is a small community or group of homes. Thinking of a city in terms of a village can be benefitial to solve some of the greatest probelms that cities face today.
John Roderick, is an Environmental Studies student at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This blog is an exploration into Ecovillage design.
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"A student of the rise and fall of cultures cannot fail to be impressed by the role played in this historical succession by the image of the future. The rise and fall of images precedes or accompanies the rise and fall of cultures. As long as a society's image is positive and flourishing, the flower of culture is in full bloom. Once the image begins to decay and lose its vitality, however, the culture does not long survive." (The Image of the Future, Fred Polak, 1961)
