GREEN, HEAL AND RESTORE THE EARTH: Ian McHarg’s “Design With Nature” vision has influenced implementation of British Columbia’s Water Sustainability Action Plan – desired outcome is to achieve Settlement, Economy and Ecology in Balance as communities develop and e-develop
Desired outcome is to achieve “Settlement in Balance with Ecology” as communities re-develop
Renowned landscape architect, writer and educator Ian L. McHarg (1920-2001) was best known for introducing environmental concerns in landscape architecture. He was also instrumental in founding the original “Earth Week” in 1970. His 1969 book Design With Nature pioneered the concept of environmental planning.
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Designing with Nature in BC
“To understand where we are heading in BC, we need to understand where we have come from. Historical context is important,” states Kim Stephens, Executive Director with the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia. The ‘design with nature’ philosophy has become an integral and essential part of the green infrastructure, sustainable rainwater management and water sustainability branding in British Columbia.
“In 2010, we posted a story on the waterbucket.ca website that identifies a number of British Columbians who have made timely and significant contributions in advancing a vision for developing land differently. The ‘design with nature’ story is told in their words.”
“In the Preface to the 1992 edition, Ian McHarg reflected on the historical context leading up to publication of Design with Nature, and also the two decades following publication. He concluded with the following statement:
“We find that people intuitively understand what designing with nature means. It is non-threatening. Minds open. The concept provides a starting point for having conversations about living water smart, building greener communities and adapting to a changing climate. Perhaps this is what Ian McHarg had in mind when he wrote about the ‘gradient of meaning’. Suffice to say, the phrase Design with Nature works, it really does,” concludes Kim Stephens
“One cannot predict the fate of such a book as this,” wrote Lewis Mumford in 1969
Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, Lewis Mumford (1895-1990) had a broad career as a writer. He was an American historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and literary critic. In the Introduction to Design with Nature, he wrote that:
“Design with Nature is a notable addition to the handful of important texts that begin, at least in Western tradition, with Hippocrate’s famous medical work on Airs, Waters and Places: the first public recognition that man’s life, in sickness and in health, is bound up with the forces of nature, and that nature, so far from being opposed and conquered, must rather be treated as an ally and friend, whose ways must be understood, and whose counsel must be respected.”
“In presenting us with a vision of organic exuberance and human delight, which ecology and ecological design promise to open up for us, McHarg revives the hope for a better world. Without the permission and courage and confident skill of people like McHarg that hope might fade and disappear forever.”
To Learn More:
Download a PDF copy of “Design with Nature” philosophy guides Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia
