Principles

Apr 08

Structural Moving: State of the Art

Business/Commerce/Industry, Optimization, Principles, Property Design, Sustainability, Urban Transformation No Comments »

Structural Moving’s impressive and practical ‘State-of-the-Art’, is matched, sadly, by society’s (peoples’) state of assumptions and limitations regarding the technical capabilities.

Unfortunately, this limits society’s ability to both comprehend the ‘issues’ and our responses to them.

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CDS Building Movers provides a particularly insightful example – for it’s social ‘assumptions’ as well as real technical capabilities. The ’special project’ featured on their website involved the moving of five historic buildings from the campus of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario (1992).

This is a valuable learning resource.

Firstly, as the title states: ‘They said it couldn’t be done’. That is the common refrain. Most people don’t know what is possible, technically. Structural Moving is simply ‘off the radar’ of the general population. It is assumed that structures must remain ‘in place’, or be demolished … the thought of lifting/moving is, sadly, beyond peoples’ comprehension.

Even in this example at Queen’s University … where were the academic engineers and architects when it was assumed that the buildings must be demolished? Here, a university of ‘higher education’ is unable to determine the capabilities and possibilities – isn’t that (partly) what the education system exists for?

Yet, of course it ‘could be done’. It is possible to lift/move large heavy structures – as I’ve written about in previous articles, we’ve been capable of such technical marvels for ages. It ‘could’ve been done’ thousands of years ago. Aren’t the wonders of human technical capabilities a part of Queen’s University history courses?

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Tagged with: business • cities • design • Optimization • transformation

Mar 11

Simple Rules: Complex Community Systems

Biomimicry, Dynamical Systems, Optimization, Principles, Property Design No Comments »

Emergent patters/properties of complex adaptive systems are achieved through simple operating ‘rules’.

Indeed, simple ‘rules’ are a necessity of complex dynamical interactions. A common misunderstanding is that the complex interactions are a result of complex ‘rules’.

Emergent properties may be thought of as ’simplicities’ in the sense that they are the identifiable ‘things’ … whether properties (structural behaviour), patterns (of birds in flight, schoals of birds), or ‘problems’ … which result from the complex interactions of the dynamical system.

While the interactions of the system are complex, the rules which lead to the system’s behaviour are ’simple’. This is one of many counterintuitive aspects of complex adaptive systems.

‘Life’ provides the best and most obvious example.

Applying the lessons learned from the ‘rules of Life’, to the design of Communities (and resulting social lifestyles) is a high form of Biomimicry. The notion of having a few simple rules by which to design and construct healthy vibrant communities of immense diversity and resilience is confirmed by Life.

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Tagged with: Biomimicry • cities • design • Optimization • resilience

Mar 03

Communities: Fractal Solutions

Biomimicry, Business/Commerce/Industry, Dynamical Systems, Principles, Property Design, Urban Transformation No Comments »

Our ’problems’, as emergent properties of complex adaptive (fractal) systems are (in certain cases) fractal ‘patterns’ on various scales of our eco/socio-economic system.

So, too, solutions can be fractal: an effective re-build of a system structure at one level can/will be result in solutions as emergent properties on various scales.

Communities … rebuilding the structure form of existing subdivisions, by design, to be real, integral communities … will lead to multi-scalar emergent solutions.

Indeed, an immediate ‘emergent solution’ of Urban Transformation as a new industry (industrial system) is the economic stimulus effect in terms of the innovative commercial/industrial investments and operations.

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Tagged with: Biomimicry • design • Economics • transformation

Mar 01

Solutions as Fractals …

Business/Commerce/Industry, Dynamical Systems, Optimization, Principles, Sustainability, Urban Transformation No Comments »

Complex Adaptive Systems are also known as Fractal Systems, in regards to their ’scale-independent’ or ‘fractal’ structure.

The fractal characteristic (or scale-independence) of Complex Adaptive Systems is that features of the whole are present in each of the component parts … this is also known as ’self-similarity’ … patterns that repeat at different scales.

Our ‘problems’ are (in certain cases) fractal ‘patterns’ on various scales of our eco/socio-economic system. So, too, solutions can be fractal: an effective re-build of a system structure at one level can/will be a solution on various scales.

Urban Transformation is the practical application of this principle: the improper design of the existing residential subdivisions in a primary component of many integrated multi-scalar (fractal) ‘problems’ … we can transform the existing residential subdivisions into real Communities, by design, with solutions as emergent properties on various scales.

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Tagged with: Biomimicry • cities • design • Optimization • resilience • transformation

Feb 25

Systemic Change ………………………….. Part 5 Transformation of Mindset: Paradigm of Possibilities

Business/Commerce/Industry, Dynamical Systems, Principles, Sustainability, Urban Transformation No Comments »

Developing a new understanding is a new mindset … a non-reversible neural systemic change.

Specifically, understanding Urban Transformation … the need for structural re-building of our physical communities, and the practical capabilities to do so … is a systemic change to a new mindset of possibilities.

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It is by learning a sufficient amount and variety of component ‘pieces’ of information, and their interconnections …. attaining the appropriate ‘critical mass(es)’ of learning, in a critically appropriate (short) period of time … that the systemic change of mindset or ‘understanding’ is achieved.

Likewise, in turn, when a sufficient number and variety of people … the ‘critical mass(es)’ of people … develop a new understanding – and, in a critically short period of time, a new widespread social paradigm can be achieved.

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Tagged with: business • cities • design • resilience • transformation

Feb 22

Systemic Change ……………………………… Part 4 Roads as ‘Boundary Conditions’

Business/Commerce/Industry, Dynamical Systems, Optimization, Principles, Property Design, Sustainability, Urban Transformation No Comments »

The structure of our residential subdivisions presents enormous potential for beneficial change.

To truly appreciate the potential for achieving systemic change … and, the potential for vast improvements, it is necessary to understand the underlying factors of our existing problematic residential ‘form’. In particular, the roads: the arterial avenues/roads, and, the ‘inner’ residential roads.

I’m focussing on roads as a primary ‘component’ because it represents a defining feature of the landscape – delineating the resultant land area that is ‘left over’ for all other uses; roads are a very high cost feature (initial construction, maintenance and repair); and, as a consequence of ‘form’, virtually all aspects of life both involve and impact roads.

In terms of systems, roads serve as a ‘boundary conditions’.

Yet, the roads are also serve as linear ‘centres’ of commerce and industry.

These are two conflicting functions, and as I believe, the source of much of our social, transportation, traffic congestion ‘problems’.

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Tagged with: business • cities • design • Economics • Optimization • resilience • transformation

Feb 16

Systemic Change ………………………….. Part 1 Community: Structure as a Leverage Point

Dynamical Systems, Principles, Sustainability, Urban Transformation No Comments »

Transforming our subdivisions into viable integrated Communities, by design, represents a vital ‘Leverage Point’ for greater systemic non-reversible change to a sustainable society.

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The physical structure or form of a system is a critical factor in it’s functioning … whether the functioning is effective/efficient, or problematic.

And, problematic is what we currently have … ecological, social and economic.

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Tagged with: cities • design • resilience • transformation

Feb 15

Communities … and Systemic Change

Dynamical Systems, Principles, Sustainability, Urban Transformation No Comments »

Communities are a systemic ‘whole’ on a small (local) scale, while also larger-scale ‘component wholes’ … of our greater socio-economic system(s).

It is this ‘duality’ – in a fractal sense – that presents an opportunity of enormous potential.

Communities represent a key ‘leverage point’ … as a means of establishing large-scale beneficial systemic change.

In fact, this is a uniquely vital ‘Dual Leverage Point’: as an ‘end’ goal of resolving many practical ‘issues’ for local residents (a means of improving their lifestyles); and, on a greater social scale, the improvements of local behavioural interactions serves as a means of establishing large-scale transitional systemic socio-economic changes.

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Our problematic situations are systemic, and many eco/socio-economic ‘issues’ are a result of the form of our existing residential subdivisions.

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Tagged with: cities • design • resilience • transformation

Feb 10

Understanding Systemic Change

Biomimicry, Dynamical Systems, Principles, Sustainability No Comments »

Systemic non-reversible solutions are needed to ‘resolve’ our problematic situations.

A real resolution of our problematic situation(s) implies ‘change’ … a transitional change … and, permanent change: In systems science, this is referred to as a ‘non-reversible’ systemic change.

After all, it’d do no good to change ‘for the better’, only for the system to revert back to the same (or similar) problematic situation.

This is a true transformation – transforming the ‘whole’ system to achieve a ‘non-reversible’ resolution to the problematic situation(s).

Understanding systems and requires great effort to learn: there are various types of systems, each with many ‘aspects’ or component parts, and interconnections; there is the issue of ’scale’ and ’scope’ (scale of breadth and depth).

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Tagged with: Biomimicry • resilience • transformation

Feb 08

Systems: A Primer

Dynamical Systems, Principles No Comments »

‘System’ … this is a very broad term, and includes many categories, types, etc. There are various definitions of systems.

In fact, even amongst the experts, there is no single classification for all types of systems, or for all purposes of analyses.

My intent with this article is not to provide a ’specific’ definition or even to describe ‘what’ systems … rather, my goal here is to help you, dear reader, to learn and develop an understanding of systems (prompting further study), and ultimately to ‘think’ in terms of systems with a ’systems mindset’.

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Tagged with: ecosystems

Feb 03

Identity and ‘Place’: Vital Aspects of Community

Biomimicry, Dynamical Systems, Optimization, Principles, Property Design, Sustainability, Urban Transformation No Comments »

From a distance, a community would have a ‘dimensional’ look to it – similar to a city with it’s downtown core.

So, there’d be a sense of Place, both from afar and within. The community core would be visually evident and obvious, so that with a glance from a distance even a visitor could easily/immediately locate the centre.

A self-contained community, then, can be thought of as a fractal structure – in which, the features of the whole are represented in each of the various scaled components. Community; district; city; region … are (ought to be) representative ‘wholes’ of increasing scale. This will be a topic of further discussion in a following article.

This ’self-similarity’ or, ’scale-independence’ is a fundamental aspect of dynamical, complex adaptive systems … a (successful) feature of nature; a replicable model … so, why then aren’t we adopting/adapting natures successes?! This is an aspect of Biomimicry that deserves serious attention.

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Tagged with: Biomimicry • cities • design • resilience • transformation

Feb 01

Residential Subdivisions … are Not Communities.

Business/Commerce/Industry, Dynamical Systems, Optimization, Principles, Property Design, Uncategorized No Comments »

Complex Systems involve a multiplicity of components and connections.

A vibrant Community, being a complex system, is comprised of a multiplicity (amount and variety) of components and connections.

In the previous blog articles, ‘Systems Approach to Solutions’ (Parts 1 & 2), I briefly described the nature of systems, especially complex systems, and the ’systems approach’ to designing meaningful solutions.

Our ecological and socio-economic ‘issues’ are truly complex, involving many interconnected component aspects.

In the subdivisions of our urban/suburban societies, our lifestyle behaviours represent a primary component of our problematic situation(s): our auto-dependent … highly mobile, yet also highly sedentary lifestyles and excessive processed food result in many health ‘issues’; energy-intensity (electricity; petro; etc.) causes ecological/economic impacts; and on …

Our lifestyles, though, are ‘pre-determined’ in the sense that we’re constrained by the physical form of the built-environment in which we live … so many (most) of us live in subdivisions (inner suburban sprawl of a previous generation; new suburbs); and, the suburbs are so similar.

So, residential subdivisions as a physical ‘form’ are a major component of our problematic situations, imposing major negative ecological, social and economic impacts.

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Tagged with: cities • design • Optimization • resilience • social issues • transformation

Jan 28

Communities … as Complex Systems

Business/Commerce/Industry, Dynamical Systems, Optimization, Principles, Property Design, Sustainability, Urban Transformation No Comments »

A community system, specifically a complex adaptive system is comprised of a multitude of components and (inter)connections.

So a real community – as a complex adaptive system – requires the necessary critical mass of components and connections.

Actually, we could think in terms of the main ‘component’ sub-systems: physical infrastructural system; social system; and, the greater ecological/environmental system.

Scale and scope … of the subsystems and their components and connections. In fact, scale and scope of each of the ’scales’ and ’scopes’.

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Tagged with: business • cities • design • Optimization • resilience • transformation

Jan 26

A ‘Systems Approach’ to Solutions (Part 2)

Dynamical Systems, Principles, Sustainability No Comments »

Consider, from a ’systems mindset’, that our problematic situations are systemic: a consequent result of the various components and their interactions that comprise the ‘whole’ system.

Without a sufficient understanding (in breadth and depth) of the system as a whole, we cannot alter or change any ‘one’ component and expect a drastic beneficial result … even a drastic change to a single component will not necessarily fundamentally alter the whole … it may, but not necessarily; even changes to two or more components, individually or independently, is likely insufficient to achieve fundamental system change.

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Tagged with: design • resilience • transformation

Nov 05

‘Getting to Zero Waste’ … book review.

Optimization, Principles, Sustainability No Comments »

Here’s an excellent book: ‘Getting to Zero Waste‘, by Paul Palmer, PhD.

With his PhD. in chemistry (Yale), Mr. Palmer founded (1973) a chemical recycling (and brokering) business, and is now the Founding President of The Zero Waste Institute.

We have, in this book, a wealth of knowledge and experience gained through Palmer’s professional life. Palmer’s accounts of dealing with the ‘authorities’ will leave you laughing at the nonsense while you share his frustration. Similarly enlightening is his analysis of the ‘garbage industry’ – really, a ‘hauling’ industry.

Imagine chemical dump sites full of rusting, leaking barrels of chemicals that could otherwise have been put to good use.

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Tagged with: business • design • Economics • ecosystems • Optimization • waste

Oct 26

Our Eco-_Social Disconnect.

Ecological Economics, Garden, Principles, Sustainability, Urban Agriculture 2 Comments »

Consider: Our society (our ’so-called’ advanced, developed western nations) are comprised of at least five (5) distinct generations of people who, after fifteen years of the formal educational system (jr. K – Gr. 12) have learned very little … if anything at all … of nature, ecology, ‘the environment’. And, through no fault of their own.

Is it any wonder that we have problems?

And with post-secondary, only those who pursue bio/eco studies have a real basis of understanding. But, then, in the typically ‘reductionist’ mode that doesn’t provide the basis for understanding the many aspects of emergent properties of dynamical systems – nature; Life; economics; society; climate; weather; and so much else are dynamical systems with emergent properties that cannot necessarily be understood from an a knowledge of their individual component parts.

This does not bode well.

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This lack of knowledge/understanding is so important since it is the decisions that people make (big and small) everyday that comprise ‘the economy’ and a civilized society.

The economy, in general, is the result of our social interactions. What people ‘busy’ themselves with – all day, everyday … their busy-ness, is, indeed, their ‘business’; and, ’the economy’ is the combination of everyones’ business. All of which is composed of decisions.

And virtually all of those decisions are based on a lack of knowledge/understanding … of the very ecological ‘asset base’ on which everything is absolutely dependent, and, from which everything derives.

Rectifying this situation … this eco–_social disconnect is a priority.

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Tagged with: business • cities • design • Economics • gardening • resilience • transformation

Oct 20

‘Community Triangle’ … Part 2

Principles, Property Design, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Urban Transformation No Comments »

As described in the previous post, the ‘Kitchen (work) Triangle’ is widely known and appreciated as a design ‘tool’: a set of design parameters which establish the basis of highly effective and efficient ‘layout’ of appliances and floorplan.

The length of an (average) person’s stride and reach, forms the anatomical basis from which the ‘distances’ between the utilities (refrigerator, sink and oven) are determined.

This is the field of ‘ergonomics‘.

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Tagged with: cities • design • resilience • transformation

Oct 18

‘Kitchen Triangle’ to ‘Community Triangle’

Principles, Property Design, Sustainability, Urban Transformation No Comments »

The design concept of the ‘Kitchen (work) Triangle’ has become well appreciated thanks to the popularity of home renovations and interior design over the past two decades.

The notion of the ‘kitchen triangle’ is entirely a matter of utilitarian functionality, on which the whole design is based: the ‘triangle’ includes the most used utilities …

* refrigerator – cold storage site
* sink – cleaning, preparation site
* oven/stove – cooking work site

This is one of the most common and well understood/accepted examples of ‘ergonomics‘: the study of effective and efficient design, according to human bio-mechanics.

I believe the ‘kitchen (work) triangle’ is an important analogy and model for the design of our communities – we ought to think of a ‘Community Triangle’ of our most important ’sites’: home, groceries, school … etc.

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Tagged with: cities • design • property • resilience • transformation

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