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Social Dynamics and Sustainable Urban Design

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Resilience in Ecology and Urban Design

Part of the book series: Future City ((FUCI,volume 3))

Abstract

The designed, built environment is the most obvious expression of urbanization, but cities are made of people, too. Any efforts to design resilient or sustainable cities must therefore take into account the social contexts of urbanism. This chapter explores social contexts of contemporary urban systems, both the social drivers and outcomes of urbanization. It includes a discussion of links between population dynamics and urbanization, and the role of demographics in shaping the design and functioning of modern cities. This is followed by an exploration of the social contexts of vulnerability and environmental justice within cities and the opportunities for incorporating principles of sustainable urbanism, along with design and ecological understanding, for ameliorating some of the pressing problems in contemporary cities. Urban design has the power to help societies move toward a more just and sustainable future. An urban habitat that incorporates social justice and an ecologically-informed environmental justice should be a fundamental design goal.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Christopher G. Boone

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  1. Christopher G. Boone
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Correspondence to Christopher G. Boone .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Sharon Turnpike 2801, Millbrook, 12545-0129, New York, USA

    S.T.A. Pickett

  2. , Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Shields Avenue 1, Davis, 95616, California, USA

    M.L. Cadenasso

  3. , Sch Constructed Environments, Parsons the New School for Design, East 13th Street 25, New York, 10011, New York, USA

    Brian McGrath

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Boone, C.G. (2013). Social Dynamics and Sustainable Urban Design. In: Pickett, S., Cadenasso, M., McGrath, B. (eds) Resilience in Ecology and Urban Design. Future City, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5341-9_3

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