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Growth and Collapse

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Collapsing Gracefully: Making a Built Environment that is Fit for the Future

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Abstract

Since a link has been made between physical growth and the collapse of early empires, this chapter examines the issue of growth and its link with collapse through increasing complexity. Definitions of growth are examined noting that in the natural world, unchecked growth is problematic. There is a focus on economic growth and the need to rethink modern economic growth to take account of the physical and biological limits of the planet. How and why growth occurs in the built environment is discussed and the urban patterns that are caused by growth are introduced. The inextricable link between growth in human population, growth in economies and growth of the built environment is explained, suggesting that although design can produce zero energy buildings and low energy suburbs, it cannot tackle change without a fundamental change in attitudes to growth in other spheres. The chapter ends by discussing diversity as a key to making a resilient future built environment.

Alice:

Caterpillar:

By the way, I have a few more helpful hints. One side will make you grow taller …

Alice:

One side of what?

Caterpillar:

…and the other side will make you grow shorter.

Alice:

The other side of what?

Caterpillar:

THE MUSHROOM, OF COURSE

Lewis Carroll

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Architecture and Planning, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Emilio Garcia

  2. School of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Brenda Vale

  3. Wellington, New Zealand

    Robert Vale

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  1. Emilio Garcia
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  2. Brenda Vale
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Correspondence to Emilio Garcia .

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Garcia, E., Vale, B., Vale, R. (2021). Growth and Collapse. In: Collapsing Gracefully: Making a Built Environment that is Fit for the Future. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77783-8_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77783-8_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-77782-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-77783-8

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