About the Transition to an Eco-Compatible Society: the Example of Urban Spread

Lefebvre, Olivier (2018) About the Transition to an Eco-Compatible Society: the Example of Urban Spread. REAL CORP 2018 – EXPANDING CITIES – DIMINISHING SPACE. Are “Smart Cities” the solution or part of the problem of continuous urbanisation around the globe? Proceedings of 23rd International Conference on Urban Planning, Regional Development and Information. pp. 547-552. ISSN 2521-3938

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Abstract

The transition to an eco-compatible society will depend on the conclusions of many “logical duels”, to use the words of the French sociologist Tarde. Therefore, to make prospective is uneasy: the logical duels of the day after tomorrow will depend on the conclusions of the logical duels of tomorrow, which are unknown. However, in this framework one can state what this transition will not be: (1) BAU (Business As Usual) is impossible (2) to take into account the stake of the metabolism of cities, only, is not enough (3) an Ecological Cultural Revolution is improbable. It seems that two logical duels matter very much: demography (the answer to the question: “how many do we want to be?”) and quality of life (the answer to the question: “do we want, or not, quality of life?”). Therefore one can build two scenarios, ecological emergency (in case of high population growth) and quality of life. Concerning several stakes (energy, water, agriculture …) the choices which are made in each scenario are different. In each scenario there is struggle against urban spread but for different reasons: in the scenario “ecological emergency” countryside is a reservoir of indispensable resources, in the scenario “quality of life” countryside is a place to preserve (use for leisure, quality of landscapes …).

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: social change, environment, urban spread, philosophy, transition
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Depositing User: REAL CORP Administrator
Date Deposited: 16 Apr 2018 12:47
Last Modified: 16 Apr 2018 12:47
URI: http://repository.corp.at/id/eprint/460

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