Building voluntary sustainability : how urban design can promote care for ecological systems

Abstract

Human behavior is, in aggregate present state, unsustainable by the ecosystem of the earth. This thesis develops a behavior change model of how societies can move from unsustainable to sustainable behavior, and, because behavior is in large part a result of personal conviction, the factors that result in voluntary behavior change towards more environmentally sustainable behavior. The three key factors that trigger a desire to behave sustainably are intellectual understanding of ecosystems, engagement with ecosystems, and feedback on personal ecosystem impacts. Urban design is a key element in how the ecosystem is presented and culturally interpreted, and this thesis examines how urban design can be used to promote care for the ecosystem by offering experiences that provide the factors of behavior change. Several example cases are provided, as well as an examination of how we sense natural systems and design suggestions.