Ecological Design Science

By Joanne Tippett. The aim of this work is a cross-disciplinary integration of ideas specifically relevant to permaculture design and the physical structure of human settlements. Although this work is ambitious in scope, I feel this is an important element of the writing, to present an overview such that the reader is able to see the inter-relations of many ideas relevant to design. This is a synthesis of a kind which I believe has so far not been attempted.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Structure

1.2 Core principles

2.0 Quality of Life

2.1 Right Livelihood

2.2 Bioregionalism

2.3 Commons

2.4 Commons and nature in ritual and celebration

3.0 Patterns in nature

3.1 Observation of nature

3.2 Chaos and systems theory in relationship to permaculture

3.3 Fractals and edge effect

3.4 Understanding patterns

4.0 Observation underlying design

4.1 Mapping and spatial understanding

4.2 Time and form

4.3 Process of design

4.4 An approach for implementation

5.0 Application of natural patterns to design

5.1 Implicate wholeness and patterns of change

5.2 Spatial understanding

5.3 Nodes

5.4 A sense of belonging

5.5 From disconnection to integration in building design

5.6 Urban planning

5.7 Levels of scale and density

5.8 Fractal branching: from disconnection to integration

5.9 Crenellating the edge: urban rural integration

5.91 Webs of wild life

5.92 Pattern of Sustainability, an example

6.0 Patterns of production

6.1 Value adding to resources and job creation

6.2 Industrial ecology

6.3 Living machines

6.4 Energy

6.5 Agriculture

6.6 Elements of agriculture 6.6i Soil 6.6ii Trees 6.6iii Animals 6.6iv Water

7.0 Patterns of social structures

7.1 Money

7.2 LETS

7.3 Networks of information and nodal education

7.4 Decentralised government

8.0 Conclusion

8.1 Difficulty of predicting the future

8.2 Learning as you go along

8.3 Self realization through positive action

Bibliography

List of illustrations

1 Comparison of permaculture and conventional agriculture

2 Fractal patterns increase edge effect

3 Crenellating the edge - deep interlock

4 Increasing edge in design

5 'Do-nothing' year - get house and garden in order

6 Dense nodes - coalescing from flow

7 Nodes of human settlement connected by rail and cycle paths

8 From disconnection to integration in building design

9 Ambiguity - indoor outdoor connections

10 Identifiable neighbourhood, embedded in town, embedded in larger whole

11 Fractal branching of paths

12 Crenellating the edges of nodes - agroforestry and industrial ecology

13 Networks of waterways, windbreaks, hedges - edges

14 Webs of wildlife

15 A pattern of sustainability

16 Detail of a node and wildlife web

17 Increasing the potential of agriculture - five dimensional thinking

18 Inter-relation - human activity and biodiversity