The articles highlights the many reasons why sustainable planning and green architecture can be beneficial to urban cities today. One reason is the economic benefit; sustainable development projects taken up by companies can increase economic activity, leading to more employment, and more competition. In addition, the new developments in the green areas can attract visitors to the city. A second reason is the environmental benefit; green architecture can reduce “pollution on a boarder scale” and serve as checks on “resource depletion, emissions of undesirable greenhouse gases and subsequent rise in anthropogenic heat in the ambient atmosphere” (535). Both of these reasons we have discussed in our class a fair amount already in our past readings. However, one point that the article makes, which I have not though about before, is that urban green areas also can provide the benefit of “public congregation” and “social interaction” (536). The author notes that urban green areas tend to be parts of the city that are frequently visited. With proper urban planning, green areas in the city can create “cohesion between citizens” by bringing people together in order to “weave” parts of the city together (536). I found this point of the article to be the most persuasive as it reveals how urban green areas can strengthen the idea of a city as a community and solve the problems of social interactions that are very damaging on people’s minds.
Another point made be the author that was interesting was that sustainable planning needs to go beyond being just “corrective measures of regeneration” (539). The author notes that in engaging sustainable planning, there needs to be a recognition of “historic and cultural significance” that takes into account the identity of the people (539). Rather than simply correcting people’s mistreatment of the natural environment, sustainable planning projects should be considered “inventions” that benefit the people. I felt that this type of mindset is a great approach towards how people should think on green architecture and how to maximize the benefits a city could get from it.
