Bridging the divide in urban sustainability: from human exemptionalism to the new ecological paradigm |
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Authors: | Garry W McDonald Murray G Patterson |
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Institution: | (1) Market Economics Ltd., P.O. Box 331 297, Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand;(2) New Zealand Centre of Ecological Economics, School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North, New Zealand |
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Abstract: | This paper reviews the main bodies of contemporary urban sustainability theory. From this analysis, two underpinning paradigms
of urban sustainability are identified: (1) The ‘Human Exemptionalism Paradigm’ (HEP), which emphasizes the ability of humans
to overcome environmental problems—see Urban Sociology, Urban Ecology, Urban Geography, Urban Psychology and Political Economy;
and (2) The ‘New Ecological Paradigm’ (NEP), which emphasizes the criticality of ecological limits to human progress—see Urban
Metabolism, Energy/Emergy Analysis and Ecological Footprinting. Each of these approaches is critically reviewed, highlighting
their main assumptions, theoretical and practical foci. It is argued in the paper that if the related issues of urban sustainability
and development are to be progressed, there needs to be: (1) a greater maturation of the NEP approaches, which are ‘relative
newcomers’ to the area of urban theory; and (2) greater integration and dialogue between the HEP and NEP approaches to urban
sustainability than has hitherto been the case.
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Keywords: | Urban Paradigm Social sciences Natural sciences Ecology |
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