Michael Hathorne
A Brief Introduction to Community Planning and ...

Our current built environment which was once meant for people and worked to integrate with nature doesn’t seem to be designed for people or nature anymore.  Since the advent of the assembly line and the mass production of the automobile in 1913 the built environment in the United States has changed.  These changes did not happen all at once; they have occurred over time in a subtle fashion.  These changes have caused a shift in development practices that have moved away from people and nature.

Land

Respecting Land in the Development Process

For thousands of years, it was required of human beings to live in harmony with nature. Nature’s laws governed human behavior. If those laws weren’t followed, then human lives were lost. It has only been within the past couple hundred years that the attitudes towards nature’s laws have changed. With scientific discoveries, improving engineering practices, and industrialization human beings have begun exhibiting behavior which suggests they know better. The paradox in this collection of attitudes is that the rules have not changed, but the stakes are now much higher regarding the blatant disobedience to nature’s laws.