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AR 443A
Intro to Urban & Regional Planning
Humans in their Ecological Settings
(An Introduction)

Arch. Eduardo F. Bober, Jr.

Industry Lecturer, TIP-QC

Human Biological & Human Cultural

Evolutions
Human abilities remarkably evolved over
time distinct advantage over many
other species.

These advantages have permitted humans
to colonize much of the world and
radically reshape the environment
sometimes to humans detriment.

Changing our relationship with the
environment shifted away from
sustainability.

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3 Human Cultural Phases

Hunting and Gathering
people lived in harmony
with the Earth.
primitive technology
small population size
nomadic lifestyle
* human impacts to the
environment are
sustainable

Hunting and Gathering

- Generally exploitive of their resources

- Environmental impact was generally small due to small population
- Live healthy lives, well fed, and experienced low disease rates
-Widespread use of fire may have caused significant environmental
damage

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Started as a subsistence
activity (slash & burn or
swidden farming)

The invention of the plow &
other forms of technology
produce excess food

Displaced farm workers
specialized in crafts &
trades

Upsurge in human
population

Emergence of cities/towns
as center of commerce

knowledgeable on
domestic crops & animals
urban based farming
more damaging than
subsistence farming
disease more common for
city dwellers
poor practices resulted to
widespread environmental
damage

Agriculture

Agriculture

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Agriculture

Rise of Human Civilization

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Rise of Human Civilization

Neolithic farming settlements Fertile
Crescent Middle East (Modern day Iraq &
Palestine)
Meso-American, Maya, Olmecs, Aztecs Group
great complexes
Chinese civilization Haung Ho (Yellow River)
Indus Valley River System Itarappa &
Mohenjo Dajo (Pakistan)
Egyptian Civilization Nile River

Rise of Human Civilization

Types of sites along river:
1. Dry-point areas slightly raised above the
surrounding to minimize flooding (Pathenon,Greece)
Concept of Structure:
Regular rectangle pattern, regard for symmetry, housing
integrated with cultural & defense (Agora)

Hippodamus of Miletus grid plan order &

regularity
2. Wet-point beside the river to enable access to
water
Medieval revolves around a node usually a
castle
* Street arrangements narrow & irregular, centerperiphery use, bridging-point development,
confluence
Renaissance route center LU development (concept
of road), nodal points, LU segregation

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Rise of Human Civilization

Societies grew and aspired

for dominance

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Industrial

Society driven by the use

of technology to enable
mass production,
supporting large
population with a high
capacity for division of
labor

Industry

Boost human civilization

Increased population size
& demand for resources
Environmentally
destructive (pollution)
Altered humanenvironment interaction

= unsustainable
growth

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Industry
New technologies, energy
intensive
Tremendous inputs of
materials
Reduced number of workers
Mass production and
modern technology
Highly exploitive
Industrial age diseases
Widespread environmental
damage

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Globalization
The process of
international
integration arising from
the interchange of
world views, products,
ideas, and other
aspects of culture.

Increasing interrelationship &

interdependence among
nations due to:

Travel & migration

World trade

International flows of capital

Importance of MNCs

Interaction b/w capital
markets in different nations

Amount of communication
of all sorts across national
boundaries

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Required Reading 1: Farmer Power from

Guns, Gems, & Steel by J. Diamond

Trace the evolution of mankind in relation to their

source of food &/or food supply by placing
pertinent information (about how they obtained
food) in a tree-diagram timeline. Remember
timelines should show dates/eras, people & place/s,
and means/source of food.
Reflect & analyze your timeline. How important do
you think based on the data in your timeline, is
farming? Why? Base your argument/supporting
discussion on the assigned reading.
Min. of 2 pages, handwritten.

Thank you & Good day.

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