Sustainable City: A Review of Philosophical Roots and Developments (From the Renaissance to the Contemporary)

Morteza Hemmati¹ Azarnush Amiri²

1) PhD Candidate in Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran.
2) M.A in Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran.

IOI Code : XDCB-GDADC
Publication : 7th.International Congress On Civil Engineering, Architecture & Urban Development(7icsau.com)
Abstract :
    Today, the title sustainability is one of the most frequently used expressions in the literature of architecture and urban planning in Iran and the world. Despite the widespread use of this concept, it seems that there are complexities and ambiguities in it that prevent a common understanding among experts. This concept provides a set of guidelines and strategies for correcting the distorted relationship between man and nature over time. Since the basis of this concept is based on the evolution of this relationship, it seems impossible to understand its issues without being aware of this evolutionary process. The purpose of this paper is to examine the roots and study the evolution of this concept over time and tries to gain a deeper understanding of this concept by analyzing its hidden historical-philosophical angles. This study focuses on the philosophical developments of the Renaissance in four parts and introduces the currents of thought that are effective in shaping this concept. In the first part, the origins of this concept before the Renaissance are briefly discussed, then in the second part, the two dominant currents of thought, Technocentrism and Ecocentrism, are introduced in detail along with key thinkers and theorists who have a great influence on the formation of this concept. The third section describes the three key paradigms of twentieth-century urban planning: Howard Garden-City, the brilliant city of Corbusier, and the vast city of Wright, which presented the urban challenges of the Industrial Revolution and inspired many currents of thought. In the final section, what is presented today as the single concept of sustainability and the challenges and contradictions that lie ahead.

Keywords : sustainability ecocentrism technocentrism garden city renaissance