An Ecosystemic Approach to Live Better in a Better World

Contemporary problems cannot be solved by segmented academic formats, conventional public policies, market-place interests or mass-media headlines linked to the current paradigms of wealth, growth, power, work and freedom. ... [ view full abstract ]

Contemporary problems cannot be solved by segmented academic formats, conventional public policies, market-place interests or mass-media headlines linked to the current paradigms of wealth, growth, power, work and freedom.
Due to the cornucopia that finance leisure travel and luxury accommodations, “Babel Towers” proliferate in the major cities of the world, attracting all kind of people enticed by the technological prodigies of proud engineers and architects who build high stunning skyscrapers.
As huge buildings are erected, resources for health, education, culture and environment are increasingly curtailed; sports mega events, frequently characterized by graft scandals and benefiting very exclusive segments of society, are eagerly disputed by governments.
In our asymmetric societies, differences in power between natural persons and legal persons, the prevailing power-driven ethos, divert human concern into technological invention, scientific advancement, and unlimited material consumption and production.
In many economically unequal and violent cities of emerging countries, while some enjoy life in fortified enclaves and are uninvolved in civic life, most of the people live in makeshift slum housing, without the basic social services (health, education, security, etc.
Urban planning cannot be subordinated to the interests of real estate corporations, cities cannot remain as privileged centers for profit and capital accumulation, but must preserve natural and built environments, heritage, history, values, architecture, landscapes, the arts and the letters.
For the transition to an ecosystemic model of culture, a theoretical and practical framework is posited, encompassing four dimensions of being in the world (intimate, interactive, social and biophysics), as they combine to elicit the events, deal with the consequences and organize for change (potential outputs).
Instead of taking current trends for granted and project them into the future (exploratory forecast), a fundamental aspect for change is the definition of desired goals and the exploration of new paths to reach them (normative forecast).