Cultural Ties
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, School of Architecture
High Impact Experiential Learning Opportunities Through Global Community Engaged Learning : Real-world Experience via International Short Term Study Abroad Service Learning Trips View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jeremy Farner
Multi-disciplinary, short-term study abroad trips provide real-world project management experience through a variety of international, interdisciplinary service learning projects. These projects begin with a pre survey where students rate their abilities or confidence therein to: (1) identify proper ways to address humanitarian needs; (2) finalize the plans, budget, and schedule to complete the project initiatives; (3) understand the language, geographical, ethical, and historical parameters, (4) understand the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and establish initiatives that will help progress the meeting of those goals; and (5) develop a comprehensive project management plan for the project initiatives. Coupled with a faculty post trip observation assessment and an identical student post survey, students project management abilities improved from below average in the pre-survey to well above average upon completion of the yearlong project. Students reported that these experiences were the highest impact learning practices they experienced in their undergraduate education.
Featured Deep Human Ecology: Habitat as a Network Bridging “Natural” Eco-systems of the Environment and "Artificial" Techno-systems of the Built Environment View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Daniel Felipe Marín Vanegas
Human cultures with a high degree of urban and technological development face a connectivity crisis with nature that provides its ecosystem services, threatening its sustainability on different spatial and temporal scales. This notion of nature's ecosystem services comes from an anthropocentric paradigm that understands humans and their built environment as something artificial, interpreted as unnatural. The civilizing process of these human societies that have separated nature and culture, biology and cognition, ecology and technology, etc., faces complex environmental problems that require reconnecting these realities. Global initiatives from ecological movements such as Fritjof Capra's Deep Ecology, combined with new research findings in human ecology, can provide a framework to address this crisis. This research presents the habitats of humans and other animals as a network bridging "natural" eco-systems of the environment and "artificial" techno-systems of the built environment. For this purpose, we use systemic thinking to develop a new area of study: techno-systemic studies. In such studies, we show how the habitat is present in both ecological and technological systems by bringing terminology from eco-systemic studies, such as the concept of levels of organization. This knowledge allows actions and practices caring for both biosphere and technosphere. The biosphere, sometimes called ecosphere, is the set of natural ecological systems (i.e., forests). The technosphere is the set of "artificial" technological systems (i.e., cities). Finally, this study allows us to move from an egocentric/anthropocentric to an ecocentric/biocentric paradigm, constituting the foundations of Deep Human Ecology, a knowledge branch reconciling nature and culture.
Implementation of Sustainable Practices in Detroit for a Greener and Better Future: Sustainable and Green City View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kasim Korkmaz
Sustainability is a goal development to create a greener and better future. Sustainability targets to reduce the impacts of economic, environmental, and social elements. This research investigates sustainable practices for Detroit. Applications in the city to create a green and sustainable transformation are detailed in the paper. Adopting sustainable practices in Detroit will help in protecting environmental resources and improvising the recreational commercial values of Detroit city. The major difficulty faced in Detroit is vacant neighborhoods. The current technology creates new tools such as autonomous vehicles that will shape the future of transportation and cities. Detroit is called as Motor City. Therefore, transportation plays an important role in Detroit’s development and rehabilitation. To support sustainable practices in the city, Detroit City Council Green Task Force was founded. The council regularly examines how to improve and promote sustainability and green practices in the city. Detroit has taken initiative actions for sustainability practices in the city to help redevelopment. It has improvised the services and made historical developments in infrastructure. MoGo bike share program expanded hybrid buses, embarked on the bike expansion, first utility-scale solar installation, stormwater infrastructure, created $250 Million Affordable Housing Leverage Fund for preserve 10,000 units, and develop 2,000 new units. In 2018, the community released a strategic plan for the development of transportation which included resurfacing 300 miles of streets, ascending bus service on high-capacity routes, and expanding to protect bike lanes. All of this investment also helps in creating economic opportunities for Detroit.
