Source: The Guardian, “The case for … making low-tech ‘dumb’ cities instead of ‘smart’ ones”
There’s old, and then there’s old – and for urban landscapes increasingly vulnerable to floods, adverse weather, carbon overload, choking pollution and an unhealthy disconnect between humans and nature, there’s a strong case for looking beyond old technologies to ancient technologies.
It is eminently possible to weave ancient knowledge of how to live symbiotically with nature into how we shape the cities of the future, before this wisdom is lost forever. We can rewild our urban landscapes, and apply low-tech ecological solutions to drainage, wastewater processing, flood survival, local agriculture and pollution that have worked for indigenous peoples for thousands of years, with no need for electronic sensors, computer servers or extra IT support.
Book: The Power of Lo—TEK: A global exploration of nature-based technology
Article: Turning cities into sponges: how Chinese ancient wisdom is taking on climate change
Article: Time: How Australia’s Indigenous Experts Could Help Deal With Devastating Wildfires
Article: The Conversation: Aboriginal fire management – part of the solution to destructive bushfires
