Woven Air - the beauty and the horrors of urban settlement This is a photographic exploration of the pattern of cities or ‘urban’ form mainly from the air. From the early rural start through to future visions cities have been built for access to resources and security, among others. ‘Cities’ also grew based on the means of transport earlier on foot or cart, the present almost exclusively the car and future visions on futuristic transport systems, but also now more with a nod to the climate crisis. Modern cities, including ‘smart’ cities have seldom been designed with people predominantly in mind. Thriveable cities will be climate sensitive, carbon (gross) neutral – but with all this in mind cities will be people/nature centric. Designed for people, not mainly transport systems, nor mainly technological systems, etc. No descriptions or locations of these cities are included – so look at the form, patterns, climate response, and geographic resources. Together with transport or mobility methods, and from these draw your own conclusions of where we should be thinking. Look at the 24 earlier Urban Books for ideas of what could/should be considered and possible new ideas.

1. a meta-pragmatic approach
Paul van Schaik
integralMENTORS
25
Urban
Hub
Woven Air
Thriveable Worlds
Integral UrbanHub
Images of ‘Cities’
past, present and future

2. Urban Hub
Woven Air
Images of ’Cities’ – Past, present and Future
Thriveable Worlds
Paul van Schaik
integralMENTORS
Integral UrbanHub
25

3. ©©integralMENTORS– December 2021
‘the patterns that connect patterns that ….’
A graphic series of integralMENTORS integral UrbanHub work on Thriveable Cities.
Founder & Managing Editor Paul van Schaik

4. www.integralmentors.org
Woven Air
Woven Air
Below is a photographic exploration of the pattern of cities or
‘urban’ form mainly from the air.
From the early rural start through to future visions cities have been
built for access to resources and security, among others. ‘Cities’ also
grew based on the means of transport earlier on foot or cart, the
present almost exclusively the car and future visions on futuristic
transport systems, but also now more with a nod to the climate crisis.
Modern cities, including ‘smart’ cities have seldom been designed
with people predominantly in mind.
Thriveable cities will be climate sensitive, carbon (gross) neutral – but
with all this in mind cities will be people/nature centric. Designed
for people, not mainly transport systems, nor mainly technological
systems, etc.
No descriptions or locations of these cities are included – so look at
the form, patterns, climate response, and geographic resources.
Together with transport or mobility methods, and from these draw
your own conclusions of where we should be thinking.
Look at the 24 earlier Urban Books for ideas of what could/should
be considered and possible new ideas.
Another useful reference is a book from my student days.
Architecture with out Architects by Bernard Rudofsky

53. www.integralmentors.org

143. www.integralmentors.org

169. Books

170. Notes

171. People do not perceive worlds but enact them. Different mindsets bring forth different worlds.
Notes

172. Key to an Integral approach to urban design is the
notion that although other aspects of urban life are
important, people (sentient beings), as individuals and
communities, are the primary ‘purpose’ for making
cities thriveable. All other aspects (technology,
transport & infra-structure, health, education, sustain-
ability, economic development, etc.) although playing
a major part, are secondary.
Urban Hub Series
These books are a series of presentations for the use
of Integral theory or an Integral Meta-framework in
understanding cities and urban Thriveability.
Although each can stand alone, taken together they
give a more rounded appreciation of how this
broader framework can help in the analysis and
design of thriveable urban environments.
Guides for Integrally Informed Practitioners
The Guides for Integrally Informed Practitioners
(adjacent) cover much of the theory behind the
Integral Meta-framework used in these volumes. For
topics covered in other volumes in this series see the
following page.
Urban
Hub
Series
Hardcopies can be
purchased from Amazon
Pdf versions are gratis to view
& download @:
https://www.slideshare.net/PauljvsSS
issuu.com/paulvanschaik

174. Pub. December 2020
Pub. April 2022 Pub. December 2021 Pub. February 2022

175. 24
A series of books from integralMENTORS Integral
UrbanHub work
No one vision is sufficient in and of itself – visions can
guide but only by collaborative action in a creative
generative process can visions grow and become
part of an ongoing positive sociocultural reality.
Without taking into account the many worldviews
that currently co-exist and crafting ways of including
them in a positive and healthy form we will continue
to alienate vast sections of all communities and
humankind.
Woven Air
Urban
Hub
Integral
UrbanHub
Thriveable
Worlds