Main themes
Sustainable Cities
Planning and Design
Governance
Environment
Capacity Development

Title
An Ecosystemic Approach for New Ways of Being in the World: Impacts on Public Policies, Research and Teaching Programmes

Focus
The proposal puts forth normative forecasts to reach a better quality of life and includes concrete steps to apply an ecosystemic framework for planning and evaluation of public policies, research and teaching programmes, in view of long-term sustainability issues.

Issues which the lecture addresses
The transition to an ecosystemic model of culture includes heterogeneous attributes, behaviours and interactions of individuals and the dynamics of the systems in which they live (institutions, populations, political, economic, cultural and ecological background).

Short analysis of the above issues
To address contemporary complex issues and provide strategic options for new policies, new paradigms of development, growth, power, wealth, work and freedom should be embedded into the cultural, social, political and economical institutions. Development projects, technological solutions, fragmented in pieces by public policies, academic formats, mass-media headlines and market-place interests, usually ask for more resources, increase pollution and waste, bind natural capital with financial domains and ignore social, cultural and environmental impacts. In view of the transition to an ecosystemic model of culture, ethics, education, culture, natural and man-made environments, physical, social and mental well-being should be supported by societal structures and integrated into an overall project of quality of life (not treated as separate objects, different domains, or segmented programmes) by public policies, mass media and research and teaching programmes. Instead of taking current trends for granted and project them into the future (exploratory forecast), the definition of the desired goals and the exploration of new paths to reach them (normative forecast) is posited in view of the development of new policies and structures. To elicit the events, deal with the consequences and contribute for change (potential outputs), an ecosystemic framework for the planning and evaluation of public policies, research and teaching programmes combines four dimensions of being in the world: intimate dimension (knowledge, values, feelings, beliefs, commitments); interactive dimension (allegiances, solidarity, partnerships, leadership); social dimension (public policies, citizenship, advocacy, mass-media); biophysical dimension (vital needs, natural and built environment, artefacts).

Propositions for addressing the issue
In the ecosystemic approach, evaluation and planning of public policies, research and teaching projects
1) define the problems in the core of the “boiling pot” in view of a holistic, ecosystemic framework, instead of reducing them to the bubbles of the surface (effects, fragmented, taken for granted issues);
2) combine the four dimensions of being in the world (intimate, interactive, social and biophysical) in the diagnosis and prognosis of the events, assessing their deficits and assets, as donors and recipients;
3) promote the singularity of (identity, proper characteristics) and the reciprocity (mutual support) between all dimensions of being in the world in view of their complementarity and dynamic equilibrium;
4) contribute for the transition to an ecosystemic model of culture, in order to deal with the problems of difficult settlement or solution in the world, as an essential condition for consistency, effectiveness and endurance.

Additional Reading Materials
PILON, A. F., Developing an Ecosystemic Approach to Live Better in a Better World: A Global Voice for Humanity Survival in the 21st Century, Herald of the International Academy of Science (Health & Ecology), Moscow, 1, 2014: 12-15 [on line]:
http://www.heraldrsias.ru/download/articles/02_Pilon.pdf

PILON, A. F., “The Right to the City” An Ecosystemic Approach to Better Cities, Better Life. University Library of Munich, MPRA Paper No. 25572, 2010 [online]:
http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/25572/1/MPRA_paper_25572.pdf

PILON, A.F. Environmental Sustainability, Urban Problems and Quality of Life. Urban Gateway for the International Urban Development Community [Article], 2013 [on line]:
http://www.urbangateway.org/document/environmental-sustainability-urban-problems-and-quality-life

PILON, A. F., A Normative Ecosystemic Forecast to the Problematic Trends of our Times [Author’s Repertoire] DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.3448.0882 [on line]:
https://www.academia.edu/s/078655c839

Draft presentation
http://uni.unhabitat.org/index.php?gf-download=2016%2F09%2FThe-Ecosystemic-Approch-to-Ecohealth.1-Copy.pdf&form-id=9&field-id=33&hash=ea44981ff5c4cdf68043f4535e264a191d33dabc04ae4bb24b27fed1d1a3b345