Paradise Paradigm (1996)
Cities are to architecture what forests are to trees. Where architecture signifies the place (home) of an individual (person or unit), the city signifies the place of human society, and is indeed the centre of a nation. The capital of a country is almost always a city, not a forest nor a plot of farmland. The defence of these places — cities, homes, etc. — is paramount. Armies are kept constantly on the alert in case of war, and war is primarily about the acquisition and defence of places. lf we accept that civilization is about places, about finding places, possessing them and protecting them, then it is important to understand how and why place is so important to us. The paradise paradigm hypothesis offered here suggests that its basis is ecology.