Abstract
Human settlements have evolved from caves in thePaleolithic Ageto high rise buildings and cities in the modern era. Energy is one of the major driving forces in shaping the settlements of today. It is a fundamental of our everyday life and will continue to influence the future generations. It is also responsible for the many major looming threats faced by the world today, like climate change, ozone layer depletion, acid rains and global warming. Hence it is essential to investigate the influence of energy in shaping the settlements of the past, to understand the present, and to develop a vision for the future settlements. This paper is an attempt to study the evolution of human settlements based on the ‘urban form determinants’framework developed by A.E.J. Morris with ‘energy’ as an additional determinant. The investigation proposes how energy has influenced in shaping the settlements of the past, and the correlation between energy and other urban form determinants. This study will help various stakeholders in developing an understanding on how energy can play a role in shaping a sustainable future, and also in identifying the parameters which influence them.
Highlights
We live in a period of time which is currently facing several megatrends that threat a sustainable development of the planet earth
The diagram shows that the early settlements had minimal number of urban form determinant (UFD) influencing energy, and the number increasing till Vancouver, and a dip in curve at the end
Energy as a determinant had a major role in shaping the early settlements and is a major driving force which shapes the current settlements
Summary
We live in a period of time which is currently facing several megatrends that threat a sustainable development of the planet earth. These threats include depleting resources, deteriorating environment, climate change, pollution of air, water & soil; most of which can be directly associated with the outcomes of various human activities. It is essential to investigate the events in the past to understand the present, and to plan for the future. Most of these threats can be directly related with energy consumed, and their associated impacts. The by-products from the extraction, production, networking and consumption of energy define the largest single environmental loading of society when taken together [3]
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