Urban Runoff and the City of Relations - Politics of Urban Runoff: Nature, Technology, and the Sustainable City - page 23

Figure 2.1
The Woodlands development north of Houston, Texas, features a plethora of natural features
in a suburban community
environment. 26 Landscape theorist James Corner argues that the scientifi c
approach to urban ecology as forwarded by McHarg treats nature as
an object and does not consider the attendant cultural and social issues;
Howett adds that McHarg's approach is linear, logical, and comprehen-
sible, leaving little room for mystery, eccentricity, and chaos. 27 At stake are
the expressive and emotive attributes of landscape that are purportedly
lost in the rational view of the ecological scientist.
Today, there is a palpable split in urban ecological practice and theory
between those who conceive and shape complex ecological systems and
those who attempt to create iconic landscapes as artistic expressions.
Landscape theorist Louise Mozingo argues that in “the most skeptical
extremes of this continuum, aesthetic exploration is trivial; ecological
regimen is determinism not design.” 28 Spirn, a student of McHarg and
a central member of the team that developed the Woodlands project, la-
ments the divergence of art and science between ecological planners and
landscape architects, and is particularly critical of the specialized thinking
employed by both camps. She writes: