New Urbanism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

New Urbanism - Research Paper Example Ryans article seems to be merely reporting, but contains an undercurrent of argument that things will be better by recreating the past in public places with new technology. Although Kunstler, Davis, and Ryan seem at odds with one another, they are arguing for the same thing: the revitalization of an urban America that will increase public happiness by re-integrating people with their environment and one another. James Kunstlers essay is essentially a lament for the America of the past. He makes his point by contrasting the American cities and towns of today with those of the past, with those of France, and with Disneyland. The reason that Americans find Disneyland so popular, he says, is that â€Å"The design quality of Disney World ... is about 1.5 notches better than the average American suburban shopping mall or housing subdivision† (Kunstler ). This is vastly different from the situation in France, where â€Å"the most mediocre French street quarter† is five times better (Kunstler ). The reason for this, Kunstler argues, is that after World War II Americans stopped building things to last. A related problem is that of zoning. Before World War II, zoning did not exist. Instead, people had â€Å"a popular consensus about the right way to assemble a town† (Kunstler ). This resulted in cities that reflected American culture, instead of a meaningless set of laws. As a solution to both problems—the decay of building to last and the rise of soulless zoning laws—Kunstler holds up what he calls Civic Art, but which our textbook calls New Urbanism. He defines the most important part of this movement as the neighborhood, which is â€Å"a five-minute walking distance †¦ from the edge to the center† and where â€Å"wheeled vehicles are permitted, but do not take precedence over human needs, including aesthetic needs† (Kunstler ). Only by moving away from the drab suburban sprawl which fills us with nostalgia and back to

Diversity of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversity of Life - Essay Example These vital factors play an imperative role in deciding the kind of flora and fauna of the place, accordingly, different kinds of ecosystems are present in different parts of the world. Tropical zone is hot as it receives most of the sunlight falling on the planet. The rate of evaporation is also high, rainfall and humidity is more. The vegetation is thick and most of the Rainforest is present in this region. Thus, climate of a place decides the vegetation and animals of the place. For instance, desert conditions cannot support pine forest but they support animals like camel with padded hoofs to walk on the hot sand and membrane-covered eyes to see during desert storm. The animal is well adapted to live under water scarcity condition because of its hump which stores fat. In a similar manner, desert conditions also support cactus plants which are well adapted to the climatic conditions of desert, the leaves are modified as spines and thick stem to carry out the process of photosynthesis. In a similar manner, pine trees with conical shape and wax coated, needle like leaves are the adaptive features of the flora belonging to the frigid zone. The conical shape and wax coated leaves of the plant allows snow to slide off the plant. Needle like leaves allow air to pass through the plants, these features aid in better survival of the plant. The fauna of the frigid zone encompasses polar bear which has white fur for protection from the chill of snow and also to escape from the enemies. Other animals encompass seal, wolf and dogs called huskies. Temperate zone on the other hand, possess mild climate which is neither too hot nor too cold. This climatic zone supports good conditions for the survival of humans, as the climate is moderate it allows proliferation of numerous life forms. Distribution of animals and plants in this climatic zone is also supported by the environmental agents and the