Engineering Outside the BoxExploring the Social Context of Ecological Engineering

Christopher CongletonPhD Candidate, Transportation Technology and Policy, UC Davis

Ewha Woman’s University 13.11.14.

Outside the Box

Creativity

Social Contextof Engineering

ThinkingOutside of

EngineeringSpecifications

Creativity

– Divergent Thinking vs Convergent Thinking– Creative Problem-Solving

• Divergent and Convergent Thinking Cycle

– Problem-centered vs Mean-centered Inquiry– Be a Learner not a Technician

Divergent Thinking vs Convergent Thinking

Finding the “right” answer VS

Finding any/all answers

Creative Problem-SolvingUse Divergent and Convergent Thinking– When given a problem to solve,

• Ask, “What are possible answers?” (Brainstorming)• Then ask, “Which ones are better?”• Select answers• Repeat

Traits of Creative Personalities

• Nonconformity• Curiosity• Willingness to take risks• Persistence

(Note that although these are “traits” they are also practices that anyone can start doing

to generate creative solutions)

Application: Han River

• People want to swim, sail, and fish in the Han

• Problem: River is polluted– Ask, “what are many possible

solutions?”• Ask, “which ones are better?”

– List all the criteria for “better”• Which criteria are most

important?

– Evaluate possible solutions using your criteria

• Choose the top three.

Thinking Outside Engineering Specifications

Thinking Outside Engineering Specifications

– Temporarily expanding the boundaries beyond specifications

– Whole System Thinking– Appropriate Technology– Sustainability and UNsustainability

Temporarily expanding the boundaries beyond specs

• Your engineering project exists in a larger context. – What is the purpose of your project?– What are the actual problems being solved?

• Examine the assumptions built into the specs• What are possible ways to solve the problem?• Can the specifications be changed if

assumptions are in error?

Design a Solar-Powered Clothes Dryer

Solar-Powered Clothes Dryer

The 9 Dot Problem

link all 9 dots using four straight lines or fewer, without lifting the pen and without tracing the same line more than once.

The 9 Dot Problem

The Solution

Temporarily expanding the boundaries beyond specs

• Your engineering project exists in a larger context. – What is the purpose of your project?– What are the actual problems being solved?

• Examine the assumptions built into the specs• What are possible ways to solve the problem?• Can the specifications be changed if

assumptions are in error?

Whole System Thinking

A Systems Perspective• Properties of a system do not exist in the parts

– An Ecosystem is not a list of species• It is a community of relationships

• Knowledge has context, it is not objective• Quality, not just Quantity

– Test scores, GDP, Calories, Income, etc.• Focus on patterns not components• Each part of a system is also a system• Path Dependence, Homeostasis, and Shocks

vsEnvironment• The physical and biological

factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism

• External to Humans• We are separate from our

environment

Ecosystem• A community of living

organisms and surrounding physical components, interacting as a system.

• Humans are included• We are a part of our

ecosystem

Ecological Engineering is the design, monitoring, and construction of ecosystems.

Appropriate Technology

Appropriate Technology

Appropriate Technology

Appropriate Technology

Appropriate Technology

Constructed wetpark concept sketch for Sager Creek Restoration Study in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, USA.

Appropriate Technology

• Small-scale• Decentralized• Labor-intensive• Energy-efficient• Environmentally sound• Locally maintained

Appropriate technology is a design philosophy for technological development that is people-centered. It was created by the economist Dr. E.F. Schumacher in his influential book, “Small is Beautiful”(1973).

Designing for the Other 90 Percent• A movement related to

Appropriate Technology but with a Market-Approach

• Low-cost solutions for the 5.8 billion of the world's 6.8 billion population "who have little or no access to most of the products and services many of us take for granted.“

5 Minute Break!!!

Why is there Ecological Engineering?

• Why has this field emerged?– Why do lakes and rivers need to be restored?– Why do we need to construct wetlands?

The Social Context of Ecological Engineering

• Unsustainability• Policy Effects of Ecological Engineering Design• Ecological Economics• Governance

Sustainability and UNsustainability• UNsustainability is a social

condition• Unsustainability is not:

• An inevitable event• A biophysical limit imposed

by nature or the environment “out there”

• It is a consequence of social relationships and the agreements held between people and institutions.

• Each person has an IDENTITY and AGENCY that we negotiate within these social relationships and institutions.

The Policy Context of Ecological Engineering

Human Economies are contained within Human Ecological Systems

Ecological Engineering has a framework for valuing ecosystem services

• Should include thermodynamics, biological systems• Should distinguish growth (quantitative increase in

economic output) from development (qualitative improvement of the quality of life)

Ecological EconomicsChallenges neoclassical economic valuation by valuing the following:

• Micro- and macro- climate regulation

• Water recycling• Water purification• Storm water regulation• Waste absorption• Food and medicine

production• Biodiversity

Ecological Engineering design decisions should incorporate ecological economics

Ecological Engineering will increasingly be in cities

• Landscape architecture• Urban stormwater management• Urban horticulture• Urban planning

Break out of the box!

• Your job as an engineer is not just technical! • It is social• Practice creative problem-solving• Solve UNsustainability!• Improve the world

Christopher Congletoncdcong@ucdavis.edu