Balance
Excerpt #9 from
Beyond The Numbers: Inadequacies of Creative Placemaking Criteria
Balance is a very important characteristic that is a key for an ecosystem to function properly. If an ecosystem is in balance, all of the elements can thrive. Balance refers not only to the diversity and number of elements present but it also refers to how they interact. Therefore, seeking balance encourages the acknowledgement of the assets as well as the relationships between the assets.
Jeremy Nowak speaks to this principle of balance in Creativity and Neighborhood Development by saying,
““I term the architecture of community, which includes economic exchange, civic life, public assets and the myriad connections between places. An integrated approach to cultural activity and development ought to note the totality of this architecture, argue for the importance of arts and cultural activity on these terms, and collect evidence of these effects as part of the process of funding and financing its growth and expansion.””
The important aspect of balance is that looking for what should be present in a balanced circumstance often reveals what is not present and what is not organically suited. A clearer understanding comes from looking at ecological balance from a purely biological perspective,
““Ecosystems must maintain a fragile balance for the health of all of the organisms contained within… Every organism contained within an ecosystem has a purpose. However, there are sometimes foreign entities introduced into an ecosystem. This can have a devastating effect on the ecosystem. Organisms work together to create optimal conditions for those that live in that ecosystem.””
Thomas Borrup, the author of The Creative Community Builder’s Handbook mirrors this concept of ecological balance in his statement about cultural community development. “The most successful community building comes from the synthesis of various fields and their respective practices. Creative community building brings these practices together around values that lead to equitable and sustainable place, and around respect for human cultures and the creativity in everyone.”
Copyright 2013