A pertinent quote by Jane Jacobs ...

"A natural ecosystem is defined as "composed of physical-chemical-biological processes active within a space-time unit of any magnitude." A city ecosystem is composed of physical-economic-ethical processes active at a given time within a city and its close dependencies. I've made up this definition, by analogy.

The two sorts of ecosystems-one created by nature, the other by human beings-have fundamental principles in common. For instance, both types of ecosystems-assuming they are not barren-require much diversity to sustain themselves. In both cases, the diversity develops organically over time, and the varied components are interdependent in complex ways. The more niches for diversity of life and livelihoods in either kind of ecosystem, the greater its carrying capacity for life. In both types of ecosystems, many small and obscure components-easily overlooked by superficial observation can be vital to the whole, far out of proportion to their own tininess of scale or aggregate quantities. In natural ecosystems, gene pools are fundamental treasures. In city ecosystems, kinds of work are fundamental treasures; furthermore, forms of work not only reproduce themselves in newly created proliferating organizations, they also hybridize, and even mutate into unprecedented kinds of work. And because of their complex interdependencies of components, both kinds of ecosystems are vulnerable and fragile, easily disrupted or destroyed."

(my bold type)
This is from the foreword to The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Vintage, 1992). Earlier in the same foreword, Jacobs refers specifically to Canary Wharf ...

Urban renewal and slum clearance succumbed to their own failures and fiascos, after continuing with their extravagant outrages for many years after this book was published. Even now they pop up when wishful thinking and forgetfulness set in, abetted by sufficient cataclysmic money lent to developers and sufficient political hubris and public subsidies. A recent example, for instance, is the grandiose but bankrupt Canary Wharf project set in isolation in what were London's dilapidated docklands and the demolished, modest Isle of Dogs community, beloved by its inhabitants.

How have things changed for Canary Wharf since 1992? Obviously the development is no longer bankrupt (although that may change soon owing to the economic downturn), but can it be said to work as a community? There is now an amount of residential and entertainment development within the area, but does it still suffer from the effects of being a "plonked-down" development, rather than one which has grown organically from a natural intersection of pedestrian routes? To test this it would be necessary to visit at several times of day, and at weekends, and to talk to local residents, workers and revellers.

"collaboration"_kimi,s view

Thesedays, collaboration is getting important around the world. Because it is difficult to live withour collaboration. The meaning of it is working together. Collaboration will take better consequence. That's why we can expact the synergy effect, there are more option then one person work. Many companies are linked up with each others. For example, this case is person and brand, kate mose and top shop, madona and H&M ,adidas and stella McCaltney and so on.

It is essential for all social life.



collaboration's synonym =>. teamwork, partnership, cooperation, association, alliance...

Evie's view on collaboration

The only common thing in a collaboration is the result. Collaboration is when 1 plus 1 equals more than 2. This is actually the main idea of the word. In that project the idea is to experiment how things evolve among people from different background and how these backgrounds affect the result.
London is the proper "fond" for such experiments, so tomorrow we expect to collect some food for thought..

Stuarts Take On Collaboration

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
col·lab·o·ra·tion
–noun
1. the act or process of collaborating.
2. a product resulting from collaboration: This dictionary is a collaboration of many minds.
[Origin: 1855–60; < F < LL collabōrāt(us) (see collaborate) + F -ion -ion]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.


Collaboration is the helping people out or working together as a team, Ravensbourne is the perfect enviroment to see collaboration between Cultures and Peers.
Within London these defined areas are not so easy to find, but can be mistaken for altrusim where people offer assistans for no particular reason.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
al·tru·ism
–noun
1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others (opposed to egoism).
2. Animal Behavior. behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, as a warning cry that reveals the location of the caller to a predator.

The Collaborations within both environments will hopefully be investigated within our peice.

Fridays task

Tomorrow we have been given the opportunity to spend the day walking around London getting to explore our surroundings and discover new places in London. The day out is to start at 7.30am at Canary Wharf in order to observe the changing shift of the city workers there, so an early early start! We will also be visiting Mother Ad agency, the Gherkin, the Royal Courts of Justice, Temple Bar, Somerset House and the city of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, Regent St, Oxford St, the V&A, the Serpentine Gallery and the Tate Modern, with a planned finishing time of 10.00pm!

To prepare for this trip I have begun researching the various spaces and have begun posting videos and links that will supply a brief knowledge of the different places.

Bumblebee View On Collaborations!

Collaborations is the interactions of exsistance whether that be in the animal kingdom or between human beings. For this particular project collaborations represents a network of both staff and students working together to meet a certain goals.

However this perceptions will be challenged and documented. Do students/staff really come together at Ravensbournes to make a strong and sustainable networking environment?

Equally the perceptions of the London's environment will be challenged to see how people within the city interact and whether this will change at certain times of the day, IE rush hour verse evening entertainment hours.

Adding to this does the perceptions of the city change with regard to the persons background IE an International student verses an English students perception.

Some dictionary definitions ...

(from Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.)

collaborate [kuh-lab-uh-reyt]

–verb (used without object), -rated, -rating.

1. to work, one with another; cooperate, as on a literary work: They collaborated on a novel.

2. to cooperate, usually willingly, with an enemy nation, esp. with an enemy occupying one's country: He collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.

[Origin: 1870–75; LL collabōrātus (ptp. of collabōrāre), equiv. to col- col-1 + labor work + -ātus -ate1]

—Related forms
collaborator, noun

—Synonyms. collude, join, assist, abet.

collaboration [kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuhn]
–noun

1. the act or process of collaborating.

2. a product resulting from collaboration: This dictionary is a collaboration of many minds.

We discussed as a group the difference between collaboration, altruism and symbiosis ...

altruism [al-troo-iz-uhm]
–noun

1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others (opposed to egoism).

2. Animal Behavior. behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, as a warning cry that reveals the location of the caller to a predator.

[Origin: 1850–55; F altruisme, equiv. to autru(i) others (VL *alterui, obl. form of L alter other (F autre), with -ui from cui to whom; -l- restored from L alter) + -isme -ism; popularized through trans. of A. Comte, who perh. coined it, on the model of égoisme egoism]

symbiosis [sim-bee-oh-sis, -bahy-]
–noun, plural -ses [-seez]

1. Biology.
a.the living together of two dissimilar organisms, as in mutualism, commensalism, amensalism, or parasitism.
b.(formerly) mutualism (def. 1).

2. Psychiatry. a relationship between two people in which each person is dependent upon and receives reinforcement, whether beneficial or detrimental, from the other.

3. Psychoanalysis. the relationship between an infant and its mother in which the infant is dependent on the mother both physically and emotionally.

4. any interdependent or mutually beneficial relationship between two persons, groups, etc.

[Origin: 1615–25; Gk symbíōsis, equiv. to sym- sym- + biō (var. s. of bioûn to live) + -sis -sis]

—Related forms
symbiotic [sim-bee-ot-ik, -bahy-], symbiotical, adjective
symbiotically, adverb

We felt that collaboration was closer to symbiosis than altruism.
What about synergy?

synergy [sin-er-jee]
–noun, plural -gies.

1. combined action or functioning; synergism.

2. the cooperative action of two or more muscles, nerves, or the like.

3. the cooperative action of two or more stimuli or drugs.

[Origin: 1650–60; NL synergia Gk synergía, equiv. to synerg(ós)]

—Related forms
synergic [si-nur-jik], adjective

So symbiosis and synergy are both close in meaning to collaboration. They are also both terms most commonly used in biology, which made me wonder whether collaboration need necessarily always be a conscious, intentional thing. A bee and a flower could be said to work collaboratively. A college, a city, a language, an economy could all be thought of in terms of large-scale collaborative efforts, which made me begin to think in terms of Deleuzian Rhizomes ...

The question I am left with is, what is not a collaboration?