Over the first half of the semester in my Social Issues in Urban and Regional Development course here at the University of New Mexico, we have learned about several topics and ideas that were new to me. One of the topics that impacted me the most is the theory of ‘affordances’ and how they play a role in the natural environment and urban planning. Affordances are a theory created by James J. Gibson. Affordances of an environment are what that environment offers to the animal.  An example that Gibson uses is:  “If a surface is rigid (relative to the weight of an animal), then it affords support.” (Gibson, 1986 p.127) A swamp is not a surface of support for a large land mammal, but it is a great surface of support for a water bug. Environments are experienced in different ways by different animals.  We, humans, experience our environment differently than any other organism on the planet. Gibson describes this eloquently: “Man has made more available what benefits him and less pressing what injures him…we have done so thoughtlessly and wastefully” (Gibson, 1986 p.130). 

 

Affordances in urban design provide clues about how they are supposed to be used. In the natural environment, affordances exist independent of the organism. They are interactions between the organism and the environment.  And they don’t change as the organism changes. Urban environments are designed around general human needs. The general urban design does not afford everyone the same thing.  Some urban areas can be very difficult to live in, and some areas can be very hard to live in.  It depends on the person’s specific needs for his/her lifestyle.   Some cities’ infrastructure doesn’t afford pedestrians.  For example, my dad is living in Albuquerque without a car. This is a choice that he has decided to make.  However, Albuquerque has poor public transportation options, and much of the city is hostile for pedestrians.   He sometimes complains about how he had to wait 20 minutes longer than expected for a bus to arrive. 

 

The reason I found Gibson’s theory of affordances so interesting is because as I walk around Albuquerque I have noticed more and more how unbearable this has become, especially with warming temperatures.  Long stretches of paved surfaces can be brutal for pedestrians.   I think having an infrastructure in a city that is suitable for people that don’t have a car would help the social construct of the city as well because not only the people who have cars would be able to get around town.  Pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and reliable public transportation would provide a more equal opportunity for anyone to get anywhere in the city.  In my macroeconomics class, the professor asked everyone about how they would feel about rising gas prices. A lot of people disagreed with this idea, but I liked it.  I think that if we were to raise gas prices, people would try to figure out ways to avoid paying for gas. This could mean turning to rely more on public transportation and other modes of transport besides a car.  A high demand for public transportation would give the city an incentive to improve public transportation and accommodate other modes of transport.

 

The theory of affordances has helped me understand why humans are on a fast track to destroying the planet.  As we have been modifying the environment to make our lives easier, I think we are making our lives harder in the long run.  For example, we are cutting down diverse forests for monoculture crops.  The product of these crops may benefit us, but we are creating a suffocating environment in the meantime because of the effects of deforestation. 

 

Affordances made me think about the way we have designed our cities. Cities are designed for people by people.  Affordances made me think about considering animals in planning. I think our current model of city planning careless and inconsiderate of other species.  Other animals are suffering at the cost of our benefit. There has to be a way to design cities to accommodate all species.  I hope to accomplish this in my future career.  “It’s not enough for cities to plant a million trees, preach the gospel of backyard gardens, or build green roofs and smart streets. The trees, shrubs, and flowers in that ostensibly green infrastructure also need to benefit birds, butterflies, and other animals. They need to provide habitat for breeding, shelter, and food. Where possible, the habitat needs to be arranged in corridors where wildlife can safely travel” (Richard Conniff, et al. 2014).  I don’t think this is impossible to accomplish.  

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Works Cited  

• Richard Conniff, Richard Conniff, Richard Conniff, Conniff, R., Conniff, R., & New York Times. (n.d.). Urban Nature: How to Foster Biodiversity in World's Cities. Retrieved from https://e360.yale.edu/features/urban_nature_how_to_foster_biodiversity_in_worlds_cities. 

• Gibson, J. J. (1986). Theory of Affordances . In The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception.