2C. Seeing is believing:

To conceptualize cities as alive, observe their entirety.

TOKYO

MONTREAL

LAS VEGAS

CHICAGO

LONDON

SAO PAULO

In the above pictures we see the sprawling urban organism for what it is; the physical manifestation of human civilization. I could use pictures of any city as they are all visible at night and from space. Perhaps you have already seen similar photos or you’ve found yourself glued to the window on an airplane. To say these images and observations are interesting is an understatement. They are captivating .

Observations of urban sprawls remind us that Nature is repetitive. Some things observed zooming in bear resemblance to things observed zooming out. For instance, cities look like microorganisms. We may criticize human civilization by saying we humans are a virus. Perhaps there is truth in this observation. When we take away the negative value judgment, is there something to learn from the way civilization operates as a living organism? Instead of denying, rejecting, or challenging our nature because we associate negative emotions with viruses, perhaps we can see civilization for what it actually is; an organism with a purpose no better or worse than any other.