Peter Buchanan: Reflection on Human Settlements and Water

According to Peter Buchanan, one must think about housing typology of small towns.

According to Peter Buchanan, one must think about housing typology of small towns. Most people are concerned with the lifestyle of small towns rather than its environment. Furthermore, one must not just look at short term problems but at problems that may arise in the future too. One of the ways to raise a country’s income is by increasing its quality of life. Dhaka is destroying its citizens’ quality of life. It is important that we address cultural and psychological issues as technical ones. One of the reasons progress in sustainability was made by treating it as an objective technical issue. Some of the most moving works in architecture are in Islamic culture which picked up many of the traditions of Roman culture. The bathhouse – derived from the Roman baths, became the home which was very important in certain parts of the world. One must stop seeing water in isolation, and recognise the cultural and interplay potential of water. It won’t be possible to solve things by looking at water as the enemy; instead we have to look at it as an ally.