Aesthetic Engagement and the Human Environment

The idea of environment as an all-inclusive context in which humans are wholly interdependent with natural forces and other organic and inorganic objects applies equally to urban environments. Introducing an aesthetic dimension into an ecological model is both illuminating and important, for the ecological concept of an all-inclusive, interdependent environmental system has its experiential analogue in aesthetic engagement. Aesthetic engagement may be exemplified by the perceptual character of the various arts, and it can be the basis for creating an aesthetic ecology. It is a value that can be deliberately incorporated into the design of environmental experience, and it can serve as a guide in re-shaping and humanizing the urban landscape.