In one sense the ‘project of urbanism,’ if we can call it such, runs counter to that of ecology, with its emphasis on the interrelationship of organisms and the environment – an emphasis that invariably excludes human intervention. And yet it is relatively easy to imagine a city that is more careful in its use of resources than is currently the norm, more energy-efficient in its daily operations – like a hybrid car… As important as the question of energy is today the emphasis of quantity – on energy reduction – obscures its relationship with the qualitative value of things… In other words, we need to view the fragility of the planet and its resources as an opportunity for speculative design innovations rather than as a form of technical legitimation for promoting connectional solutions.