xv
You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is
the highest form of prayer. - Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Interview in The Guardian, 2012)
As a young child I always loved to play outside, explore the large expanse of grass fields and savannah bushland around our house, make believe that I could fly above the tree tops and join the flocking
birds when the seasons changed – I felt connected, part of everything around me. I communicated
with the Earth. As an adult in a fast-paced industrialised world, I lost this privilege during certain critical times in my life, but now again it is possible. In the first instance I want to thank Mother Earth to
allow this re-connection between us.
This book has been years in the making. Many people have made contributions to my thinking and
production. It is a result of a lifetime of professional practice and many years of research rather than
just the time spent writing. From the perspective of The Whole, one can see that this work is a framing and integration of knowledge by many others over decades. I am grateful to all those great thinkers
upon whose work this book is built, with special mention to Christopher Alexander, Ian McHarg, John
T. Lyle and Edward O. Wilson. Further, I acknowledge with sincere appreciation the assistance and
encouragement given to me by many individuals during the course of preparing this book. The list is
long, and I apologise in advance that I don’t mention each individual, but you will know in your heart
that I appreciate your support.
In particular I want to thank the following people:
The person who deserves the most thanks and acknowledgement is my dearest wife Pam, who
gives love unconditionally. She supported me during times of doubt, frustration and many hours of
writing sometimes throughout the night. Sometimes I wonder how she’s had the patience to listen to
me babbling along and talking endlessly about the ideas, thoughts, the working of the patterns and my
philosophy of life. To my children Arno, Ryan, Gemma and Shalanda, thank you for your patience,
support and encouragement. I also want to acknowledge the support and assistance from Professor
David Jones, who inspired me to move into the world of academia: I am forever thankful to you. I am
grateful for the contributions to the Foreword and Preface by two great minds, Professor Timothy
Beatley and Professor Mark DeKay, respectively, as well as the wonderful discussions and collaborations the last few years, and I am sure our journey together has only just started. I pay my respects to
the late Aboriginal Elder Tandop David Tournier; thank you for taking me to the special places in
Wadawurrung Country, as well as the words of wisdom on how we need to live close to Country.
The production of the book would have been impossible without two brilliant help-mates: Dr
Floriana Badalotti as copy editor, and Jesse Delmo as illustrator – a huge thank you to you both.
Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the administrative and financial support provided by the
Live+Smart Research Laboratory, School of Architecture and Built Environment at Deakin University,
which made the realisation of this book possible.
I hope this book meets the expectations of many people whom I shared this voyage with, and I
must again thank you all for being part of sculpturing a new vision and path in the journey of my life.
Acknowledgements
You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is
the highest form of prayer. - Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Interview in The Guardian, 2012)
As a young child I always loved to play outside, explore the large expanse of grass fields and savannah bushland around our house, make believe that I could fly above the tree tops and join the flocking
birds when the seasons changed – I felt connected, part of everything around me. I communicated
with the Earth. As an adult in a fast-paced industrialised world, I lost this privilege during certain critical times in my life, but now again it is possible. In the first instance I want to thank Mother Earth to
allow this re-connection between us.
This book has been years in the making. Many people have made contributions to my thinking and
production. It is a result of a lifetime of professional practice and many years of research rather than
just the time spent writing. From the perspective of The Whole, one can see that this work is a framing and integration of knowledge by many others over decades. I am grateful to all those great thinkers
upon whose work this book is built, with special mention to Christopher Alexander, Ian McHarg, John
T. Lyle and Edward O. Wilson. Further, I acknowledge with sincere appreciation the assistance and
encouragement given to me by many individuals during the course of preparing this book. The list is
long, and I apologise in advance that I don’t mention each individual, but you will know in your heart
that I appreciate your support.
In particular I want to thank the following people:
The person who deserves the most thanks and acknowledgement is my dearest wife Pam, who
gives love unconditionally. She supported me during times of doubt, frustration and many hours of
writing sometimes throughout the night. Sometimes I wonder how she’s had the patience to listen to
me babbling along and talking endlessly about the ideas, thoughts, the working of the patterns and my
philosophy of life. To my children Arno, Ryan, Gemma and Shalanda, thank you for your patience,
support and encouragement. I also want to acknowledge the support and assistance from Professor
David Jones, who inspired me to move into the world of academia: I am forever thankful to you. I am
grateful for the contributions to the Foreword and Preface by two great minds, Professor Timothy
Beatley and Professor Mark DeKay, respectively, as well as the wonderful discussions and collaborations the last few years, and I am sure our journey together has only just started. I pay my respects to
the late Aboriginal Elder Tandop David Tournier; thank you for taking me to the special places in
Wadawurrung Country, as well as the words of wisdom on how we need to live close to Country.
The production of the book would have been impossible without two brilliant help-mates: Dr
Floriana Badalotti as copy editor, and Jesse Delmo as illustrator – a huge thank you to you both.
Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the administrative and financial support provided by the
Live+Smart Research Laboratory, School of Architecture and Built Environment at Deakin University,
which made the realisation of this book possible.
I hope this book meets the expectations of many people whom I shared this voyage with, and I
must again thank you all for being part of sculpturing a new vision and path in the journey of my life.
Acknowledgements