Natural Resources, Sustainable Development, and Globalization
Natural Resources
A natural resource is a set of elements that humanity obtains from the physical environment to satisfy its biological or social needs.
Renewable Resources
- Critical: Those that are exhausted with use, such as water, fishing, and forests.
- Non-critical: Solar radiation, wind.
Non-Renewable Resources
- Consumables: Fossil fuels.
- Recoverable:
- Non-metallic minerals, gravel, glass, sand.
- Recyclable: Metallic minerals.
Of these resources, the most important are the sources of energy, and currently,
Read MoreAncient Architecture: From Roman Innovations to Greek Orders
800 BCE – 500 BCE Ancient Rome
The Roman conception of reconstruction in antiquity can be characterized as ‘urban’, dampening the interest in the solving of the inner-city space by the composition of public buildings, parks, and palaces. In ancient Rome, urbanism was developed with its forums, streets, and public buildings such as the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, spas, and engineering structures: bridges, roads, aqueducts, etc.
Roman Innovations in Architecture
1. Arches, Vaults, and Domes: Romans
Read MoreUrban Systems and Environmental Impacts in Catalonia, Spain
The Catalan-Spanish Urban System
The Spanish urban system: Not a closed system, but cities relate to urban centers in other countries. These relationships have intensified, particularly after the incorporation of Spain into the EU in 1986 and from the globalization of the world economy. However, for reasons of proximity and economy, the Spanish urban system is integrated within the urban system of Western Europe. This system is connected via two communication lines: a principal axis, which is the
Read MoreUrban Development in Spain: Pre-Industrial to Modern Era
The Pre-Industrial City: The Old Town
Definition: The pre-industrial city is the oldest urbanized part of the city, from its origins to the beginning of industrialization in the mid-nineteenth century. It occupies a small area of great historical and artistic-cultural significance. Some, such as Toledo, Mérida, Segovia, Santiago de Compostela, Salamanca, Ávila, Córdoba, and Alcalá, are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Pre-Industrial Heritage
A) Common Features
- Presence of walls with
Agriculture, Trade, and Societal Shifts in 18th-Century Europe
Innovations in Agriculture
The economy was based on agriculture, and grain, vineyards, and olive groves were the most common crops. Between 80% and 90% of the population lived in the countryside. Technical resources were inadequate, and crises often prevented subsistence living. There were new changes in agriculture, including new crops, vegetables, fodder plants, and technical innovations such as Jethro Tull’s seed drill in 1701.
Guild Workshops in Manufacturing
Manufacturing was controlled by guilds
Read MoreNeolithic Revolution and the Rise of Civilizations
The Neolithic Revolution
The disappearance of ice fauna in many places forced the steppe, which was adapted to the cold, to migrate to other regions. Humans began to enclose animals for their milk and meat, and thus arose the first livestock species. The domesticated species were the ox, horse, sheep, goat, and dog. Both humans were interested in the cultivation of plants. Women, who were in charge of recollection, noticed that when seeds fell to the earth, plants grew. Thus, agriculture arose. The
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