Remarks on the Concept of a Sustainable City in Light of Konrad Lorenz’s Concept of Man

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper is worth of interest for Sustainability as it shows the challenges faced by modern residents of large agglomerations and at identifying the sources of certain human needs and their determinants based on the concept of man developed by Konrad Z. Lorenz.

However, the paper needs more reflections on these challenges by introducing the following aspects in the first section (Introduction) or even adding a section after the Introduction to explore these challenges provided by other authors:

- societal challenges in terms of more equal housing opportunities, (see 2017. Building better societies. Bristol University Press; and 2022. Housing, inequality and sociology: a comment on pragmatic socioeconomics. Housing, Theory and Society, 39(2), 147-150

- the link the ecological imbalance with COVID-19 and resilient and sustainable measures adopted by cities (2020. New Healthy Settlements Responding to Pandemic Outbreaks. The Plan Journal, 5(2): 385-406; 2020. The impact of COVID- 19 on public space: an early review of the emerging questions – design, perceptions and inequities. Cities & Health, 1–17)

- trends of urban development patterns , 2019. Capital City. Gentrification and the real estate state. London-New York: Verso, and 2017. The icon project: architecture, cities and capitalist globalization. New York: Oxford University Press

- risks of gentrification associated to improving urban environments, (2021). The Green City and Social Injustice. 21 tales from North America and Europe. Routledge

- paradoxes and prospects of the urban age, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0042098011435846, and the need for a transition towards sustainability, (2017). Urban Sustainability Transitions. Routledge

- the introduction of innovative concepts such as 'circular city', https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/22/14995

- the conflicts between the search for profit-driven spaces vs urban commons (2021. Regenerating Former Military Sites in Italy. The Dichotomy between ‘Profit-Driven Spaces’ and ‘Urban Commons’. Global Jurist, 21(3), 497-523)

So please, provide this new section (or ennlarge the introduction) in order to present what the current literature on the challenges faced by modern residents of large agglomerations.

Consequently, in the conclusion, reflect on the relationship between this new section and the thoughts of Konrad Z. Lorenz

 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer, I am glad you found the application of Lorenz’s concepts to urban issues interesting. I agree with your suggestion that more research is needed into the issues surrounding the concept of a sustainable city and the related challenges, and I have mentioned this in the introduction. Thank you not only for this suggestion, but also for the specific hints and pointing out publications that helped me with this task. I very much appreciate your kind help.

In the introduction and the conclusion, I have discussed the relevance of Lorenz’s concept and research to urban issues more clearly and explicitly. I have also pointed out the potential contribution of his concept to further research conducted by scholars studying sustainable cities. I also highlighted the potential of Lorenz’s concept in identifying and hierarchizing contemporary urban challenges.

My goal was to discuss the application of Lorenz’s concept to urban issues. I have not encountered any such attempts anywhere so far. Thus, this article is merely an attempt to set a new direction for research by approaching urban issues from a new perspective. Thank you for reaffirming my belief that the idea itself is worth exploring further. If you agree with my argumentation and the article is published, I intend to undertake further research in order to develop a city concept that is in line with the concept proposed by Lorenz. I also hope that the humanistic approach to this issue will inspire researchers who study cities using empirical methods, so that they apply the conclusions of my paper to their research.

 

Reviewer 2 Report

This paper provides some remarks on the concept of sustainable city following Konrad Lorenz’s concept of Man. This idea is important and the topic falls within the journal’s scope. However, this paper should provide more insightful discussion on sustainable cities and its nature.

In the title you include "cities in Poland", but you rarely mention or discuss the case city of Poland. This is very vague.

In the introduction, please consider reducing the narrative of statistical data about human population.

line 94, please confirm the four words, it seems that the goal focuses on social, economic and environmental sustainability.

You should in the introduction clearly explain why you would introduce the idea of Konrad Z. Lorenz and why it is novel or necessary in an academic paper (not an essay). Now, relevant discussion is very weak.

I feel this paper discusses much on the scholarly idea/thinking on human development. However, I did not see enough critical arguments on the sustainable cities; or I mean from the author's narrative, I have not seen some pieces of appealing opinion from his own mind.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer, thank you for your valuable comments on my manuscript. I fully agree with most of them and have implemented them in the revised version of the manuscript. In the introduction, I have significantly expanded the discussion of a sustainable city and the challenges of living in large urban areas. I have also considerably expanded the literature related to this topic.

I agree with your suggestion that the perspective of Polish cities referred to in the subtitle is a marginal part of the article. So I decided – following your suggestion – to remove this part of the title, and to indicate in the introduction that I am approaching the issue from the perspective of a resident of a large city in Poland. I believe, however, that Lorenz’s concept applies to human nature and is therefore universal, and local communities may implement the concept in a way that is in line with their particular traditions.

I also agree with you that both the introduction and the conclusion should emphasize the relevance of Lorenz’s concept to the concept of a sustainable city. In the conclusion, I also expanded the discussion of this topic. I also presented my opinions on the application of Lorenz’s concepts in studying urban issues. However, I do not present specific solutions, as my article is a humanistic reflection on urban problems. This entails both difficulties and benefits. The difficulties lie in the fact that no empirical findings are cited that could be presented in the form of tables or graphs, and the employed methodology is not specified. The benefits, in my opinion, consist in that a humanistic, meta-subjective view of urban issues provides a new perspective that can be taken on by scholars who use empirical methods in their research. The strength of humanistic reflection does not reside in offering ready-made practical solutions, but in its dialectical nature. Publications of this type may inspire urban researchers and encourage them to undertake new research projects using empirical methods that take into account the findings presented in this article.

Finally, I would like to say that I have a slightly different opinion about the statistics on the size of the population. In my opinion, these data are important for understanding the fundamental thesis associated with Lorenz’s concept, i.e., that living in large communities is a relatively new experience for mankind. Consequently, our biological layer has not had time to adapt to the change in the environment we live in. In my opinion, this information is crucial for a proper understanding of my article.

As for your comment on line 94 “The goal is to lay the groundwork for a sustainable lifestyle on four levels: ecology, economics, politics, and culture”. Although the principle of sustainable development refers to 3 levels, ecological, economic, and social, the UN document mentions 4 elements here. I think the social element has been divided into two: politics and culture. So I think there is no error or contradiction here.

I hope that my explanations have convinced you and that you find the article in its present form worthy of publication.

 

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear authors!

The concept of a sustainable city from the point of view of the ‘layered’ concept of man is beyond doubt.

However, the Abstract indicates a new concept of a sustainable city, while in the text it is not formulated precisely enough.

I recommend that the developed concept of a sustainable city be formulated more precisely or displayed in the form of diagrams or tables. And also, for example, in a table, summarize the results of analyzing the concept of a sustainable city from the perspective of the so-called ‘layered’ concept of man.

I recommend that the Conclusion indicate directions for future research.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer, as per your suggestion, I have added information about the sustainable city and challenges involved in the concept in the introduction. I hope this is in line with your expectations. I beg to differ with you on the other comments, however, and I hope I can bring you around to my point of view.

The article is a humanistic reflection on the concept of the city from the point of view of the nature of man as a resident of a large city. The study is not empirical, so it is difficult to point to comparative data supporting the author’s suggested conclusions. For this reason, there are no charts or tables in the article.

My goal was not to construct a new city concept, so I am not detailing it. The goal I have set out to achieve is much more modest – to identify some of the challenges of a sustainable city and to suggest a new approach to these challenges. Hence, this study does not present a complete concept of the city; rather, it is an attempt to discuss the application of Lorenz’s concept to urban issues. I have not encountered any such attempts anywhere so far. Thus, this article is merely an attempt to set a new direction for research and to approach urban issues from a new perspective. Thank you for reaffirming my belief that the idea itself is worth exploring further. If you agree with my argumentation and the article is published, I intend to undertake further research in order to develop a city concept that is in line with the concept proposed by Lorenz. I also hope that the humanistic approach to this issue will inspire researchers who study cities using empirical methods, so that they apply the conclusions of my paper to their research.

Reviewer 4 Report

The article's topic is unique and contains much interesting information about the concept of Konrad Lorenz.

In terms of its nature, however, it does not contain a scientific methodology that reaches the level of the Energies journal.

The Conclusion chapter should be much more concrete, as the author makes very superficial statements.

What is really missing in this scientific article is a discussion chapter. On the one hand, the author could use other references, which would further strengthen the article, and on the other hand, the findings described in the conclusion chapter should be logically connected to the other chapters.

I recommend this article for publication but only if the suggested corrections are made.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer, thank you for your appreciation of my proposal to apply Lorenz’s concept to urban issues.

As you have suggested, in the introduction to the article I have cited a number of new publications that refer directly to the concept of a sustainable city and the challenges facing city dwellers today. In the conclusion, I have included elements of discussion that show the need for a more integral view of urban issues (including from the perspective of humanists), as well as the need to undertake further research as a follow-up to this article. Being an environmental philosopher, I have set out in the article simply to point out a new research perspective for experts on urban issues, rather than offer any detailed solutions.

The methodology of articles published in Sustainability is often of a different nature than the methodology proposed in this article. However, this is due to the fact that this article is a humanistic reflection on urban issues.

This entails both difficulties and benefits. The difficulties lie in the fact that no empirical findings are cited that could be presented in the form of tables or graphs, and the employed methodology is not specified. The benefits, in my opinion, consist in that a humanistic, meta-subjective view of urban issues provides a new perspective that can be taken on by scholars who use empirical methods in their research. The strength of humanistic reflection does not reside in offering ready-made practical solutions, but in its dialectical nature. Publications of this type may inspire urban researchers and encourage them to undertake new research projects using empirical methods that take into account the findings presented in this article.

I hope that you will agree with my argumentation and recommend the publication of this manuscript, appreciating its novel approach and potential to inspire further research.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper is ready for publication.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,
I appreciate your valuable comments and suggestions very much. Thanks to your kind help, I am convinced that the article has gained more scientific value.
Best wishes
Author

Reviewer 2 Report

Although the author has addressed some points of my comments, I feel the argumentation in this paper is on the author's own subjective mind. I may leave this to the editor's judgement.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,
Thank you for all your valuable comments. I appreciate your openness to other views. Although my arguments did not fully convince you, I am grateful that you left the decision to the editors to publish my article.
Best wishes

Author

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear authors!

I recommend adding the results of the implementation of the concept using the city as an example.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,
Thank you for all your valuable comments and suggestions. However, I have indicated examples of all three issues raised in the article. See lines 264-279; 323-328; 371-380. I believe that these examples adequately illustrate the subject matter of this study.
Thanks again for your kind hints.
Regards
Author

Reviewer 4 Report

The paper can be acceptable in its present form.

However, I suggest a final editorial and language (esp. grammar) check.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,
I appreciate your comments and suggestions very much. Thanks to your kind help, I am convinced that the article has gained more scientific value.
Best wishes
Author