“Crabification” in Urbanization
Author’s <1 minute sketch of what a crab would look like in his imagination or memory: a very strange creature, starting with its ten legs.
Forgive me, but I liked the concept that my mind threw at me a few days ago — the idea of crabification. The correct term would be carcinization, but in the context of urban planning for laypeople, crabification makes more sense. One of the biggest issues in urban planning is the lack of urban education. I always argue for the need for a pedagogy of urbanism. Urbanization is increasingly affecting everyone’s lives, as we are becoming more urban in this world. Yet, people are still unaware of how their cities are evolving. The reflection came from the article “Why everything eventually becomes a crab” by Sara Kiley Watson, published in Popular Science magazine. The text discusses the phenomenon in evolutionary biology known as “carcinization.” This term describes the process by which various crustacean species independently evolve into crab-like forms. According to experts from Harvard and Florida International University, the crab shape has evolved several times in different crustacean groups. For instance, king crabs are part of a different group called Anomura, also known as “false crabs,” despite having a shape similar to “true crabs” (Brachyurans). Scientists are currently exploring why this specific form is so prevalent. The article also discusses that the crab shape is not a “final form” in evolution. Biologists believe the form offers adaptive advantages, such as the ability to colonize new habitats or diversify into new species. Both comments reinforced my link between crabification and urban planning (lack of a final form and adaptation for colonization and diversification). Almost everything in the article triggered an extension of the idea of “carcinization” into the field of urban planning. I propose the term crabification as a metaphor for how different cities are converging toward similar forms and urban solutions, possibly inadvertently. Rarely have I seen or noticed any idea or proposal to educate people about the ongoing processes in the cities where they live. Such an education would benefit citizens more than the traditional teachings from elementary school about citizens’ rights and guarantees. Urbanization is portrayed in schools as a confusing and distant subject, giving the impression that urban politics and planning are done, so that the citizen doesn’t understand what is happening. In a certain way, people don’t have clear and straightforward information to understand how cities work. Demanding clarity and simplicity in urban planning, as required by federal law and city statutes, has not helped until now. There is an obvious requirement that master plans, among other urban planning measures, be clear and easy to understand. However, this is simply ignored by experts as if it were impossible to achieve. Even the tragic spread of this lack of clarity can be related to crabification in urban planning. Carcinization, the correct term, is elitist and scientific, and few citizens will relate this evolutionary biology term to poor city evolution. If we’re talking about evolution, the crabification of urbanism can be metaphorically extended to other fields, including, in this case, urban planning. The idea that distinct lineages or systems evolve into similar forms can be analogous to how different cities, despite their differences, can evolve into similar urban forms or solutions. While it’s acceptable that cities face common problems and pressures, their solutions seem more like copies of each other than thoughtfully analyzed and diagnosed responses. These solutions could be similar, but they should be specifically adapted and differentiated, despite their similarities. For instance, similar forms of public transportation, road systems, housing policies, or land use arise almost identically in different cities, with different issues. It’s good to understand that evolution happens at different rates, due to specific local circumstances and peculiarities. Just like urbanization processes are generally at different stages in different cities of varying scales and different urban evolutions. Something is wrong, and it seems easy to understand and perhaps fix. After all, it’s not difficult for an average citizen to recognize the evolutionary pressures in cities. This perception could serve as a starting point to help even planners anticipate future trends and guide “urban evolution.” Especially since no urban form is a “final form,” as is the case with the crab shape, which is continually evolving. Cities are continually adapting and evolving based on numerous variables, and there’s no plausible reason for them all to end up looking somewhat similar. Are there other reflections to bring to this discussion or comparison? Certainly, this initial idea for discussion would extend to many other relevant points, beyond the simple comparison with crabs. For example, we can cite: The Pedagogy of Urbanism: There is a significant gap in urban education. The average citizen rarely understands what’s happening in their city. It’s even more challenging to understand the processes — how things happen. Customized Solutions: Cities are not one-size-fits-all and need customized solutions. Even though many cities adopt similar solutions, it’s known that urban solutions are not universally applicable. Diversity and Speed of Evolution: Just like in nature, different cities are at different stages of development and evolve at different speeds. Planning must be flexible enough to accommodate this diversity. Clarity and transparency: Clear communication of urbanization plans is essential for citizen participation. Technical terminology and jargon should never exclude the lay public. Citizen Engagement: Understanding evolutionary pressures can help citizens participate more actively in the planning process, rather than being passive recipients of top-down decisions involved in complex terms. Interdisciplinary Nature: Urban planning is not just for urban planners and architects. It is intrinsically interdisciplinary and should integrate concepts from sociology, psychology, ecology, economics, and even evolutionary biology. Most of all it should engage citizens in general. Scale and Complexity: “Crabification” can occur at different scales, from the neighborhood to the megalopolis. Each scale has its own problems and opportunities, and some solutions may be invalid at other scales.
With a systemic and holistic approach, we can create a more integrated vision of urban planning for the average citizen. This would make cities more adaptable and resilient to the rapid changes we’re experiencing in many areas of life. This could make cities more creative and less copied. The best thing would be to make people better understand how cities work. If we don’t understand, we can’t copy things from others.
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