The city, viewed through the lens of sinecism, is not simply a conglomeration of buildings but an evolving cohabitation system rooted in reciprocal transformation. This concept reclaims a deep ecological and philosophical foundation where spatial intelligence precedes abstract knowledge, emphasizing bodily experience and mutual construction between organism and environment. Drawing on Lefebvre, Soja, and biological thinkers like Margulis and Sagan, the authors trace how the act of living together—synoikismos—is not only historical but ontological, predating even agricultural systems. In fact, urbanity itself gives rise to agricultural innovation as a response to the needs of collective living. This vision breaks with linear progress narratives and proposes an entangled model where spatial configurations, ecological adaptation, and affective ties co-create both territory and identity. The metaphor of the first cell’s feeding and reproduction as habitat-making underlines how life and space are inseparable. One compelling analogy is the indivisible bond between a city and its surrounding rural matrix, forming a socio-ecological system that cannot be reduced to administrative boundaries but must be understood as a living, co-produced mesh. Such insights challenge technocratic urban planning and advocate for forms of spatial reasoning grounded in interdependence, memory, and embodied intelligence.
Romero, J.M. and Mora, R., 2017. Sinecismo e inteligencia espacial y territorial. URBS. Revista de Estudios Urbanos y Ciencias Sociales, 7(2), pp.93–96.
