Turbulence
Turbulence is used to describe a type of dynamic urban evolution in the West that is characterized through both self-stimulating and self-organizing processes1. Used originally by Braudel, turbulence is used by Manuel De Landa to investigate Western urban dynamics2. While many non-Western cities have a linear growth, De Landa distinguishes Western cities through their turbulence. De Landa states that the term can be used synonymously with auto-catalytic, a word borrowed from chemistry to describe positive feedback loops and self-reinforcing systems. Auto-catalytic and turbulent systems tend to result in a nonlinearity that leads to the spontaneous generation of order, a subject adopted by De Landa in The Non-linear Development of Cities, where he uses this idea of spontaneous order to understand the self-organization of Western urbanism. An instance of turbulence could be seen through Jane Jacob's theory of volatile trade, in which positive feedback loops support an economic process of replacing imports with domestic production3. This import substitution takes place in the shipbreaking industry of Bangladesh, where raw materials are dismantled from the carcasses of dead ships and a production market for metal is created rather than importing the raw material directly4. It is a turbulent system where the dumping of toxic ships on the Bangladesh coast is reinforced by economic stimulus and the acquisition of resources. Despite the adverse effects of the industry, such a turbulent process has made a planned, controlled, and desired economy for both Bangladesh and Western countries disposing of waste ships. The understanding of a city as a feedback loop has been visited continuously in contemporary architectural theory, specifically the understanding of the city as a self-sufficient system.