In medicine, the word stasis denotes a cessation of movement. As designed, human bodies consist of multiple organs supported and nourished by continuous movement of substrates, nutrients and excrements via body fluids. Wherever stasis occurs in human physiology, necrosis or decay is sure to follow.
The opposite word, homeostatis, denotes a state of equilibrium. Looked at in this lens, cities can be likened to living bodies consisting of complex structures with intricate functions. For them to stay healthy, a balance between what is old and what is new must be achieved: a homeostasis of sorts.
