Nature Here Nor There

Like Dan and many others, I was surprised by the lack of ecological focus in Copenhagen, but agree that it is partly because there hasn’t been any ‘wildness’ for generations. As Dan noted, nature has a whole different meaning in the heavily occupied and utilized space of Europe. Seattle still has a wide-range of wildlife and native habitat, even if grossly threatened and endangered, which makes us more conscious of the ecological impact of and potential in urban environments. However, even in ‘wilderness’ – rich America (remember though, many places that we think of as wild have also been heavily managed), the integration of nature in the city is still in its infancy.

In Rivertown: Rethinking urban rivers, Mike Houck’s reflects on how Portland’s planners received the newly initiated Urban Naturalist Program of the Audubon Society in 1982. He was told that  “good-intentioned but ill-informed environmentalist do-gooders’ efforts to protect natural areas in [the] region was quixotic and contrary to Oregon’s land-use planning program, which was designed to protect nature “out there” in the rural hinterlands, not in the city” (2007, 179). Twenty years later Portland had succeeded in containing sprawl, with land consumption only increasing 3% compared to a population increase of 31%. However, within its urban growth boundary over 400 miles of streams had been buried to accommodate growth, and 213 miles were polluted resulting in dramatic declines in fish and overall biodiversity.

The Oregon State of the Environment Report, 2000 noted the shortsightedness of their land use approach: “The annual rate of conversion of forest and farmlands to residential and urban areas has declined dramatically since comprehensive land use planning was implemented during the 1980s. However, these laws were not written to address ecological issues, such as clean water or ecosystem function within urban growth boundaries” (Houck 2007, 179-180).  In The Cincinnati Arch: Learning from nature in the city, John Tallmadge gets to the heart of the matter: “Enshrining wilderness in distant places allows us to justify our abuse, neglect, or exploitation of local nature, which appear less worthy and so less heinous to victimize. Loving Yosemite makes it easer to trash Cincinnati…” (2004, 41).

See also Nature by Design by Eric Higgs for a great discussion on cultural versus natural landscapes, as well as for insight into the extent to which ‘wild’ North American landscapes have been manipulated by humans over many centuries. Let's keep these examples in mind when designing the waterfront since natural is just as much a design choice as manicured. Fortunately, ecology is now in the forefront of our thinking, thanks to the efforts of the like of the Green Futures Lab, strong policies and enabling legislation.

Mary - the one with no camera