Nature City Thoughts- A Summary, Idea and Question

About 75% of the population in major industrial countries such as the US and Canada live in cities. This makes a city the natural breeding ground for filth, waste and pollution. The very nature of a city results in the destruction of natural habitats and the environment which the population density and industrial stance make inevitable. This problem has become more widely recognized as more and more environmental issues such as global warming and the holes in the ozone layer spring up. As the technological age forges forward issues such as these continue to appear which calls for the need to reform and regulate. Girarder calls the human race an “urban species” yet this does not necessarily mean a destructive one.

Nature in the City has a major focus on the current age being one as a “period of crisis of the societal relationship with nature”. The advancement of globalization and new mass accumulation production techniques have been the primary culprits of this prevalent issue. Mankind is not about to reverse its way of doing things in order to save the environment, but there are many individuals who seek to alter the way they run their life to help protect the environment from further destruction. One way that people in cities have begun to do this is through rooftop garden, community gardens and wall gardens. Also, some have gone as far as creating wild animal “sanctuaries” in the city by providing food and shade for particular species of birds that are moving out of urban areas for protective reasons.

Gardens prove to be an inexpensive way to assist the greening of cities. Often though, it is not entirely economically feasible. There have been more and more grants given each year to purposes such as these environmentally friendly ideas. Zoning laws restrict many ideas that are environmentally sustainable. An example of this is a building in Manhattan that was built next to the AOL Time Warner building. It was the first building in the area to have solar panels. This was a very large issue for many years because people did not like the aesthetics of the solar cells. This is one of many barriers politically.

One very economically and politically feasible idea I have for Nature in the City is to begin something like an indoor forest. Nature in the City does not only have to be limited to outside building doors. People should start having plants in their home. It will make indoor air quality significantly better and it adds an aesthetic, socially responsible, environmental touch to an office or home. The idea would be free of political and social issues as it is your own space and not public property. Also, many great reformers have said that change begins with you. It is difficult to take on a huge task that would affect a city before you yourself try the change.

A question that resonates in my mind from the reading is that if there is a difference of opinions on nature in the city based on background. Do people who grew up in the city feel more strongly about the concept of nature in the city or do people who grew up in and around nature feel there is a need for it? Answering this question would assist in looking for ways of going about this city greening reform.