Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
lands and along urban waterways would be especially signii cant. In regions
where cities are shrinking in population (for example, in the Ruhr Valley of
Germany, in middle England, and in the upper Midwest in the United States),
substantial open space now exists that could be made into biological hotspots
for all city residents. This is happening where shrinking cities are revitalizing
their downtown core areas. In Leipzig, Germany, for example, where nearly
90 percent of manufacturing jobs were lost from 1970 to 2005, urban renewal
has converted many abandoned i elds into diverse neighborhood parks. Be-
yond restoring the urban commons, incentives could be used to encourage
those in denuded neighborhoods who own yards, even tiny ones, to augment
them with trees and shrubs. Even a single tree can increase a family's comfort
and reduce the electric bill in warm climates by of ering shade. Trees and
shrubs also stabilize the soil, reduce runof that leads to urban l ooding, and
clean pollution and dust from the air. Revitalizing the green lungs of the inner
city would increase biological diversity exactly where it is most needed—where
people live. There, residents can reap nature's emotional, psychological, cul-
tural, and economic value—and in so doing rekindle a passion for their wild
neighbors.
Community gardens have taken root on vacant lands in many of our largest
cities. Greening these lands is good for ecology, but even better for sociology.
Individuals and communities gather and work in gardens to produce favorite
foods and conserve local customs that help build community identity, alleviate
stress, and demonstrate resolve after challenge. After the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, New York's community gardens were seen as resilient, liv-
ing memorials to the loss. In New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina residents of
the Tremé neighborhood planted trees to remember a better time and prepare
for future challenges. Getting involved and sustaining life by restoring urban
lands promotes participants' emotional and psychological well-being.
By planting and caring for urban greenery, citizens gain basic ecological
information and share local knowledge. For instance, by pulling up invasive
