Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
other examples show that many urban places in older civilizations adapted features
of their local environment to improve the liveability of places. Often forgotten in
modernist styles and approaches, these modifications of traditional ideas are in-
creasingly being revived and brought back into new urban developments.
Ecocity advocates also stress the need to conserve the local biotic environment
by planting appropriate native species, which are likely to be more sustainable and
able to cope with the local environmental conditions. A related important trend has
been the movement to remove invasive non-native species since those indigenous to
the area have a better survival rate and may cause less environmental damage. For
example, in Britain, invasive species such as Japanese knot-weed rapidly colonized
rivers, swamped other species and spread into surrounding areas. They have proved
difficult to eradicate, given the rapid spread of their long root systems. In other parts
of Europe eucalyptus trees from Australia were planted because they grew quickly
and could be harvested well before native species matured. But they are now being
removed because it is now recognized that fires spread more quickly through such
trees, making them a potential hazard. Even in jurisdictions without strong Ecocity
ideas the general concern for environmental protection has led many states to legis-
late to protect unique local flora and fauna, which means that new developments in
cities have to preserve the existing biotic heritage. In most cases these policies are
carried out independently, species by species. In some cities detailed environmental
surveys have been carried out to classify the various types of habitat in cities as a
prelude to subsequent protective legislation. For example, Leicester was one of the
first English cities to develop a detailed habitat survey and protection strategy in the
late 1980s, which led to city policies that protected, conserved and managed vari-
ous parts of the city in order to protect their biodiversity. In increasing numbers of
cases these habitat preservation strategies are enhancing some local distinctiveness
of the ecology, which may them become a major attraction for residents and visitors.
One rather unique example is the way that Austin in Texas has protected the million
or more bats that roost under the bridges over its central lake. When they quickly
swarm out at dusk they form a spectacular, swooping and wheeling display that not
only encourages locals and visitors to view the event, but have the additional value
of keeping the local mosquito population under control.
In some ways these changes contribute to what Register ( 2006 ), the Eco-city ad-
vocate, described as the need for an element of 'wildness in urban areas', of a return
to some original pre-human condition. This is controversial, for in most developed
countries the fauna dangerous to people, such as bears and wolves in Europe, have
long been removed, while forests, so long regarded as hazardous places because of
the presence of dangerous animals, have been reduced in size by agricultural devel-
opments. The result is that the local nature has been effectively sanitized. By con-
trast, many American cities in particular lie close to large wilderness areas where
the original feral animals still survive. Since some conservationists argue that native
fauna have their own rights, it has led to the development of protected corridors near
urban places, where animals of whatever type can migrate through the area. Inevi-
tably, human-carnivore encounters do occur, which usually results in the killing or
removal of the threatening animals involved. This is considered part of the trade-off
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