Urban ecology, rewilding, biocorridors…it all makes so much sense.
(photo found here.)
And these folks in New York City have realized it too.
In fact, they have created an exhibit, called Safari 7 Reading Room that helps New Yorkers see the wildlife their city is sheltering.
Based around the city’s 7 Train, the exhibit helps people see the connections between urban infrastructure (and in this case, esp. transportation infrastructure) and wildlife:
Rambling from Times Square to outer Queens, New York City’s 7 train is fascinating. It dives under the East River before zipping above ground past warehouses, parks, an impressive array of graffiti, and wetlands….Perhaps the thing that is most fascinating, however, is the ecological plurality that exists alongside its path in Queens. You might be surprised to learn that the crowded real estate market alongside the train line teems with oysters, chickens, cormorants, germs, snakefish, dogs, squirrels, geese, worms and falcons—and to unexpected results.
The fact that this sounds a lot like what we’ve been trying to ‘get going’ in Montréal doesn’t surprise me in the least. It is such a sensible idea. What really surprises is how little of it we are seeing right now.
More green builders and urbanists are stuck on density and energy savings (fine things, in and of themselves), while people actually trying to live a greener existence are touting the horn of urban agriculture … but there are so few examples of people actually suggesting that wilderness and biodiversity belongs in cities.
That wildlife and biodiveristy already exist in our cities, but that more could be encouraged. And that by doing so, we would be doing ourselves and our planet a great deal of good.
I really think this will be the next movement in greening our cities. I mean, I know we are already doing such a patchwork job with the other components (active transportation, energy efficient grids and buildings, eating local) … but allowing nature to flourish in our midst makes just too much sense to me to go unheeded for long.
…but maybe that’s just me.
via: Good
