Urban Restoration and Community

Introduction
By Vanessa Saccone and Annie Hoffman

“Sometime during this decade, a child will be born
who will mark humanity’s transformation into an
urban species—for the first time, more people will live
in cities than in rural areas of the earth”
-The Center for Urban Restoration Ecology.

I invite you to set aside any thoughts that nature is just ‘out there’ in the hills and grasslands. In fact nature is also in here, in this building, in this city, in this body, in relationships of every kind. From an integrative perspective, in which humans and human activity are part of nature, we can begin to explore the notion of urban ecological restoration and find ways in which we can creatively and effectively transform our cities into greener, more efficient, more sustainable, and more integral parts of our world.

The following pieces explore what restoration looks like in the urban setting and what cities can look to achieve in the near future:

Articles
Edited by Daralee Fallin

Article I
Natural Cities: Urban Ecology and the Restoration of Urban Ecosystems
Lord, C; Strauss, E; Toffler, A. (2001). Urban Ecology and the Restoration of Urban Ecosystems. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Article II
Please read Abstract and Introduction
Evaluating Urban Wetland Restorations: Case Studies for Assessing Connectivity and Function
by Lisamarie Windham,¹ Mark S. Laska,² and Jennifer Wollenberg¹

Article III
PARK(ing) Day 2009 Transforms Parking Spaces into Public Parks
from http://www.inhabitat.com/

Article IV
Edible Cities
Pgs. 10-15, Milwaukee City Visit
From http://www.sustainweb.org/urbanagriculture/edible_cities/
London, UK

Image: From Mikey Tomkins's series of Edible Maps, this guide represents the area around Surrey Street car park, site of Croydon Roof Divercity, in terms of inventory and potential yield.



Organizations that Represent and Utilize Urban Restoration

Here are some examples of how urban ecology and restoration are being utilized. These organizations are changing the way we look at cities and they are changing the lives of many people.

Boulder Community Roots Farm
Community Roots Vision

We co-create models of neighborhood based food production and distribution systems and educate and train future farmers in these models through workshops, hands on training and consulting.

Community Roots is founded upon the need for:

• Local, sustainable models of food production
• Creating and strengthening community cooperation
• Utilizing valuable resources within our urban environment

Center For Urban Restoration Ecology
http://www.i-cure.org/
Mission: To restore and enhance the ecological integrity of degraded public lands by doing the following: Engaging in research on the ecological threats to habitats from urbanization and the specific challenges involved in the restoration of these sites; Advancing the science of ecological restoration in areas of changing land use, such as abandoned farm-lands or landfills, contaminated lands, and former industrial sites; Studying the interactions between living organisms and the physical environment of restoration sites; Examining the effectiveness of the techniques and procedures used by restoration ecologists; Monitoring the fate of restored habitats to increase knowledge of how and where ecological restoration is most likely to succeed; and Teaching students and professionals about the science of restoration ecology to provide the local, regional, national, and international communities with trained individuals who can design and implement restoration projects.

Community Crops in Lincoln, NE
www.communitycrops.org/about
Combining Resources, Opportunities, and People for Sustainability increases food security for refugee, immigrant and low-income people in Nebraska through asset-based community development that provides resources and technical assistance to grow, market and add value to locally-grown agricultural products.

Majora Carter Group LLC
www.majoracartergroup.com/
In the late 1990’s Majora Carter took a bold step into the world of urban planning - simultaneously working to shift a Giuliani administration plan from additional waste handling for the South Bronx to positive green development, while scoring a $1.25M Federal Transportation planning grant to design the South Bronx Greenway. This 11 mile network of bike and pedestrian paths connects neighborhoods to the river front and each other with low impact storm water management features, local entrepreneurship opportunities that economically encourage active living and reduce traffic congestion.

Growing Gardens
www.growinggardens.org/
We envision inspired people joining together to actively replenish their environment, their community and themselves. We believe in the power of people to co-create harmony between land, water and all living things for generations to come. Growing Gardens’ mission is to enrich the lives of Boulder County residents through environmentally sustainable gardening programs that empower people to experience a direct and deep connection with plants, the land and each other.



Conclusion
By Vanessa Saccone and Annie Hoffman
Urban ecological restoration projects become increasingly important as people move into cities. As of now, most of us are disconnected from the natural world. If we take steps toward creating natural spaces in cities that involve native landscapes, humans may begin to realize once again our connection to nature rather then seeing it as an outside entity. Let us make it a policy that as the population of a city grows, so does the ecology within that city. This will impact not only every person, but the richness and diversity of our beautiful planet.



Discussion Questions
1. Why is urban restoration important? Who benefits from it?
2. There are a lot of abandoned parking lots and spaces in urban towns and cities. What would be the best use for these spaces? Would you try to restore them to their original habitat or turn them into gardens? Be creative and think about what would best suit the urban community.
3. How do you think consciously bringing nature into our cities with urban ecology and restoration work would begin to bridge the gap between social and economical differences and bring people from all walks of life together?
4. Discuss the concept of, “city as an ecosystem.” Do you think this is a good idea? If people and scientist were to view cities in this way what changes might we see?
5. Many people who live in urban areas cannot afford to take vacations into “nature.” How would urban restoration bring back to life the connection between humans and the natural world?
6. If we changed our perspective from nature is outside of cities to cities are inside of nature, would that effect how people who live in cities manage their green spaces? Would that encourage them to make more green spaces? Why or why not?