This week’s lecture provided a history of urban forests and human well-being from a Western perspective. The weekly reading is a review article by Catharine Ward Thompson titled “Linking Landscape and Health: The recurring theme”
On Thursday, we will move our class to the BC Hydro decision theatre on the main floor of the CIRS building at 2321 West Mall. Directions to the room are here, and will also be given during Tuesday’s lecture. We will provide maps and trace paper. Please work within your groups to figure out who can bring pencils, markers, and anything else you think you might need to start working on your site together.
“Linking Landscape and Health: The Recurring Theme” is certainly an intriguing article. The innate, historical understanding of the importance and relevance of nature is inspiring, yet it is worrisome for all that we as a culture have moved so far from this recognized, established value. While the discussion of the historical influences and values of nature understood by different societies is conclusive, I feel that many discussions of the importance of nature as it relates to today are too rooted in the past. Discussions of nature rooted in history seem to encourage the idea that the solution to our problems are “a return to nature” or the return to an earlier way of life; this thinking promotes negative and regressive thoughts on a subject that would better promote a progressive way of life. I believe that we can learn from the past how to navigate the current and future world, but a contemplative look at how we can incorporate what has been learned from the past into the future world of cohesion between man and nature would greatly add to this article. And I think this begins with urban forests.
It is interesting after the reading of the “Linking Landscape and Health: The Recurring Theme” that nature was revered, respected, and associated with Holy and Sacred places. Then, with the industrial revolution and the boom of technology, green spaces were replaced with factories. Homes were packed closely together with no trees and shrubs and the air was heavy and polluted. We all know, clearly, that for the health of residents of cities like London this was terrible but it was productive at the time and there was an economic burst that continued to fund that model until recently.
Now when the trees are gone in the cities and we desperately want them back. We have gone in a circle and now associate them with peace and mindfulness, putting those traits ahead of economic gain for the time being. I wonder if the practice of Urban Forestry will become a permanent feature of our cities, or if it is a fad that will be replaced when something that offers a stronger, and faster economic gain appears.
I found today’s seminar to be engaging and as well as enjoyable to attend. It allowed for creative freedom in terms of visual thinking and different ideas that were interesting as well as intriguing. The seminar encouraged open discussion and constructive feedback on design decisions which helped refine my thinking and the ways on which the design of the site can be improved. An example of this was on how adding a certain feature to improve social cohesion was discussed to may affect the overall existing design aesthetic. Discussions like these welcomed a spectrum of ideas, whether or not of they would be used led to another topic of discussion. The use of a design charrette is now a tool that I find helpful and easy to convey my ideas and designs.
I greatly enjoyed this weeks seminar through the open conversations about how we could integrate the concepts and themes learned within the course. Sitting down and working with the map really allowed visual mental concepts to come to life and it was really cool to see the integration of everyone’s ideas!