Why is the role of nature taken for granted in our communities?
In our week off, I created as assessment of ecosystem services in Vancouver and the Lower Fraser River Valley as a result the importance of green infrastructure being integrated into urban spaces and the irony of suburban spaces in dividing people who are seeking greater connections are fresh in my mind.
People are drawn to the suburbs for lower prices and more space to raise families with a sense of community, maybe searching for the greenery and better air quality that is lacking in the nearby city too. A romantic name like Heritage Glen or Rural Acres create a sense of a cozy community, being able to live out of the city but able to access it easily too. But how accessible are urban developments that do not have quick and user friendly bus routes, walk-able grocery store access, or social events that bring the community together regularly? Are suburbs really just cities without these collective infrastructure in which people are trying to reconnect with the green space that many urban areas are lacking?
Urban spaces can have integrated green spaces which are accessible to all, are part of the city infrastructure, and very importantly; are built for people not cars so are far more connected to each other. The rural idyll of a community that knows and supports each other can occur in highly urbanized spaces too when people are regularly connecting with their communities and neighbour by doing away with urban design that necessitates cars.
Portland for example is a leader in building around existing green spaces and integrating in designed green spaces such as insulation's of greenery around storm water drains to promote ground water refill, slow storm water from entering drains, and reducing physical and chemical waste from rushing into drains. These green infrastructure are ecologically better and economically better as they reduce flooding costs and water treatment facility pressure, and are far more sustainable than grey infrastructure methods of pipes and pavement.
Original green spaces such as wetlands and forests are the best option for green infrastructure, while manufactured ones when original is lacking are a secondary objective and requires ecological consultations. The Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul, South Korea for example replaced an overcrowded high way that was integrated into the city for almost 50 years with a water front space that is greened and walk-able, fed by ground water and water pumped from subways. It is imperfect with is concrete base that stops ground water refill and is not accessible for those with mobility limitations; yet it provides a walk-able green space for most and has improved air quality in the region significantly by connecting formerly divided areas of the city with walking paths.
The relationship between suburbs and cities is very close. Yet the classical categories are both ineffective for people and ecology. By designing and re-urbanizing with connectivity and complete communities, those in which the needed services can be accessed by all, some of the urban versus suburban distinction melts away.
