1a) Where do you like to go to find nature in a city (like Philadelphia or your hometown)? Why here?
1b) Who do you think developed and cares for these areas / pieces of nature?
Growing up and living in the suburbs I was constantly surrounded by woodlands and large open fields. Nature was all around me. Every morning you could see wildlife, such as deer and ducks, on your way to school and work. As I grew up the area around me developed as well. With this development many habitats and natural landscapes were damaged, or even worse, removed all together. As a kid I would often go with my friends to play in the woods and do the whole tree-climbing, fort-building thing that almost every kid does. The older we got the less woods there was to play with. Houses were being built. Roads being paved. What many of us thought of as nature was being taken away right beneath our feet. When I moved to Philadelphia to go to school, I really found it hard to find the “nature” in the city. Yeah we have our famous city parks like Rittenhouse Square and Independence Hall. Philadelphia has undergone massive amounts of growth and I feel that city planners tried to incorporate these parks into the urban fabric. The city maintenance and clean-up crews try valiantly to keep the park clean and really offer citizens a comfortable “nature” escape from the hustle and bustle all throughout Center City and surrounding Philadelphia.
2) Is there any motivation for you to help care for the existing nature found in Philadelphia (or in your hometown if you would prefer to use it as a place of reference..?)
If there are any motivating factors, what are they?
If not, what would help motivate you to participate in the development and care of these spaces?
I feel on a certain level everyone has a civic duty to try to live their lives responsibly. Everyone should be motivated to live in a healthy way, one that has benefits for both people and nature. The cities natural areas are dwindling every day and as a city we are losing valuable green space to urban development. As a city we must embrace the green areas left and allow them to grow and flourish to their full potential. I know Philadelphia has initiated a new recycling program to motivate residents to recycle as much as possible. Every recycling bin will have a barcode that will be swiped every time recycling is collected from you house. Your house will then get a credit or points that could be used towards redeeming rewards. People will keep the trash off the streets, away from our parks and waterways, in return for a reward. These types of programs offer motivation for people to live responsibly in regards to helping with nature. Mayor Nutter has a goal for Philadelphia to become America's greenest city by 2015. Greenworks Philadelphia was created in 2009 by Mayor Nutter to reach his big goal of Philadelphia as a green city. The only way the Mayor can ultimately reach his goal is with everyone becoming motivated to really help and lend a hand.
5) How can ecological features such as parks or waterways serve as the glue, binding a community together?
There are various ecological features that can be used to glue and bind communities together. Many people think that these features would be predominately rivers and woodlands. The Schuylkill is often packed with people on the weekends, with families and friends physically and socially interacting. The river offers a “natural” retreat from the hardscape that makes up most of Philadelphia. Woodlands could be reincorporated into the city and act as public walkways, connecting different neighborhoods and areas. On a smaller scale, water features can refresh certain areas where they are incorporated within the urban context. These features not only connect people physically but also socially as well.
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