Chapter 8
From Sanitary to Sustainable to Sacred:
Metro Nature Experiences and Engagement
Kathleen L. Wolf
8.1 Introduction
More than 50% of the world’s population now lives in cities, and further concentration of humanity in urban areas is forecast. While some city governments struggle
to meet basic daily needs, such as safe housing, dependable utilities, and efficient
transportation, many others have achieved reliable and affordable basic systems and
services. People in highly urbanized centers, no matter what the local conditions
might be, expect livable environments that support human health and wellness.
Nature, once thought to be separate from the city, or present in a degraded state, is
now recognized as being omnipresent and essential. The field of urban ecology
started with scientists studying the ecology in the city, assuming that landscapes
resembling wildlands or rural spaces were the desired condition, even within built
environments. Urban ecology is now dedicated to studies of the city, interpreting
ecology as adaptive forms and functions that combine latent natural systems and
human intentions (Melosi 2010). Studies of urban wildlife, biodiversity, hydrologic
dynamics, and biogeochemical patterns have shifted to an emphasis of what is or
could be rather than insisting only on restoration goals.
There is also recognition that cities are social–ecological systems. At one time,
the general outlook concerning humans in nature was either utilitarian, that nature
was to be appropriated for human needs or that humans generated anthropogenic
effects that altered or disturbed natural systems. There is now acknowledgment,
particularly in urban ecology, that natural and human systems are integrated (Liu
et al. 2007), and studies of coupled human and natural systems are particularly
K. L. Wolf (*)
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
e-mail: kwolf@uw.edu
© Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature 2021
S. Muramatsu et al. (eds.), Living in the Megacity: Towards Sustainable Urban
Environments, Global Environmental Studies,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56901-5_8
135
From Sanitary to Sustainable to Sacred:
Metro Nature Experiences and Engagement
Kathleen L. Wolf
8.1 Introduction
More than 50% of the world’s population now lives in cities, and further concentration of humanity in urban areas is forecast. While some city governments struggle
to meet basic daily needs, such as safe housing, dependable utilities, and efficient
transportation, many others have achieved reliable and affordable basic systems and
services. People in highly urbanized centers, no matter what the local conditions
might be, expect livable environments that support human health and wellness.
Nature, once thought to be separate from the city, or present in a degraded state, is
now recognized as being omnipresent and essential. The field of urban ecology
started with scientists studying the ecology in the city, assuming that landscapes
resembling wildlands or rural spaces were the desired condition, even within built
environments. Urban ecology is now dedicated to studies of the city, interpreting
ecology as adaptive forms and functions that combine latent natural systems and
human intentions (Melosi 2010). Studies of urban wildlife, biodiversity, hydrologic
dynamics, and biogeochemical patterns have shifted to an emphasis of what is or
could be rather than insisting only on restoration goals.
There is also recognition that cities are social–ecological systems. At one time,
the general outlook concerning humans in nature was either utilitarian, that nature
was to be appropriated for human needs or that humans generated anthropogenic
effects that altered or disturbed natural systems. There is now acknowledgment,
particularly in urban ecology, that natural and human systems are integrated (Liu
et al. 2007), and studies of coupled human and natural systems are particularly
K. L. Wolf (*)
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
e-mail: kwolf@uw.edu
© Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature 2021
S. Muramatsu et al. (eds.), Living in the Megacity: Towards Sustainable Urban
Environments, Global Environmental Studies,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56901-5_8
135