Urban Forests Trees And Greenspace

This book brings a perspective of political ecology to the complexities of urban trees and forests. It discusses how humans interact with trees and greenspace in cities, and how this affects the city's ecology.

Urban forests, trees and greenspace are critical in contemporary planning and development of the city. Their study is not only a question of the growth and conservation of green spaces, but also has social, cultural and psychological dimensions. This book brings a perspective of political ecology to the complexities of urban trees and forests through three themes: human agency in urban forests and greenspace; arboreal and greenspace agency in the urban landscape; and actions and interventions in the urban forest. Contributors include leading authorities from North America and Europe from a range of disciplines, including forestry, ecology, geography, landscape design, municipal planning, environmental policy and environmental history. Review: This book is the first to use the lens of political ecology to understand urban forests and finally provide us with a much needed politicized view of these spaces, based on case studies from around the globe. - Guy Baeten, Lund University, Sweden. This wonderful volume incorporates new theoretical ground in the field of political ecology. Diverse chapters bring nuanced and balanced attention to the social and ecological dynamism that shapes the myriad ways through which urban forests constitute and are constituted by everyday lived experiences, politics, and institutional dynamics of today's cities. Through engaging exploration of diverse cases around the world and their beloved as well as neglected trees, parks, and other spaces, the chapters provide rich analyses of distinctive place- and regionally-oriented histories, changing market and economic dynamics, emergent forms of governance and institutional contexts, and ecological and social complexity, all framed within the central thematic dimension of power. - Patrick Hurley, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, USA. A collection that makes urban political ecology accessible to a wide readership without losing the sophistication needed to handle the complexity and contradictions of the field. Its compelling narratives stretch from unruly trees and people in diverse cities around the world, to original ways of thinking about nature and the city. - Alan Mabin, Research fellow, Capital Cities project, University of Pretoria, South Africa. 'This remarkable book brings a new perspective to urban forests and green spaces as political and social constructs. ... For critical readers at any level, nothing could be more valuable. Summing Up: Highly recommended' -S. Hammer, Boston University , CHOICE, April 2015