We’re reporting out, World Cafe style.
Sandy Mendler is summarizing the Natural Environment breakout. I’m speed-summarizing her summary.
It’s really about healing.
Criteria:
– More nature — 50% of land kept open
– Place where people feel safe and secure (fences can have the opposite effect)
– Restore natural systems functioning
Since nature is fundamentally permeable, though cities often are not, so we need to challenge the nature of the edge… soften and fuzz up the edges. Successful social structures need places that nurture them.
The block as compost pile: restore the water capturing sponge of the soil. (And maybe the city block is more a nutrient exporter to agricultural regions, than a food producer in its own right.)
The block as tree: a canopy; aground layer where nutrient/social exchange take place; and the trunks as dwelling units. DIfferent types of trees and forest structure in different places.
Barriers: existing development model; consumer culture; lack of clarity about the opportunities; out of touch with genius of place; lack of shared mental maps, sense of “the urban tribe”.
Drivers and opportunities: unmet demand; great need to invest in rapidly growing cities, coastal cities facing adaptation to climate change.