The nature of cities

I recently read an article from Grist, a environmental news and commentary site, that discussed the purpose and relevance of nature writing in today’s technological world. The author, Jenny Price, argued that in addition to writing about places like Thoreau’s Walden Pond, today’s generation should think and write about the natural history of iPods, Wiis, cars, and the plethora of things that we encounter in our world.

Her article made me think about the types of questions we ask during Urban Science and the kinds of stories players tell themselves and others about the cities they redevelop. What types of tradeoffs (ecological, social, political, economic) are players learning about? Most importantly, how does an understanding of urban interconnections change how they look at and act within their city? I was especially inspired by the following two questions that she thinks nature writers should address.

“…How do people transform the landscapes they live in, and how does the nature — the particular climate, ecology, geology, vegetation, and wildlife — act back? In L.A., if you load nitrogen oxides into the air, the area’s climate and topography famously combine to deliver up heavy smog. When you introduce Chihuahuas to the mountains that L.A. is built into, the native coyotes will treat the dogs as snack food. How do we transform airsheds, manage rivers, pave, build, plant, manage fires, keep pets, and create lawns, parks, and gardens? And how could we do it all better?…How do different people encounter nature differently? And especially, who benefits and who suffers the worst consequences as we turn coconuts into hair conditioner and transform airsheds?…toxic air blows through southeast L.A., where the predominantly low-income, mostly Latino residents live near and work in L.A.’s abundant factories. These neighborhoods are also remarkably poor in green park space. How equitably — not just sustainably — do we inhabit nature?”

I appreciate her assertion that things don’t have to be the way they currently are – we can do things better. In the next iteration of Urban Science, players will spend more time thinking about the possible visions for their city. Instead of dwelling on what is, they’ll stretch their minds to think about what could and ought to be.