...take me along, we've got a life that's undiscovered.
SO, I accidentally reversed this week's and last week's topic. As a result, you get my nature post this week (Heather, I'm sorry I can't read a syllabus).
I think the topic of nature in Edmonton is mildly ironic, because despite it being the first day of spring, most of the city remains buried under a blanket of snow. I feel like Edmontonians lose track of the nature in our city because our winters are eternal. I remember as a child being so excited when I would be walking home from school in my shirtsleeves, puddles slopping into my rubber boots. I craved the moment when enough snow melted to reveal a patch of grass, however dead and dirty it was.
I feel like a lot of Edmontonians don't appreciate the nature we have in our city. I find this troubling because we have so much usable green-space in our city. When I say usable, I don't mean land to be developed (I don't want South Edmonton Common popping up in the River Valley), I mean land to be stood on with your bare feet, land to ride your bicycle through, land to use for something other than furthering our industry...something beyond urban sprawl.
Think about Churchill Square. Remember when it was actually a grassy area? I don't care what anyone says about bringing business into the Downtown core and I don't care how architectural stunning it's supposed to be; pouring concrete onto that green-space was a colossal mistake. It needed to be maintained and groomed, yes, but it was a great downtown park. I can't call the bleak, grey pit that's replaced it a park.
I agree entirely about the winter thing. I think that right now its almost impossible to truly explore this topic as it is hard to imagine the summer and disconnect from the right here and now, which for a long time has been winter. However, as I put myself in summer, I agree with the idea that you included about our lack of appreciation. There is a lot of nature in this city! Even for people in tiny little interior neighbourhoods chances are there is something nature like within walking distance.
ReplyDeleteIt's true, Edmonton is a colossal city in terms of area. The river valley, as I see it should never be touched and just maintained to be just the way it is.
ReplyDeleteI think the only problem separating Edmontonians from nature is --tell me if you've heard this one before -- the weather.
Edmontonians love the river valley. In the warm months, it's full of bikers, walkers, picnic-ers. In the summer months when TV is in-between seasons and hockey doesn't exist, I think we do a good job of flooding the river valley with people. It's just unfortunate that we only get 4-5 months of warm weather and green grass that we can't spend more time, as you say, standing in our bare feet.