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Review

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GREEN CITIES. Ecologically Sound
Approaches to Urban Space. Edited by
David Gordon. Black Rose Books, 1990.

Green Cities is a collection of 24 short
essays based on the reality that large urban
centres are ecologically unsustainable and
their ecosystems are in decay.

However, rather than tackle the multi-
tude of broader urban environmental ques-
tions such as air pollution, ecologically
sound transportation and garbage disposal,
this book focuses primarily on healing the
rift between humankind and nature
through the creation of green spaces in
urban settings.

It is divided into three sections. Part One,
“What is the Green City?,” notes that cities
have been great consumers of energy, food
and other resources and have tended to
environmentally and economically exploit
the surrounding regions. At the same time,
they are huge generators of waste and
environmental pollution. Business and
industry are profitable because they have
externalized their real costs to society and to
the environment.

Now we need to search for new ways.
David Morris in his essay, ““The Ecological
City as a Self-Reliant City,” calls for local
production for local markets from local
resources, and extracting the maximum
amount of useful work from local resour-
ces. The green city concept implies an urban
function in overall sustainable development
processes, he argues.

Morris says a green city is a recycling city,

a conserving city, one that is clean, healthy
and harmonized, with vast open spaces,
gardens, parks, streams and a full range of
cultural developments. The green city is the
ultimate in urban and human planning,
requiring grassroots participation in its
development.

Part Two, “Naturalization at Work,”
outlines some specific projects: mainly,
developing green space in large urban cen-
tres. Most of the essays argue that humans
natural green spaces provide relief from the
hustle and bustle of urban life.

In my view, this need to connect with
nature goes deeper. Humans are a product
of nature and we feel a need to be with it, to
touch and handle it, to smell its odours, hear
its sounds. When we lose such life-
enhancing contact, we lose part of our
deeper selves. The task then is preserving in
our cities the environment that meets the
needs of our biological nature.

This part also provides a kind of smor-
gasbord of suggested projects: urban fore-
stry and wilderness; naturalizing existing
parkland; ecological restoration of urban
right-of-ways, former garbage dumps and
pits; integrated pest management; an inter-
esting essay on the use of forests as living
filters for urban sewage.

While each is only a small part of green-
ing a city, collectively these entries do offer
greater integration of human beings and
nature. They are offered as part of the edu-
cational and public involvement process
leading towards further changes.

The essay, ““Toronto Ecology Park,” by

James Connolly
commemorative:

A tribute to the
great Irish labour
martyr using song,
poems, recitations
and slides by
members of
Vancouver's Irish
community.

Women and Work Clothes
Songs, poems and fashion statements
about women and the work they
do — from housewives to diesel

David Gordon describes a demonstration
project by Pollution Probe to show the
potential of natural landscaping in an urban
environment. The project was noteworthy
for the public participation it generated, and
this theme, common to several projects, is
the basis of Part Three, “Effecting
Change — Breaking the Barriers.”

This section offers seven articles relating
how local organizations have overcome
institutional and social barriers to bring
about their projects. With the mobilization
of sufficient grassroots political pressure,
organizations were able to move city coun-
cils and parks boards to co-operate in
addressing community needs for their

admittedly relatively small demonstration §

projects.

The final essay, “A Green City Program

with a Bioregional Perspective: Developing
the San Francisco Green City Plan,” by
Peter Berg, briefly describes the most
advanced to date example of green city
development. Berg implies that San Fran-
cisco is beginning to do what is only being
talked about in other locations.

He reports that dozens of groups have
come together to. develop a green city pro-
gram. They have defined their green city,
identified specific projects and developed
means to overcome barriers to implementa-
tion. The suggestion is that this process,
modified for local conditions, could work
for any city (Vancouver and the Lower
Mainland come to mind).

While Green Cities doesn’t give a com-
prehensive view of urban environmental

problems — and, being a collection
essays, is uneven — it does contribute t
the discussion on ecological landscapi
and urban wilderness. It is short on
economic causes of urban environmen
decay, but offers hope by documenting se
eral successful green urban projects a
emphasizing public education and br
democratic participation as first steps.

Green Cities can be read by urban envi
onmental activists for an up-to-date inti
duction on saving or developing gre
spaces.

— Gary Sw.

Les Danseurs
du Pacifique:
Fourteen member Francophone
dance troupe celebrates the costume,
music and dance of Quebec's
working people — and invites
audience participation. For both
English and French, children and

adults.

Campbell, and Sue Malcolm.

Coffeebreak:

Crossland and Nora Randall.

mechanics. Features Pat Davit, Dianne

Four coffeebreak long stories from the
jobsite by playwrights/storytellers Jackie

Also

Working It Out — Songs and
Poems from the Workplace.
All Union Labour Choir
Salsa Dance Instruction
Picket Line Skit Contest
Folk Song Circle
and much more!

For complete festival information look for
our brochure in early April or phone 324-8821.

Mayworks “Workers Club”:

On December 28, 1989, the Newcastle
Workers Club in Newcastle Australia was
destroyed by an earthquake. In
commemoration the |.W.A. Hall at 13th and
Commercial will be home to the Mayworks
Workers Club. A smoke-free cabaret (with
covered outdoor smoking area); draft beer, —

wine and hot snacks from the Latin-
American and Indo-Canadian communities. _

Send the Shirt Off Your Back to
Mulroney — and fight the GST!

$1 off Workers Club admission with a
shirt and your signature on a card
saying: “Dear Brian, here's the shirt
off my back. Now dump your stupid
GST and social service cuts.”
Mayworks and the Canadian Union of
Postal Workers will deliver them to
Brian. Nightly awards for the most
creative shirts.

10 e Pacific Tribune, April 23, 1990