Cities with a good balance of urban and nature

20034 Views 47 Replies 27 Participants Last post by isaidso, Jan 13, 2018

steppenwolf

Discussion Starter · Oct 16, 2017

We've probably all started to hear the term 'Nature Deficit Disorder' about. It's basically a blanket term for a range of mental and physical health problems than can occur when we are detached from nature. This is l;ess about gardens and parks, although they are important, and more about the actual natural world where human processes are less influential.

Humans need cities for work, to meet people, for excitement and to see the beautiful buildings and creations of our civilisation. We are also an integral part of the natural world and need to connect with it to make us feel calm, happy and to understand the world which we are part of.

Some cities seem to be planned with an understanding of this need for both. Some do it well, some don't.

Here is a place to post info and pictures of cities which provide for our urban needs but also integrate the natural habitats of the area they're located in.

1 - 20 of 48 Posts

steppenwolf

Discussion Starter · #2 · Oct 16, 2017

I'll kick off with Vancouver. A city set between mountains and forest. Views of the mountains are visible along most streets which keeps locals aware of the stunning nature around them. Stanley Park is a beautiful island of native forest on a rocky island, which has been left free of buildings so locals can connect to the Canadian landscape just a short walk from their condo tower.

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steppenwolf

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 16, 2017

Another great example is from Edinburgh, Scotland. Holyrood Park is an extinct volcanic 'mountain' surrounded by city. The contrast between city centre and nature is striking and sudden. One minute you're walking along dense urban streets and the next your hiking across loose rocks, mud and avoiding sheep.

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alexandru.mircea

· #4 · Oct 16, 2017

Some good examples in this older thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1677099

gonza.py

· #5 · Oct 17, 2017

10

Asunción, Paraguay

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the spliff fairy

· #6 · Oct 17, 2017 (Edited)

7

Hong Kong - hyper urbanism, then a mile or two away hyper nature. I heard about 7 people die a year in the mountains (exposure, dehydration, getting lost),
despite being able to see the city lights right there.

more 'remote' areas of HK. Even with all this HK-Macau still has the highest population density in the world.

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Manila-X

· #7 · Oct 17, 2017

For The Philippines, I'll give it to Baguio!

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gandhi.rushabh1992

· #8 · Oct 23, 2017

2

Mangalore, a city of 1 million on the south western coast of India:

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009

· #9 · Oct 25, 2017 (Edited)

4

Lushness by Jon Chiang, on Flickr

"Cloud Mountain" by David VP, on Flickr

A Walk in Primal Forest by yc4646, on Flickr

Gardens Coral Night by Henrik Sundholm, on Flickr

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Copperknickers

· #10 · Oct 26, 2017

009 said:
Lushness by Jon Chiang, on Flickr

Wow, is that actually real? That's amazing. Where is it?

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heymikey1981

· #11 · Oct 26, 2017

Copperknickers said:
Wow, is that actually real? That's amazing. Where is it?

Singapore -- Gardens by the Bay

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Slartibartfas

· #12 · Oct 26, 2017 (Edited)

3

Vienna lacks greenery in some of the inner districts but it has 3 things making up for it:

> A lot of splendid central and peripheral parks
> The Danube island, connected with no less than 3 different subway lines, an S-Bahn main corridor and a tram line to the rest of the city. As well as the nearby Old Danube area.
> Viennese Woods in the west of the city where it relatively abruptly ends and hilly forests begin. On its edges you also find wine villages, including wineyards.

The Old Danube and the strip like Danube Island (between greyish "Danube" and blueish "New Danube" behind it). In the upper-left one can see the city's largest park, the Prater. In the background on the right side one can see the hilly Viennese Woods.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9f/94/ee/9f94ee6f12ec9b6aee2567518d9982e8.jpg

And here the Ringstraße:

https://www.wien.info/media/images/...nt-palais-epstein-40711.jpg/image_teaser-lead

A Heuriger (wine tavern) in the wineyards, within city limits, easy to reach from the centre:

https://www.wien.info/media/images/weingarten-heuriger.jpg/image_gallery

PS: Of course, if you are in the middle of the city, the panoramic view can be also more like this: https://www.haus-des-meeres.at/fxdata/hausdesmeeres/prod/media/presse/aussichthdmromanbnsch.jpg

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xzmattzx

· #13 · Oct 27, 2017

A lot of western US cities could go on this list.

Phoenix may be the best for this list. There are a couple small mountains within the city limits, which you can hike up and get great views from. Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak are partly in the city. South Mountain is in the city. Then you have parks with smaller natural rock formations, like Papago Park, which was actually a National Monument for a time. Outside of Phoenix itself, you have other hills and small mountains to climb, like "A" Mountain in Tempe, and you have vast wilderness within 45 minutes of anywhere in the metro.

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bumbledah.

· #14 · Oct 27, 2017

xzmattzx said:
Phoenix may be the best for this list.

1000 square miles of tract housing of the lowest density imaginable in the Northern Hemisphere's most rapidly warming and drying region is the farthest thing from green. The city's endless suburbia is choking itself with emissions and has just recently lost its position as having the worst particulate matter rates in all of America's smog. In a state where climate change talk is verboten in legislation, there's little hop of public transit of any significant efficacy to offset the auto-centrism of a town built on the housing industry. Even if its ribbons of highways didn't invite the threat of carbon emissions blanketing the city in a haze, Phoenix's hosting of the dirtiest ZIP code in the U.S. makes sure that groundwater contamination contributes to cancer rates in the city's inner-ring. As for the literal greenery of parks, Phoenix falls flat as well. A mere 15% of the entire city area is zoned for parkland, a majority of which is holed up in richer outer districts. This results in a 55% majority of the population not having any matter of park within a 10-minute walking distance.

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xzmattzx

· #15 · Oct 27, 2017

bumbledah. said:
1000 square miles of tract housing of the lowest density imaginable in the Northern Hemisphere's most rapidly warming and drying region is the farthest thing from green. The city's endless suburbia is choking itself with emissions and has just recently lost its position as having the worst particulate matter rates in all of America's smog. In a state where climate change talk is verboten in legislation, there's little hop of public transit of any significant efficacy to offset the auto-centrism of a town built on the housing industry. Even if its ribbons of highways didn't invite the threat of carbon emissions blanketing the city in a haze, Phoenix's hosting of the dirtiest ZIP code in the U.S. makes sure that groundwater contamination contributes to cancer rates in the city's inner-ring. As for the literal greenery of parks, Phoenix falls flat as well. A mere 15% of the entire city area is zoned for parkland, a majority of which is holed up in richer outer districts. This results in a 55% majority of the population not having any matter of park within a 10-minute walking distance.

??? The question at hand is the availability of the natural environment in cities around the world. Phoenix clearly has elements of the natural environment preserved within the city in several areas.

This isn't about actual greenery, but the natural environment. Phoenix would have to create an artificial woodland to have greenery! This also isn't about parks in general. Landscaped parks are taking natural elements and urbanizing them. One-block parks with a playground and basketball court might be more numerous in most cities (including Phoenix), and provide access to more citizens as close-range open space, but they are not a natural environment.

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Haifon

· #16 · Oct 27, 2017

2

Jubail in eastern province of Saudi is a good example of comprising urban and greenery

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steppenwolf

Discussion Starter · #17 · Oct 30, 2017

bumbledah. said:
1000 square miles of tract housing of the lowest density imaginable in the Northern Hemisphere's most rapidly warming and drying region is the farthest thing from green. The city's endless suburbia is choking itself with emissions and has just recently lost its position as having the worst particulate matter rates in all of America's smog. In a state where climate change talk is verboten in legislation, there's little hop of public transit of any significant efficacy to offset the auto-centrism of a town built on the housing industry. Even if its ribbons of highways didn't invite the threat of carbon emissions blanketing the city in a haze, Phoenix's hosting of the dirtiest ZIP code in the U.S. makes sure that groundwater contamination contributes to cancer rates in the city's inner-ring. As for the literal greenery of parks, Phoenix falls flat as well. A mere 15% of the entire city area is zoned for parkland, a majority of which is holed up in richer outer districts. This results in a 55% majority of the population not having any matter of park within a 10-minute walking distance.

Interesting and I agree.

Suburban and low density sprawl with trees in gardens and lawns is the opposite of the kind of cities I want to be appreciate in this thread.

When tracts of wild habitat are allowed to run through dense urban neighbourhoods this allows the best of true nature and true urban to exist in the same place. It allows people to access to both of those things which we need.

steppenwolf

Discussion Starter · #18 · Oct 30, 2017

xzmattzx said:
??? The question at hand is the availability of the natural environment in cities around the world. Phoenix clearly has elements of the natural environment preserved within the city in several areas.

This isn't about actual greenery, but the natural environment. Phoenix would have to create an artificial woodland to have greenery! This also isn't about parks in general. Landscaped parks are taking natural elements and urbanizing them. One-block parks with a playground and basketball court might be more numerous in most cities (including Phoenix), and provide access to more citizens as close-range open space, but they are not a natural environment.

The particular natural environment Phoenix could incorporate is hot desert with its associated ecosystem. What would be great and more sustainable is if people's gardens incorporated local plants rather than unsustainably forcing grass to grow. i don't know what Phoenixian gardens look like to be honest

steppenwolf

Discussion Starter · #19 · Oct 30, 2017

Here's a nice one - Cape Town.

The city incorporates natural environments which are themselves not disconnected from the surrounding landscape.

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steppenwolf

Discussion Starter · #20 · Oct 30, 2017

Bucharest, Romania has a wonderful wild area. It's actually a man made lake that's been reclaimed by nature

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/...-protected-area-vacaresti-nature-park-romania

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