Reclaiming Streets: Gastown’s Car-Free Summer Echoes Global Urban Trends https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/gastown-car-free-summer-events   The article highlights a growing global movement seen in cities like San Francisco and Paris, where roadways are being transformed into pedestrian-friendly spaces. This trend aligns closely with urbanization and the ongoing tension between development and sustainability. The pivot away from car-dominated city planning toward people and nature centered design challenges the long-held belief that progress demands more pavement and traffic. It also reminds the legacy of early urban reformers who sought to soften the impacts of industrialization through the creation of parks. Reminding us that today’s urban…

Protecting Our Urban Parks from the Impacts of Climate Change https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/protecting-our-urban-parks-impacts-climate-change This article talks about how the Yale School of the Environment teamed up with the Central Park Conservancy and the Natural Areas Conservancy to figure out how to better protect city parks from the effects of climate change. They’re looking at what’s already happening in urban green spaces and how we can adapt to keep them healthy and usable. It ties in really well with what we covered in Unit 3, especially how cities need to plan ahead if they want their parks to keep benefiting both people and…

Post 1 – Conservation In July 2024, the Alberta government reserved a 20-year ban on hunting grizzly bears continuing the debate over the future of threatened species(The Guardian). Alberta originally banned hunting due to population decline caused by overhunting, agriculture development and urbanization. The Province justified the decision as a way of “protecting Albertans”, citing 62 maulings, 8 deaths and 897 counts of livestock losses since 2005. However, according to the head of the nonprofit Grizzy Bear Foundation, First Nations and conservation groups were not consulted on the policy change. This article reminded me Binnema and Niemi’s argument in Let…

Conservation: Wolves were seen following a family pet on Vancouver Island, highlighting the presence of these predators within their natural habitat, which is increasingly impacted by human encroachment. This situation directly aligns with Ted Steinberg’s discussion of the conservation of animals. Steinberg emphasizes the important role of predators in maintaining healthy ecosystems by controlling prey populations, preventing overgrazing and disease, and contributing to biodiversity. The CBC article notes that these wolves are typically found in wilderness and rural areas, echoing Steinberg’s point that wildlife rarely listen to authorities and often move outside a park’s boundaries. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pet-owners-warned-after-report-of-wolves-chasing-dog-on-southern-vancouver-island-1.7505133   Parks: This article…

Walker, K. (2023). How indigenous conservation protects Canada’s environment. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230809-how-indigenous-guardians-are-pr otecting-canadas-environment   Throughout Unit 3, I was challenged to consider what conservation truly means by reflecting on the famous conservationists, Roosevelt and Muir. Roosevelt’s approach aligned much more with me than Muir’s colonially coded advocacy for an “untouched wilderness”. Roosevelt’s argument to act responsibly in the management of natural resources so that future generations may still benefit from their availability is aligned with the intentions of ancestral Indigenous-led conservation. Indigenous people have been managing land through reciprocity and respect since time immemorial. This story highlights how Indigenous led…