Connecting past and present
June 7, 2026 By: okafor chichi
Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
Post 1: Urbanization
Article: https://thenarwhal.ca/climate-and-housing-event-questions/
This article discusses how British Columbia is trying to address the housing crisis while also responding to climate change. It challenged me to think differently about urbanization because building more homes is not simply about accommodating population growth. Environmental historians remind us that cities reshape landscapes, transportation systems, and ecosystems over time. The article explains that communities now have to consider climate resilience when planning housing developments, including preparing for wildfires, floods, and extreme heat. It made me realize that the choices made by planners and governments today will influence both environmental sustainability and quality of life for future generations.
Post 2: Conservation
Article: https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-forests-logging-2025/
This article examines the impact of logging on British Columbia’s forests and raises concerns about biodiversity loss and ecosystem decline. It connects closely with the Unit 3 theme of conservation because it highlights the tension between economic development and environmental protection. Throughout environmental history, people have debated how natural resources should be used and who benefits from those decisions. Reading this article made me appreciate that conservation is not only about preserving nature for its beauty, but also about protecting ecological systems that communities depend on. It also reinforced the idea that the environmental decisions made in the past continue to shape the challenges we face today.
Hi Okafor,
Wonderful post – very thought-provoking.
I especially enjoyed your first analysis of the urbanization matter. It is of utmost importance that city planners and developers look to address the housing issue while prioritizing ecological preservation.
A question I would pose to you is: how realistic is it to address both the housing crisis while prioritizing climate change? We see in highly developed cities in Asia, notably Kyoto and Seoul, that apartments are the dominant form of housing, as it takes up less land and can accommodate thousands of families and individuals to reside in the central hub of said cities. Do you think North America’s culture of suburbanization is one of the main factors stopping Canada and other North American cities from achieving both climate change and the housing crisis? We see how much land is used to build both suburbs and roads to connect suburbs to major cities.