These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about cities and synergies. I believe that the very basic components of urban sustainability–and education about it–must be grounded in showing linkages between concurrent, parallel,and  symbiotic processes.  We can not talk about anything ecological without discussing the economic or equity component to it. Clearly I’m not the only one thinking about this stuff.

Resilience. via: http://maryjaneryan.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/resilience.jpg

SEED Magazine has an excellent article on urban resilience. Its header reads: Merging complex systems science and ecology, resilience scientists have broken new ground on understanding—and preserving—natural ecosystems. Now, as more and more people move into urban hubs, they are bringing this novel science to the city.

Discussing examples that range from the loss of wetlands around New Orleans–that ironically were destroyed during the construction of the levees as well as natural gas exploration–that ultimately helped contribute to the tragedy of Katrina’s effect, to the spoiling of 25 million liters of raw milk in Australia when natural gas power supply was knocked out, the article discusses the concept of resilience on an urban scale. And while of course there are parallels between ecosystem design and urban design, the fundamental basis of resilience is diversity, redundancy, and variety. These things are often seen as “inefficient” on an urban scale.

This might seem theory heavy to you, but it really was one of the most fascinating articles I have read in a long time. And real life applications–contemporary and existent–examples are used for every sub-heading. So, yes, while there are lofty concepts, the reality of our urban world is the basis for discussion.

And of course the question of climate change is never far removed. A brief excerpt reads:

“A key feature of complex adaptive systems is that they can settle into a number of different equilibria. A lake, for example, will stabilize in either an oxygen-rich, clear state or algae-dominated, murky one. A financial market can float on a housing bubble or settle into a basin of recession. Historically, we’ve tended to view the transition between such states as gradual. But there is increasing evidence that systems often don’t respond to change that way: The clear lake seems hardly affected by fertilizer runoff until a critical threshold is passed, at which point the water abruptly goes turbid.

Resilience science focuses on these sorts of tipping points. It looks at gradual stresses, such as climate change, as well as chance events—things like storms, fires, even stock market crashes—that can tip a system into another equilibrium state from which it is difficult, if not impossible, to recover. How much shock can a system absorb before it transforms into something fundamentally different? That, in a nutshell, is the essence of resilience.”

Take time to read this article. I promise you will be thinking about synergies afterward as well.

The folks here at the institute are keenly interested in the practice of urban farming.  In the last year we have posted more than a few pieces on the subject which gave a big nod to Detroit as a leader in the movement to cultivate derelict urban space.  Many people have attributed this success, in part, to the widespread prevalence of vacant lots and abandoned buildings.  According to recent reports, the Detroit’s Mayor, Dave Bing, is taking aim at this unused space and considering plans to actually return it to rural or semi-rural land-use.

Bing’s proposal is based, in large part, on a study produced by Data Driven Detroit.  Pasted below is text from an NPR interview with Kurt Metzger, director of Data Driven Detroit.

Downsizing is a word you hear a lot in these economically troubled times. It usually applies to tight budgets or lost jobs. In Detroit it also now describes a controversial plan from the mayor’s office.

Mayor Dave Bing wants to reshape the city by getting rid of buildings that are vacant or in shambles. He also wants to transplant residents who live in neighborhoods that are desolate and dilapidated beyond repair. He says it’s too expensive to provide city services in areas that are much like urban deserts.

Much of the proposal is based on data collected by Kurt Metzger. He’s a demographer and the director of Data Driven Detroit, an organization that collects data for the city and for nonprofits. It’s also called D3.

Mr. Metzger, welcome to the program.

Mr. KURT METZGER (Director, Data Driven Detroit): Thank you so much. It’s great to be on.

NORRIS: You undertook a block-by-block study of Detroit, 139 square miles. What did your study find?

Mr. METZGER: We had surveyors go out and actually collect information in every single parcel in the city of Detroit. And just to give you the real quick analysis, we found better than a third of the land – and that’s of 139 square miles – we estimate better than a third of the land in the city of Detroit is either vacant land right now or contains buildings that need to be torn down. It’s amazing. I mean, New Orleans is about 70 square miles. We’re talking that better than 40 square miles, better than half of New Orleans is vacant land.

Now, of course its interspersed around the city, so that’s where the issues about going into neighborhoods where there’s a lot of vacant land. But a lot of one or two homes still left on streets. These are neighborhoods that are going to have to be gone into and trying to think about how do we start to move people into other areas.

NORRIS: When you were doing this survey, what did you hear from people who are in the neighborhoods? I imagine that some of the homeowners have been there for a very long time and have watched their beloved neighborhood slowly deteriorate. And they’re probably worried about finding themselves now on some sort of relocation hit list. When you were working on the survey, what did you hear from people?

Mr. METZGER: There is a general fear that I’m going to be uplifted and put someplace else. I’m really comfortable in my home regardless of what’s happened to the neighborhood. What are you going to do to me?

NORRIS: But they are going to be uplifted…

Mr. METZGER: Well…

NORRIS: …and moved someplace else.

Mr. METZGER: Yes. Yes. But I think there’s a way to work with them and help them to understand that this will be better for them in the long run.

NORRIS: How do you compensate people who have to move? Because as I understand it, they’re entitled to 125 percent of taxable value for their property. But their property values have plummeted; have deteriorating along with the surrounding property, so how do you make them whole?

Just a few weeks ago the Borough President of Manhattan, Scott Stringer, released a remarkable policy report designed to “spark systemic change in New York’s regional food system.”  The document, titled FoodNYC: A Blueprint for a Sustainable Food System, contains a respectably comprehensive range of proposals which identify keys points of intervention for our city.  It also outlines ambitious plans for implementing and connecting various initiatives toward this end.  Surprisingly, however, the report seems to have garnered surprisingly little attention in the print media and in the sustainability and food blogs.  I must admit that it wasn’t until yesterday that I seriously picked it up.  If, like me, you’ve heard about it but haven’t bothered to give it a read, or if you haven’t even heard of it yet, now is the time!

You might be particularly interested in the sections of the report that deal with urban agriculture and composting in NYC.  Stringer proposes sweeping measures on the part of the city to assess the availability of publicly held land and to rededicate suitable areas to permanent spaces of cultivation.  He also proposes a two-pronged composting project to help deal with food wasted across the five boroughs.  Large-scale composting would be established through the creation of a municipal facility (bringing the unions on board, perhaps) while a whole slate of small endeavors would be promoted and supported.  These are just two (of ten) ideas set forth by the Manhattan Borough President’s Office and in the coming year we expect to see some movement in these different arenas.  Yet another example of how cities are taking the lead in sustainability efforts around the world!

We made it through February. Hooray! And while March can still be a month to savor and simultaneously curse the last days of winter, it is certainly time to start thinking about gardens. 

And we have some very ambitious friends who are imagining putting a small patch of concrete near NYC City Hall to good use.  DC’s most important lawn–perhaps the nations most important lawn– is gearing up to carry its 2nd season of fresh produce. This is the first time The White House has had a productive yard since Eleanor Roosevelt’s WWII victory garden graced the premises. At that time, 40% of America’s produce was grown on small plots that made up the victory garden movement. I can’t quite think of a parallel in today’s patriotism. But New Yorkers! Pay attention to this and sign yourself onto the movement.

From the NY Times Diner’s Journal:

But today, “The hope is that a vegetable garden can be planted in front of City Hall in time for a nice tomato harvest this summer,” said Daniel Bowman Simon, who is organizing a petition drive to hand over to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

In a bad budget year, some things will always suffer.  And environmental services are often in the mix. A few weeks ago, there was talk of cutting funding to all state zoos and botanic gardens. And today, Governor David Paterson and state Parks Commissioner Carol Ash have released a list of 41 park and 14 historic sites that would close altogether, along with another 23 parks and one historic site that would experience “service reductions.”

This language is directly from the New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV). While the Institute for Sustainable Cities will not be formally taking a side on this issue, we tend to agree with the NYLCV that cutting parks is not good for social, economic, or ecological sustainability. So, I will simply paste the words of the NYLCV. You can  voice your opinion through them. Long live our parks! And every living thing that depends on them…

From the NYLCV:

Gov. David Paterson and state Parks Commissioner Carol Ash have released a list of 41 park and 14 historic sites that would close altogether, along with another 23 parks and one historic site that would experience “service reductions.”

By sheer numbers, Central New York would take the biggest hit, with eight state parks closed completely, followed by the Thousand Islands Region, at seven, the Finger Lakes Region, at six, and Long Island, at five.

The Saratoga-Capital Region, which will experience the complete closure of four state parks, also will suffer the most in terms of shuttered historic sites -five.  The Palisades Region ranks next, with four to close.

Along with total shutdown of facilities, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will, at various locations around the state, close swimming pools and swimming areas, eliminate classes, sports programs and cultural events, shorten seasons and/or close facilities a few days a week.

Click here for the complete list of proposed closures.

NYLCV strongly opposes the closures, as well as significant staff cuts at the Office of Parks, not least for economic reasons. According to a 2009 report, state parks and historic sites generate $1.9 billion annually in economic
activity statewide. Visitors from outside the community account for about 40% of that activity — visitors and money communities will lose if parks are forced to close.

Additionally, state parks and historic sites account for 20,000 non-park jobs statewide. These are longterm, sustainable jobs that will last as long as our state invests in its parks system. The investment in State Parks is a good one; for every dollar the state spends on parks, it gets back $5 dollars in economic activity.

NYLCV will be joining Parks & Trails NY on Wednesday, March 3, for a Parks Advocacy Day at the state Capitol. Please click here to join this historic effort.