Survey: The Nature-Culture Divide

A few posts lately have got us thinking about an old debate. Where, exactly, is nature? Is it out beyond the city limits, or right here in our own backyards?

How you approach this question tends to structure how you think about issues such as conservation (create a few big preserves or lots of little ones?), urban planning (dense cities or dispersed development?), and food (organic or locally grown?).

So, where do you come down?

Comments (2)

Feeling disconnected from nature is what got us into this mess in the first place. I think our desire to think that we are separated or superior or that we can rule over nature is nothing but an illusion.

Even the concrete in cities comes from and is part of nature. It decomposes as nature does, is made of the same molecules, and adheres to the same physical laws. That's not to say we should pave over wild nature, but the two are not enemies, we just position them that way.

I moved to Staten Island for this very reason. Being born and raised in NYC, I needed a little more green but not a lot more commute. Now I'm happy to report a couple of huge oak trees right outside my office window that make the daily grind a little less so.