The Forest and the City (eBook)

Dr Cecil Konijnendijk, a Dutch national based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has studied and promoted the role of woodlands and trees in urban societies throughout his career. After employment in the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Hong Kong, he started as professor of urban forestry at the University of British Columbia in 2016. His present work includes, among other, research, teaching, advising urban forestry practitioners, and writing about urban forestry issues. He has coordinated several international networks and research projects dealing with city forests and other green space. Cecil is also editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, and series editor of Springer’s Future City book series.

Preface   1) Introduction ·         Culture, landscape and forest ·         The urban era ·         Cities and trees ·         Cities and forests ·         City forests as cultural landscapes, Place and Space ·         The city forest defined ·         Contents of this book   2) The Spiritual Forest ·         Ancient spiritual links between forests and people ·         Forest and religion ·         Forest and myths ·         Modern spirituality ·         (Re)Creating spiritual links   3) The Forest of Fear ·         Primeval forest fear ·         Criminal forests ·         Nature’s dangers ·         From fear to excitement and adventure   4) The Fruitful Forest ·         Subsistence forests ·         Appropriation of city forest use ·         City forests and societal development ·         The rise of municipal forest ·         The Fruitful Forest today   5) The Forest of Power ·         From wooded commons to elitist prestige ·         Military forests ·         City forests and democratisation ·         City forests and city image ·         City forests and environmental justice ·         City forest governance   6) The Great Escape ·         An antidote to the city ·         Recreate and enjoy ·         Window to the world ·         New ways of escaping ·         Different people, different escapes ·         Escape from city rule   7) A Work of Art ·         City forests as source of inspiration ·         Designed landscapes ·         Settings for art ·         Art, forests and community   8) The Wild Side of Town ·         City forests and nature conservation ·         Nature is in the eye of the beholder ·         The quest for urban wilderness ·         Working with nature ·         Native versus alien   9) The Healthy Forest ·         Views on nature and health ·         City forests and physical health ·         City forests and mental health and wellbeing ·         The Healthy Forest in practice   10) The Forest of Learning ·         City forests as testing grounds ·         International inspiration ·         Demonstrating forestry to the public ·         Forests and landscape laboratories   11) The Youthful Forest ·         Children and nature ·         Forests as settings for play and adventure ·         Forests as nearby nature ·         Forests for children’s education   12) The Social Forest ·         From wooded commons to forests for all ·         Social forests for mass use ·         City forests as social stages ·         City forests and place making ·         Building social cohesion and community identity   13) A Forest of Diversity ·         Diversity in city forests over time ·         Changing fashions ·         A growing diversity in forest users and preferences ·         Managing for diversity   14) A Forest of Conflict ·         Urban development conflicts ·         Conflicts over forest management ·         Recreational conflicts ·         A range of opinions and interests ·         Managing conflicts and creating new opportunities   15) A Forest for the Future ·         City forests in the Anthropocene ·         City forests as part of green infrastructure and urban landscapes ·         City forests and our place in nature ·         Governance, design and management ·         Final thoughts   Literature   Index