Likewise, people are prone to becoming more disconnected with nature as cities are urbanizing at a rapid rate. People are spending more time indoors, surrounded by man-made environments; thus being in nature is becoming less of a daily interaction.

Everett Crowley Park, Avalon pond

It’s not until recently where being part of CityStudio and learning in the outdoors, has reminded me of my childhood years. I remember how excited I was when I was in nature and being present in the now. I believe being connected to nature has never been so important as we live in rapidly urbanizing cities. Outdoor learning reminds me to treasure and appreciate the abundance of parks and green spaces in Vancouver that contributes to our well being. This stirs up curiosity and a stewardship attitude towards sustaining our natural environment. As I go for morning walks in trails and parks, I love how there is a sense of exploration and discovery of hidden trails. I love closing my eyes and being present in the now, listening intently to different birds singing, and seeing butterflies fly by. The trees that loom above me in every direction leave me in awe of how beautiful they are. I’m so fortunate to live in a city with such a majestic natural environment. It has brought back my child like joy of the outdoors and valuing the greenspaces in our city.

Vancouver is urbanizing at such a rapid rate that it is hard to imagine what it used to look like 150 years ago.

The city used to have an abundance of salmon swimming in streams that have mostly gone extinct, grey and humpback whales used to live in our ocean, grizzly bears used to roam our forest. However, many of our wild species have disappeared or gone extinct as humans continue to build and develop on lands that were once the habitat of these species. In our present day society, surrounded and enclosed by our human-made environment, it’s so easy to become disconnected with our natural environment. It’s hard to imagine what Vancouver was once like as we continue to develop buildings that result in many streams being buried and dramatically changing our natural world. Nonetheless, in the midst of “dewilding”, Vancouver is pushing to “rewild” its city again by intertwining nature and our built environment together.

The Vancouver Park Board has been working to “rewild” Vancouver through the “Rewilding Vancouver: From Sustaining to Flourishing” action plan. Not only does this plan encourage Vancouverites to connect themselves back to the natural world in their daily life, it also is essential that we have full access to nature because the natural world is important to our physical and mental well-being. Residents should be able to witness streams teeming with salmon, whales swimming in the harbour, and eagles flying above. As humans who depend on much of our natural resources, we must take good care of our natural world. J.B. Mackinnon, author of The Once and Future World, says that “this city can do more than offer more access to nature; it can also give nature more access to the city. This is the right place; this is the right time. By rewilding Vancouver, we will create a city that is not only more resilient, but also more exciting, more fascinating, more magical to live in—wilder in every sense of the word.”

Seattle is often known as one of the world leaders in sustainability through initiatives such as local grass roots activism. This is also reflected in the many cyclists throughout the city, bike lanes, bike share programs (as well as pick-up and drop-off helmet program), various bioswales, and numerous community gardens. One of these community gardens is called the Belltown P-Patch Community Garden. A P-Patch, a term specific to Seattle, is a parcel of property used for gardening (otherwise known as pea-patch). The P-Patch program started decades ago and has gained much momentum by inspiring a local movement of urban agriculture.

Today, Seattle has over 80 community gardens with thousands of volunteers actively involved. The land that Belltown P-Patch sits on today was purchased by the City of Seattle in 1993 and transformed into a community garden. Today the community garden is surrounded by residential buildings, high-rises, and a close walk to the City centre. This community garden is quite artsy, with many local artist enhancing the space through mosaic walls, stone paths, decorative railings and garden decorations. The three remaining cottages in the community garden are also used for meeting and educational rooms. It is a joy to wander through this garden, and experience the artistic taste of local artists, and the various vegetation and flowers planted here by the Belltown neighbourhood.

Evidently, Seattle is learning from other communities and cities about adapting themselves to increasing population densities by creating more greenspaces, rooftop gardening, and natural drainage system. More and more people are creating impromptu community gardens, a focal point for community engagement, ecological thinking through public education, and sustainable agriculture.

Artwork is a crucial feature of a good public space, making the space inviting and building creativity. Creating more space for public art, especially in public spaces such as parks, is an excellent way to liven up spaces that are underutilized or perceived as unsafe. Public art projects no longer require only the artist to create art; instead, it embraces collaboration of community members and park users. This creates a space for everyone to artistically embellish parks in what they value as a community, thus transforming parks into multi-use destinations.

An example is Vancouver Collingwood’s Slocan Park. In the 1980s, Collingwood had issues of increasing crime rates and a lack of community. As a result, Slocan Park was a safety concern for the locals. The Arts Pow Wow project was established to reclaim the park and promoted cultural activities and public art that reflected the identity of the community. This project developed a sense of place, and the public art was reflective of the cultural diversity of Collingwood. Since then, there have been many art and cultural initiatives through the City and Collingwood Neighbourhood House to enhance Collingwood’s public space. Public art can be a tool for communities to improve their public environments, and the opportunity to develop a sense of pride and ownership. According to Project for Public Spaces, having convenient accessibility to and around public space, enhanced by a safe and well-maintained image with multiple uses and activities, are key aspects to what makes public spaces great places.