THE NEW WILDERNESS: REDESIGNING THE WORLD FOR THE BENEFIT OF MAN AND ANIMAL
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2016
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MFA in Creative Nonfiction
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This work is restricted for 10 years from the date listed above. No access will be permitted until the embargo has expired. Once the embargo expires the work is available only on Goucher College's campus.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
Abstract
The New Wilderness: Redesigning the World for the Benefit of Man and Animal is an examination of the urban wilderness, and how we, as a society, will have to protect this wilderness in order to guarantee the survival of our species. In the past, ecologists considered cities to be dead zones—spaces completely devoid of natural life. However, scientists now understand that a wide range of flora and fauna call cities home. In fact, these plants and animals have a direct impact on how we live—they keep our cities clean, boost our economies, and reduce pest populations. Without the urban wilderness—without these helpful creatures—our species would ultimately suffer an untimely demise. This project looks at Los Angeles as a case study for understanding how we, as a species, created the urban wilderness and what it looks like currently. It also explores how the urban wilderness directly benefits society, and it highlights how we can defend this wilderness by incorporating it into our infrastructures—creating true biophilic cities, bastions of nature and humanity. In order to ensure the survival of our species, we must integrate the urban wilderness into our lives, completely reimagining what it means to live alongside nature.