For the Birds Radio Program: Conservation: Urban Sprawl
“In wildness is the preservation of the world.” But in cities is the preservation of wildness.
Transcript
Urban Sprawl
One of the things few conservationists think about is how directly the quality of our cities affects the quality of wilder areas. The American birthrate has been falling in recent decades, but because of legal and illegal immigration, our population continues to increase, placing higher and higher demands on natural resources and contributing to greater and greater losses of natural habitat. Even worse, Americans individually require more and more space, leaving even less space for wildlife and for the regeneration of resources we all depend on.
Every one of us competes with birds and other wildlife for space and habitat. And as we spread out, urban sprawl fragments wild habitats, promoting deer, predators, cowbirds, and other “edge” species at the expense of species that thrive in forest interiors. Many people are happiest when they live in natural settings, among natural sights and sounds. But most people can be happy in the midst of other people. The smaller the area required for each human, the more land can remain natural. So the more habitable our urban areas, the happier people can be without contributing to urban sprawl.
When cities become unlivable, people who otherwise are happy in urban areas migrate to the suburbs. And more and more suburban and rural people want bigger and bigger houses and lots, taking up more and more natural habitat. How do we satisfy our desire for a high standard of living without losing ever more of the natural world?
It’s easy to admonish others use no more resources and space than they actually need. But as King Lear said, “O reason not the need!” We humans are quirky, finding happiness in a host of different ways. If we find satisfaction in a large home on a sprawling lot, that’s what we’re going to buy if we can afford it. By making our home and lot as bird friendly as possible, we at least minimize our personal impact on the natural world, and as a bonus, almost invariably make our home environment healthier for us, too.
For those of us who find pleasure in smaller spaces, living in a city has a far smaller impact on the natural world per person than living anywhere else. Making urban homes and neighborhoods as pleasant as possible is one of the best things a conservationist can do to allow as much of the natural world to remain natural as possible.
Of course, most big cities are built on shorelines where a variety of transportation is possible, or in other areas with important natural resources or features. The vast majority of birds that migrate from the tropics to the north woods must pass through a great many cities during their migrations. When cities protect as much natural habitat as possible, they not only help birds and other wildlife directly, they also become more pleasant and livable for all of us.
Promoting strong regulations and enforcement regarding urban sewage, garbage, industrial waste, and other pollutants, and encouraging comfortable, efficient, and affordable mass transit, protects the natural environment and makes cities more healthy and livable for humans, helps reduce urban sprawl, and protects birds both in and outside of urban areas.
The more habitat each person consumes, the greater our total impact on the natural world. As Henry David Thoreau wisely understood, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” But in cities is the preservation of wildness.