Landscape Attitude

Daily Note

Every day, a photograph, a poem. On our walk today I remembered how I enjoy the greenery in our little town, and how even in the cities, green spots enhance the attitude and look of each block and community.

I remember years ago that things changed– that people began to notice the barren and desolate look black tops and concrete in both sky-scraper cities and small town main streets. People began to plan for greener, inviting walkways and businesses. Even city planners began to add codes to cities and towns requiring such things– greenways and stormways for a variety of reasons.

For one thing, the urban heat island effect affected the health of people. Heavier rains and poorly planned concrete jungles caused flooding, so “rain gardens” became important to prevent flooding and overwhelming of storm drains. Now the Environment Protection Agency has guidelines for Green Street Designs. And organizations are popping up to consult and share the possibilities for healthier neighborhoods everywhere by greening up our pathways– sidewalks, streets, etc. Take a look at Future Green Studio as an example with visual solutions on the home page. Urban Omnibus even found a purpose for those noxious weeds– they can grow in the cracks of and along the edge of sidewalks.

San Francisco shares a wealth of information and planning suggestions for their city that others can follow:

• Greening Overview
• Design Guidelines
• Median Greening
• Parking Lane Planters
• Sidewalk Trees

So, perhaps in your neighborhood, you might began a process for keeping the greening of the community a top priority. Why? Take a look at San Francisco’s reasons for Why Better Streets? And, if big city worries are not your concern, how about the Natural History Museums City Life: Why Green Spaces are Important. Wondering about city codes? Take a look at Sustainable City Codes, an organization with many helps, including for urban forestry.

And so, a little poem…

Poetry

Landscape Attitude

Tarred streets
concrete sidewalks
paved lots
a landscape of cold despair

Tree-lined streets
Planting strips
Rain gardens
a landscape of serene green

Sheri Edwards
09.03.23 246.365.23
Poetry/Photography [See-Frame-Focus]

#clmooc #smallpoems #poetry23 #ColePark #urbangreenspots #urbanforestry

The title “Landscape Attitude” is inspired by my thinking about the possibilities of the different types of garden styles– bright an cheerful, grasses, and Xeriscaping— each a different attitude. What would be your neighborhood’s attitude garden?