Concrete jungle : New York City and our last best hope for a sustainable future / Niles Eldredge and Sidney Horenstein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Eldredge, Niles, author.

Horenstein, Sidney S., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

National Book Committee.

Urban ecology (Sociology)--New York (State)--New York.

Urban ecology (Sociology).

Urban geography--New York (State)--New York.

Urban geography.

Human ecology--New York (State)--New York.

Human ecology.

Environmental degradation--New York (State)--New York.

Environmental degradation.

Biodiversity conservation--New York (State)--New York.

Biodiversity conservation.

Sustainability--New York (State)--New York.

Sustainability.

Environmental conditions.

Historical geography.

New York (N.Y.)--Historical geography.

New York (N.Y.).

New York (N.Y.)--Environmental conditions.

Biodiversity.

New York (State)--New York.

Physical Description:

ix, 276 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2014]

Summary:

"Cities need healthy chunks of the world's ecosystems to persist if they are to survive; yet cities, like parasites, grow and prosper by local destruction of these very ecosystems. In this absorbing and wide-ranging book, the authors use New York City as a microcosm to explore both the positive and negative sides of the relationship between cities, the environment, and the future of global biodiversity. They illuminate the mass of contradictions that cities present by offering the best and the worst of human existence. Eldredge and Horenstein demonstrate that, though cities have voracious appetites for resources such as food and water, they also represent the last hope for conserving healthy remnants of the world's ecosystems and species. With their concentration of human beings, they bring together centers of learning, research, government, finance, and media--institutions that increasingly play active roles in solving environmental problems. Some of the topics covered in Concrete Jungle: --The geological history of the New York region, including remnant glacial features visible today --The early days of urbanization on Manhattan Island, focusing on the history of Central Park, Collect Pond, and Manhattan Square --The history of early railway lines and the development of New York's iconic subway system --The problem of producing enough safe drinking water for an ever-expanding population --Prominent civic institutions, including universities, museums, and zoos"--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Regarding Broadway : the urban saga and the New York microcosm

Forest primeval. Building stones

Landscape transformed. Around the American Museum of Natural History ; East River shoreline

Growth of the concrete jungle. One Hundred and Fifty-Fifth Street ; Queensboro Bridge and East River

Fouling, and cleaning, the nest. The High Bridge

Invasion and survival. John Torrey ; Fort Tryon Park ; The Battery ; The seawall

Resilience, restoration, and redemption. Canyonlands and the future

Cities, globalization, and the future of biodiversity.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-264) and index.

ISBN:

9780520270152

0520270150

OCLC:

877369534