thanks for the interesting debate - I'm going to take it to a group of
postgrad students during an upcoming fieldtrip we're having in the
Cairngorms. During the trip we'll be thinking through ideas of
wilderness and wildland and how to manage areas such as the National
Park there - so this should give us a new angle from which to focus...
thanks!
sam
Quoting simone tulumello <[log in to unmask]> on Tue, 1 Apr
2014 11:44:43 +0100:
> Kirsten, you have a good point here,
> I've been thinking for a while (together with Riccardo Guarino, a botanist
> friend) on how heritage protection areas and natural parks are becoming the
> two faces of the same coin, that is the creation of "safe" spaces where we
> can remind our good old urban days and the "free nature". In other words,
> good excuses for using and abusing of what is in-between these two
> antipodes, cities, landscapes, nature, or however we'd like to call the
> hybrid spaces we've been building in the last couple of centuries.
> From this perspective, thinking to cities as potential "parks" makes a lot
> of sense!
> Simone
>
>
> 2014-04-01 11:28 GMT+01:00 Kirsten Bergen-Dahl <[log in to unmask]
>> :
>
>> I am certainly not an expert in these things, but a lot of 'historic'
>> cities are (partly) on all kind of lists, such as the UNESCO Heritage Site
>> lists. It is a matter of labelling-debate if you label 'site' - and even
>> 'park' I think - as an enclosed entity/realm (as 'fenced' by definition),
>> while the city - the 'greater' area of London for instance - or 'forest',
>> or 'landscape' is more a loosely defined entity/realm... Kirsten
>>
>>
>> 2014-04-01 12:21 GMT+02:00 Cook, Simon (2013) <
>> [log in to unmask]>:
>>
>> George, your arguments are very true and interesting but I think
>>> Candice is right in saying the provocation is trying to challenge such
>>> categories.
>>>
>>> What would an Urban National Park look like? What would an Urban
>>> National Park do? What would it afford or change?
>>>
>>> The campaign is seeking to change how we perceive London (and other
>>> cities) and what we value rather than any policy or planning changes.
>>>
>>> There are many categories that recognise and seek to value culture,
>>> wildlife, beauty etc and Heritage Sites is certainly one of them Kirsten.
>>> But is there something different about isolated sites that are thought
>>> about or protected in certain ways compared to perceiving a whole city as
>>> such? I do not know the answers - but I do think the project raises
>>> interesting questions about these things.
>>>
>>> Simon
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>> *From:* Kirsten Bergen-Dahl <[log in to unmask]>
>>> *Sent:* 01 April 2014 11:06
>>> *To:* Cook, Simon (2013)
>>> *Cc:* [log in to unmask]
>>> *Subject:* Re: What if London was a National Park?
>>>
>>> I think we have something for that, this is called Heritage Sites...?
>>>
>>>
>>> 2014-04-01 11:37 GMT+02:00 Simon Cook <[log in to unmask]>:
>>>
>>>> Dear Crit-Geog Colleagues,
>>>> I'd just like to share a campaign that was officially launched today
>>>> that is a geographical provocation and provides some possibilities for the
>>>> future of London (and cities more broadly).
>>>> It asks what if London was a National Park? The team behind it see no
>>>> reason why London couldn't sit alongside other National Parks as its
>>>> breadth of habitats and diversity of wildlife rival existing parks.
>>>> To find out more do check out the website
>>>> http://www.greaterlondonnationalpark.org.uk/ and your support, thoughts
>>>> and debates would be much appreciated.
>>>> Below is the Press Release which contains greater details.
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>> Simon Cook
>>>> Royal Holloway University of London
>>>>
>>>> *Greater London National Park* Opens*
>>>> The Greater London National Park* was launched today, celebrating the
>>>> importance and diversity of London's urban habitat. It may sound like an
>>>> April Fools' joke, but it is not.
>>>>
>>>> It is only a "notional park" for now, but geographer Daniel
>>>> Raven-Ellison is calling for the public to back the idea."There is this
>>>> idea that a National Park has to be remote and rural, but cities are
>>>> incredibly important habitats too. An amazing 13,000 species of wildlife
>>>> can be found in London's open spaces which together make up 60% of the
>>>> Greater London National Park*. In London we have peregrine falcons, 13
>>>> species of amphibian and reptile, pigeons, over 8 million people and
>>>> countless dogs and cats too. The Greater London National Park* celebrates
>>>> all life."
>>>> National Parks are currently funded by central government to conserve
>>>> and enhance natural beauty, wildlife and their cultural heritage; and
>>>> promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special
>>>> qualities of National Parks by the public. These objectives could be
>>>> applied to a city like London as well the countryside.Raven-Ellison makes
>>>> clear that he is not proposing any changes to planning policy in the
>>>> capital, or that the Greater London National Park* would have the planning
>>>> powers that so many residents in current National Parks dislike.
>>>>
>>>> "I am proposing a new kind of National Park - an 'urban' National Park
>>>> that would aim to conserve and promote London's awesome ability to be
>>>> dynamic, innovate and evolve. The Park's role would be to inform and
>>>> inspire best practice, while helping to better co-ordinate and promote
>>>> London's biodiversity and recreational opportunities, especially those in
>>>> outer London."
>>>> Raven-Ellison, a geographer and National Geographic Emerging Explorer,
>>>> argues that the park would create a new way to see and think about London.
>>>> "How would being a National Park change the way we live, work and play
>>>> in the city? How would we educate children, design buildings, plan health
>>>> services or create new leisure activities differently if we started
>>>> thinking of London as a National Park?"
>>>> "It's a bit of an outside-of-the box curve ball, but sleep on it and you
>>>> will realise what a great idea it is. Being the world's first
>>>> National Park
>>>> city would celebrate and consolidate London's position in the world as a
>>>> leading, green world city that invests in the health and wellbeing of its
>>>> people, which is great for both new and mature business and employees.
>>>> Besides, wouldn't you like to live in London and a National Park at the
>>>> same time? I know I would!"
>>>> Raven-Ellison is asking the public to support his idea by adding their
>>>> name to[http:// www.greaterlondonnationalpark.org.uk]
>>>> www.greaterlondonnationalpark.org.uk (GLNP).
>>>> *Officially just a Notional Park.
>>>> *Contact details*
>>>> Email:
>>>> [log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Twitter: @LondonNP @DanRavenEllison
>>>> Web: www.greaterlondonnationalpark.org.uk
>>>> *Help to make the Greater London National Park**
>>>> To help turn this notional park into a reality:
>>>>
>>>> 1. Add your name to our Change.org
>>>> petition<http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/boris-johnson-create-the-greater-london-national-park>
>>>> to
>>>> the Mayor of London.
>>>> 2. Join this Thunderclap <http://thndr.it/1llJIOz> to help reach
>>>> even more people.
>>>> 3. Share pictures to show how awesome the
>>>> #GreaterLondonNationalPark<https://twitter.com/search?q=%23GreaterLondonNationalPark&src=typd&f=realtime>*
>>>> (#GLNP <https://twitter.com/search?q=%23GLNP&src=typd>) is!
>>>>
>>>> *The Greater London National Park* in numbers*
>>>>
>>>> - 1,572 km² in area
>>>> - 7th largest National Park* in the UK
>>>> - 300 languages spoken
>>>> - 8.3 million people
>>>> - 152 miles - London's orbital footpath which is longer than most
>>>> national trails
>>>> - 13,000 species of wildlife
>>>> - 13 species of reptile and amphibian within the M25
>>>> - 3.8 million gardens
>>>> - 2 Special Protection Areas
>>>> - 3 Special Areas of Conservation
>>>> - 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
>>>> - 2 National Nature Reserves
>>>> - 36 Sites of Special Scientific Interest
>>>> - 142 Local Nature Reserves
>>>> - 1300 sites are recognised by the GLA as being of value to wildlife
>>>> - 30,000 allotments
>>>> - 3000 parks
>>>> - Lots of cats and dogs
>>>>
>>>> According to GiGL's Greenspace Information for Greater London, 2013 (
>>>> http://www.gigl.org.uk/our-data-holdings/keyfigures/):
>>>>
>>>> - 60% is open and undeveloped land
>>>> - 47% green space
>>>> - 24% domestic gardens
>>>> - 22% Green Belt
>>>> - 6% sports areas
>>>> - 2.5% river, canals and reservoir
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> *University of Bergen, Norway*
>>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Simone Tulumello
> *Post-doc research fellow in Planning and Geography,*
> *Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Lisboa*
>
> tel.: Portugal: +351.961379236; Italy: +39.3293548729
>
> *my latest publication*: Tulumello S. (2013). Panopticon sud-europeo:
> (video)sorveglianza, spazio pubblico e politiche urbane. *Archivio di Studi
> Urbani e Regionali*, XLIV(107), 30-51, doi:
> 10.3280/ASUR2013-107003<http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDArticolo=49028&Tipo=Articolo%20PDF&lingua=it&idRivista=3>
> .
>
> webpage: www.ics.ulisboa.pt/pessoas/simone.tulumello
> blog: simonetulumello.wordpress.com/
> academia.edu:
> lisboa.academia.edu/SimoneTulumello<http://unipa.academia.edu/SimoneTulumello>
> flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/simotulu/
> twitter: twitter.com/SimTulum
>
TEDDINET: www.teddinet.org
--
Dr Sam Staddon
Geography and the Lived Environment,
Drummond Library G.01, Drummond Street,
Edinburgh, EH8 9XP
Tel: 0131 650 2269 / 0781 4655830
N.B. I work Mondays-Thursdays on a part-time basis
--
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