Monday, March 28, 2022 6pm on Zoom
As with most American cities, Portland's park system has been shaped by two movements: the City Beautiful/Olmsted tradition of the turn of the 20th century and the mid-century recreation movement. In our parks, we enjoy the beauty and we play.
Researchers, professors, and activists Vivek Shandas and C.N.E. Corbin contend the 21st century demands new approaches. "This is not your grandfather's recreation," says Corbin. "We are entering an ecological reality in which speculation is all we have." In short, we need to imagine and experiment, reconciling what parks, urban nature, and recreation are and who they serve. As climate change, inequities, and political discord become more acute, they argue, we must imagine bolder futures.
Shandas, is a professor in the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and founder of the Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab at PSU. He is chair of Portland’s Urban Forestry Commission. Corbin is an assistant professor of Urban Political Ecology. Both are visionaries. Shandas's research on urban tree canopies and heat island effect has been featured in publications and is increasingly used by cities across the world. Corbin studies the relationships between uneven distribution of environmental harms and the uneven development of environmental goods. She incorporates media studies and visual culture, often deploying speculative fiction and Afrofuturism, to understand how images represent and influence environmental and racial understandings of urban spaces.
Thank you for joining us for Beyond Recreation: Climate, Social Justice, and the Urban Landscape Ahead! We are truly grateful to our speakers C.N.E. Corbin and Vivek Shandas.
During the Q&A C.N.E. Corbin and Vivek Shandas recommended these books
Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
The Soil Will Save Us by Kristin Ohlson
And special thanks to our presenting sponsor U.S. Bank and all the attendees who donated at registration!
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