Seattle and the roots of urban sustainability
Subtitle: inventing ecotopia
By: Jeffrey Craig Sanders
Series: History of the urban environment; History of the urban environment
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Pittsburgh, Pa
Language: eng
Number of pages: 288
ISBN-13: 9780822943952
Subjects: Urban ecology (Sociology); Neighborhoods; Sustainable development; Environmentalism; Environmental conditions; Suburbs; Suburban life; Social conditions; City and town life; History
Other titles: Seattle & the roots of urban sustainability
Description: Seattle, often called the "Emerald City," did not achieve its green, clean, and sustainable environment easily. This thriving ecotopia is the byproduct of continuing efforts by residents, businesses, and civic leaders alike. In Seattle and the Roots of Urban Sustainability, Jeffrey Craig Sanders examines the rise of environmental activism in Seattle amidst the "urban crisis" of the 1960s and its aftermath. Like much activism during this period, the environmental movement began at the grassroots level--in local neighborhoods over local issues. Sanders links the rise of local environmentalism to larger movements for economic, racial, and gender equality and to a counterculture that changed the social and political landscape. He examines emblematic battles that erupted over the planned demolition of Pike Place Market, a local landmark, and environmental organizing in the Central District during the War on Poverty. Sanders also relates the story of Fort Lawton, a decommissioned army base, where Audubon Society members and Native American activists feuded over future land use. The rise and popularity of environmental consciousness among Seattle's residents came to influence everything from industry to politics, planning, and global environmental movements. Yet, as Sanders reveals, it was in the small, local struggles that urban environmental activism began.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-277) and index.
Table of contents: title: "The battle in Seattle"; title: Market; title: Neighborhood; title: Open space; title: Ecotopia; title: Home; title: Commons.