November 30th: presenting in the first workshop in a series of workshops for the CEURES project, funded by the International Visegrad Fund and created by David Szebeni, president of the Hungarian Urban Development Association.
Thanks to David for creating this fantastic project on diverse aspects of urban resilience. I’ve already begun to learn quite a bit about the diverse best practices we will be sharing from Poland. Thanks as well to my supervisor Ewa for bringing me on board!
Today it was great to have the opportunity to share about urban meadows and watch other project participants present as well. It was also great to be able to put to use the various photos I have been taking of urban meadows here in Poland!
Earlier this week I went to Zarząd Zieleni Warszawy for a meeting with two ZZW employees- Anna and Tomasz- in preparation for this presentation, which included information from 3 Municipal Greenery Authorities in Poland (Wrocław, Lublin and Warsaw).
It was so interesting to spend the morning learning more about the recent history of the practice here in Warsaw as well as talk about issues of the 15-minute city through the lens of access to green space and parks.
We also discussed the importance of green space not only for humans but also for biological habitats. I deeply appreciated that this came up in the discussion as an important thread in my research and writing on sustainable urbanism is to actively balance understanding the importance of quality urban environments for diverse aspects of human physical, emotional and mental health whilst also actively avoiding a completely anthropocentric view of urban space. The approach to preserving and cultivating natural spaces within cities to prioritize for the life of diverse other species is so critical.
I also learned that the Vistula Right bank waterfront, which has been kept ‘wild’, is one of only 2 or 3 such wild riverfronts in a European capital and that biologists and environmentalists from across Europe come to study the area.
Thank you Anna and Tomasz at ZZW for your time and insight! And thanks to Aleksandara at Zarząd Zieleni Miejskiej in Wrocław for your time and insight as well on your city’s urban governance related to nature and environmental protections. Thanks as well to the City of Lublin for insight on such practices there as well!
Does your city or town have reduced mowing practices and urban meadows?
