Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Green a dream: Janique Goff and incorporating green spaces in cities

Even before environmentalists, such as Janique Goff, began extolling the need for protecting nature, there has been a widely held belief that more modern cities should be planned to incorporate open green spaces. With the rapid onset of urbanization and with its pollution, city planners in the 19th Century decided that many of the squalid slums and industrial ghettoes were not fit for human habitation.

The new industrial cities were seen as ugly and unnatural places to live, and it soon came to be that modern urban planning stepped in to ensure a better environment was created for the common resident. This is evident in the plans for modern communities, where parks feature prominently.

Janique Goff Image Credit: Blog.Startle.com


Environmentalists such as Janique Goff also add that these green spaces do more than just beautify the urban landscape and provide an oasis of green for people to momentarily escape the hurly-burly chaos of urban living. They also serve an important environmental function in making said cities more environmentally friendly. First off, large city parks provide an island home for wildlife; in fact, some cities like New York have taken steps to reintroduce wildlife that formerly made its famed Central Park home.

Janique Goff Image Credit: Focus.ca


Moreover, these islands of greenery fight air pollution in cities and contribute to the fight against global warming by taking out some of the carbon dioxide emitted from city vehicles. All in all, these contributions make city life for people even more pleasant, bringing things full circle.

Janique Goff Image Credit: www.co.thurston.wa.us


Updates on Janique Goff can be accessed on this blog.