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Humans, Cities, and Nature: How Do Cities Fit in the Material World?

The Urban History Association

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mmelosi{at}uh.edu.

	Abstract

This paper explores how historians—and others—continue to create a barrier between the natural world and the city, and why the so-called declensionist narrative—humans as agents of harmful physical change—still dominates our understanding of the urban environment. It suggests several ways to reconsider the declensionist narrative; to evaluate the connection between "first nature" and "second nature;" to better understand the relationship between urban and ecological systems; and to assess how cities are natural.

First published on October 14, 2009
Journal of Urban History 2009, doi:10.1177/0096144209349876


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