THE MANICURED WILDERNESS: The Adaptive Nature of Urban Ecology

The posts in this blog, The Manicured Wilderness, are often excerpts from a book-length manuscript (revised August 2009) with the same title.  The manuscript argues that (1) global modern human life is a wild state rather than something that is post-wild and that (2) global urbanization is predominantly an ecologically adaptive feature rather than the antithesis of wild nature and separate from wildness.  The chapters focus on  (2) the adaptive features that far outperform intentional environmental interventions and the appendices focus on (2) a philosophy of human wildness that includes modern life.

The following Contents page sketches the book-length manuscript:

THE MANICURED WILDERNESS: The Adaptive Nature of Urban Ecology

CONTENTS

Preface                        The Living City: An Overview     11                        [11 pp, 2831 words]

Chapter One                    The Transformation Of The Nature Of The City    22

Chapter Two                    Actualizing The Great Work    63

Chapter Three                  Describing The Living City    110

Chapter Four                    Initial Approaches In Designing The Living City    140

Chapter Five                      Five Major Design Considerations For The Living City    166

Chapter Six                        Global Urbanization As Ecological Renaissance    216

Epilogue                            A Letter To The Future    254

[Word Total for Preface—Epilogue: 2831+64796= 67627]

Appendix I                        Before Taking One Step: Challenging Biases Of Separation

From Wildness    258

Appendix II                      Describing Human Wildness    285

Appendix III                    The City From Geological And Ecological Perspectives   327 

[Word Total for Preface—Appendix III: 92276+2831 = 95107]

Notes                                 Chapter One—Appendices [300+ Citations]    358-371