Emerald City: An Environmental History of Seattle [B2125]

2008 PB with minor wear. An exploration of the environmental history of Seattle and what it tells us about making cities that are both scenic and just for all. At the foot of the snow-capped Cascade Mountains on the forested shores of Puget Sound, Seattle is set in a location of spectacular natural beauty. Boosters of the city have long capitalized on this splendor, recently likening it to the fairytale capital of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, the Emerald City. But just as Dorothy, Toto, and their traveling companions discover a darker reality upon entering the green gates of the imaginary Emerald City, those who look more closely at Seattle's landscape will find that it reveals a history marked by environmental degradation and urban inequality. This book explores the role of nature in the development of the city of Seattle from the earliest days of its settlement to the present. Combining environmental history, urban history, and human geography, Matthew Klingle shows how attempts to reshape nature in and around Seattle have often ended not only in ecological disaster but also social inequality. The price of Seattle's centuries of growth and progress has been paid by its wildlife, including the famous Pacific salmon, and its poorest residents. Klingle proposes a bold new way of understanding the interdependence between nature and culture, and he argues for what he calls an "ethic of place." Using Seattle as a compelling case study, he offers important insights for every city seeking to live in harmony with its natural landscape.

From Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "It's not quite so much an 'environmental history' as it is a survey of environmental injustices, to which advocates of development and environmentalists both contributed. So the subtitle might be a bit misleading to a casual reader, but in Klingle's defense, he's pretty clear in the prologue about the questions he's asking."; "The book is a little pedantic at times, but overall I enjoyed it. Growing up in Seattle, one learns about how early Seattleites regraded the hills and built the Ship Canal. But I never learned about the impact these events had on shaping inequality in the city. Worth a read for sure."; "Great read -- ties together nature, geography, court cases involving Indian fishing rights, urban geography and sociology."; ""Emerald City" helps put the region's environmental history into perspective. I learned a lot. Some concepts, such as how the treatment of Native Americans changed over time, were excellent. Discussing how outdoor recreational organizations eventually became catalysts for environmental change was insightful. But the author should have hired a local ecologist to review the text for accuracy. The book has quite a few incorrect statements."; " Integrates social and environmental changes and shows the inevitability of unintended consequences."