Emerald city : an environmental history of Seattle

Summary: "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 in social inequality. The price of Seattle's centuries of growth and progress has been high. Its wildlife, especially the famous Pacific salmon, and its poorest residents have paid the highest price. 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"--Provided by publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 9780300116410 (alk. paper)
ISBN: 0300116411 (alk. paper)
Physical Description: print
xix, 344 pages, [16] pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.
Publisher: New Haven : Yale University Press, c2007.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 281-322) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

The fish that might save Seattle -- All the forces of nature are on their side : the unraveling of the mixed world -- The work which nature had left undone : making private property on the waterfront commons -- The imagination and creative energy of the engineer : harnessing nature's forces to urban progress -- Out of harmony with the wild beauty of the natural woods : artistry versue utility in Seattle's Olmsted parks -- Above the weary cares of life : the benefits and high social price of outdoor leisure -- Junk-yard for human junk : the unnatural ecology of urban poverty -- Death for a tired old river : ecological restoration and environmental inequity in postwar Seattle -- Masses of self-centered people : salmon and the limits of ecotopia in Emerald City -- The geography of hope : toward an ethic of place and a city of justice.