WEEDS

Weed

 Opinions anyone??

 So today’s seminar was on Land Use and Bio Diversity.

 Class discussions opened up with a talk about weeds. What makes a weed a weed? Plants that we could consider weeds, in our culture and landscape, may be thought of as viable vegetation elsewhere. It was discussed by class that maybe we should curate our landscapes to suite the local vegetation types. Our green spaces should reflect our natural landscapes. We should embrace the natural “weeds” around us to have our green spaces reflect our area. “BUT!” someone added, who wants their green spaces to look like parking lots with dandelions growing up through the seens. How do we let nature take back what is rightfully it’s without it looking like crap, essentially. “Advertising!” someone piped up; if we can change people’s perceptions of what a green space is supposed to look like, then we can move towards a more culturally relevant landscape.  The next question asked of our class was, how can the planner think of biodiversity as a primary concern? It was answered by saying we should make it some sort of requirement. We need to watch where we buy our materials from, making sure we buy locally. We could implement some sort of law that for a certain amount of developed land there is a corresponding requirement for a certain percentage to be green space. This is everyone’s responsibility, not just the planner. We do need to find a happy medium thought, as biodiversity can increase some unfortunate natural no-no’s such as ticks and mosquitoes, which can release disease into the environment. 

 

Image: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/dandelion%20field