Title: Nature in the neighbourhood: rethinking the urban environment

Authors: Amy Ihlan

Addresses: St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Avenue, Box 4208 St. Paul, MN 55105, USA

Abstract: Urban environmental thought should begin at the neighbourhood level. Conceiving urban neighbourhoods as environments requires thinking differently about neighbourhoods and their functions. An expanded concept of a neighbourhood environment recognises and encompasses urban nature, in a physical and a social sense, and creates conceptual and actual space for building connections between humans and non-humans in urban contexts. With appropriate support and encouragement, these connections can grow into relationships that motivate human neighbours to respect non-human nature in their neighbourhoods. This provides a possible starting point for the development of moral concern and the recognition of ethical obligation for the neighbourhood environment - the groundwork for a neighbourhood-centred urban environmental ethics.

Keywords: urban neighbourhoods; cities; urban environment; urban nature; environmental ethics; engagement; moral concern; ethical obligation.

DOI: 10.1504/IER.2016.076140

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 2016 Vol.17 No.2, pp.87 - 97

Received: 11 Feb 2015
Accepted: 06 Sep 2015

Published online: 27 Apr 2016 *

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