Synopses & Reviews
If they are to survive, cities need healthy chunks of the worldand#8217;s ecosystems to persist; yet cities, like parasites, grow and prosper by local destruction of these very ecosystems. In this absorbing and wide-ranging book, Eldredge and Horenstein use New York City as a microcosm to explore both the positive and the negative sides of the relationship between cities, the environment, and the future of global biodiversity. They illuminate the mass of contradictions that cities present in embodying the best and the worst of human existence. The authors demonstrate that, though cities have voracious appetites for resources such as food and water, they also represent the last hope for conserving healthy remnants of the worldand#8217;s ecosystems and species. With their concentration of human beings, cities bring together centers of learning, research, government, finance, and mediaand#151;institutions that increasingly play active roles in solving environmental problems.
Some of the topics covered in Concrete Jungle:
--The geological history of the New York region, including remnant glacial features visible today
--The early days of urbanization on Manhattan Island, focusing on the history of Central Park, Collect Pond, and Manhattan Square
--The history of early railway lines and the development of New Yorkand#8217;s iconic subway system
--The problem of producing enough safe drinking water for an ever-expanding population
--Prominent civic institutions, including universities, museums, and zoos
Review
"Both born and bred New Yorkers, the authors masterfully make their case by telling it through the history of their cityand#8217;s growth and development, starting with the areaand#8217;s underlying geology and tracing New Yorkand#8217;s settlement and eventual development into perhaps the archetypal modern metropolis. The book persuasively makes the case that the worldand#8217;s concrete jungles may in fact be one of our best tools for saving the actual jungles and the rest of the planetand#8217;s biodiversity."
Review
andquot;Concrete Jungle delivers a andldquo;think globally, act locallyandrdquo; message for New York City.andquot;
Review
andquot;A fascinating read, and New Yorkers will find much to interest them in discovering often overlooked historical features.andquot;
Synopsis
"Concrete Jungle is a brilliant exploration of New York City's environmental treasures and why it is so important to preserve them. The book's clarity and lucid prose will appeal to both academics and the general reader, including both lovers of cities and environmentalists." ~William Helmreich, author of The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 miles in the City
About the Author
Niles Eldredge is Curator Emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History and codeveloper with Stephen Jay Gould of the theory of punctuated equilibria in evolutionary biology. Among his many books are
Life in the Balance and
Dominion (UC Press).
Sidney Horenstein is a geologist and Environmental Educator Emeritus with the American Museum of Natural History and the natural history consultant to the Bronx County Historical Society. He has written extensively about New York City geology.
Table of Contents
Preface: The Yin and Yang of Citiesand#160;
1. Regarding Broadway: The Urban Saga and the New York Microcosmand#160;
2. Forest Primevaland#160;
Building Stonesand#160;
3. Landscape Transformedand#160;
Around the American Museum of Natural Historyand#160;
East River Shorelineand#160;
4. Growth of the Concrete Jungleand#160;
One Hundred and Fifty-Fifth Streetand#160;
Queensboro Bridge and East Riverand#160;
5. Fouling, and Cleaning, the Nestand#160;
The High Bridgeand#160;
6. Invasion and Survivaland#160;
John Torreyand#160;
Fort Tryon Parkand#160;
The Batteryand#160;
The Sea Walland#160;
7. Resilience, Restoration, and Redemptionand#160;
Canyonlands and the Futureand#160;
8. Cities, Globalization, and the Future of Biodiversityand#160;
Notes, References, and Suggestions for Further Readingand#160;
List of Illustrationsand#160;
Acknowledgmentsand#160;
Index