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Country in the City:
An Evening with Richard Walker
 
by Wendee Crofoot

Richard Walker, author of The Country in the City gave an excellent presentation of the history of the Bay Area Greenbelt on July 19th at the PCC. His popular and informative book drew a lively audience that filled every seat in the room well before the lecture began.

Walker is a lifelong resident of the Bay Area and has many personal ties to the organizations about which he writes. The title of his book, The Country in the City reflects the desire most people in the Bay Area feel for a bit of “country” or open space in the urban landscape in which they live and work. He traces the beginning of the continuing local struggle to save open spaces all the way back to John Muir’s unsuccessful fight to save Hetch Hetchy.

Walker reminded listeners that that the environmental movement in the Bay Area has long been strongly linked to movements for social justice. He described how predominantly upper class women have used their political and financial resources to fight for local land use which would benefit society as a whole. This has resulted in the designation of many of the Bay Area’s open spaces for community use such as walking, hiking, biking, or gathering together in nature. In many other parts of the U.S., by contrast, the fight for open space has often been waged by the wealthy, for the wealthy — as, for example, when “No Trespassing” signs have been posted prohibiting all but a select few from gaining access to certain areas. He cited land surrounding the Chesapeake Bay as a prime example of this practice.

Walker reminded his audience that open space has always been political. He under-scored the fact that, even here in the Bay Area, every acre has been a fight, and no land except that in trusts and in public ownership has ever been saved.

Don Edwards San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge — photo by Linda Patterson

Where do we go next with open space?
Walker said that most of California’s state parks were bought during the Depression, when land values had collapsed, and it is harder than ever now to purchase land, especially in Silicon Valley. He emphasized the need to find ways of reaching across the social divide to include those who are underrepresented in every environmental agency. He also said that the Central Valley needs attention because it is a rapidly growing area with no urban planning for open space. He stressed the need for more public funding for acquiring open spaces, and the concern that open spaces be made available to all, regardless of social class, color and age.

How do we respond to climate change?
Walker ended by saying that global climate change provides us with new opportunities to rethink urban density, transportation, and the issues involved in agribusiness and local food production. His comprehensive insights provided an informative evening that was very much enjoyed by all attendees.

Published Fall 2007 in Green Footnotes.

Page last updated December 16, 2007.