36. Designing Regenerative Cities

36. Designing Regenerative Cities

Author: Jenn Galler June 2, 2023 Duration: 38:35

Mike Ross is an assistant professor in the University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences’ Sustainable Landscape Design concentration and in the School of Landscape Architecture. Originally he was trained as an organismal biologist and evolutionary ecologist. And now, he translates ecological systems and relationships into design and management strategies.

In the episode we talk about city design in an environmental context. According to the United Nations, more than half the world’s population live in cities. By 2050, an estimated 7 out of 10 people will likely live in urban areas. Cities are drivers of economic growth and contribute more than 80 per cent of global GDP.

In our conversation we talked about a lot of different aspects of city planning and design from elements that make a city well designed, public transportation, and green infrastructure but ultimately we couldn’t talk about city planning without mentioning equity, poverty, homelessness, redlining, privilege, and more. It is all interconnected and complex so we mention some of those aspects as well.

We also discuss suburbs vs cities in an environmental context, and know both have their pros and cons. There is no right answer because again, it’s a complex system, we were just having a conversation about them. And we end it by discussing how we should change some of our languaging from sustainable cities to regenerative cities.

Contact and connect with Mike: mross28@utk.edu or https://archdesign.utk.edu/people/michael-ross/ 

More on sustainable cities: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/sustainable-communities 

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/


Hosted by Jenn Galler, In Our Backyard Podcast is the voice of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, bringing urgent local stories to the forefront. This isn't about abstract global debates; it's a grounded conversation focused on the very real industrial pressures facing specific towns and neighborhoods. Each episode examines a particular threat, from active coal plants and fracking operations to the routing of new pipelines, unpacking the complex realities behind the headlines. You'll hear directly from the residents and organizers who are living these fights, sharing their personal struggles and strategies for safeguarding both community health and the local environment. The discussions are detailed and thoughtful, prioritizing the experiences of those on the ground. Tuning into this podcast means connecting with the persistent, often overlooked work of environmental justice, understanding that the most critical battles for planetary protection frequently begin just outside our own doors.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

In Our Backyard Podcast
Podcast Episodes
34. Firefighters PPE leading to PFAS in Our Waterways [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:21
We’re back with Jason Burns who is Executive Director at Last Call Foundation and he's been a Firefighter since 2006. He has spent much of his career advocating for better and safer working conditions for his firefighter…
33. Microplastics in Our Waterways [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:11
Dr. Michael McKinney is the Director of Environmental Studies at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I personally did microplastic research with him on invertebrates in local creeks and the Tennessee River. And now, he i…
32. The Dangers of Dioxins: The Ohio Train Derailment [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:10
Steven Lester is a Toxicologist and the Science Director at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, CHEJ. We speak about the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment where 38 of its 150 cars derailed while carrying…
31. The Piney Grove Community 1 Year After a Chemical Disaster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:38
Sabrina Webster is a resident of Piney Grove, NC - which is in the 1 mile radius of where the Winston-Salem Weaver Fertilizer Plant Fire that happened in January of last year. I did four other episodes about the fire its…
30. Re-Populating Freshwater Mussels in the Potomac River [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:03
Emily Franc is the Vice President of Development & Philanthropy at Potomac Riverkeeper Network. Freshwater mussels like Eastern Lampmussel, and Alewife floaters are among 16 species native to the Potomac River and its Ma…
29. Stop the Dominion Pipeline Along the Great Pee Dee River [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:05
We check back in with Kathy Andrews where 2 years ago when she was in the middle of the fight against Dominion Energy putting a pipeline through her land in Florence County, SC. Now she is Executive Director of BREDL and…
28. The Peoples of New Mexico: Legacy Contamination [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:18
This is New Mexico, a sacrifice zone for the nuclear industry. From the first testing of a nuclear weapon, the relentless mining of uranium, radioactive areas, and now transportation and storage of nuclear waste. New Mex…
27. The Peoples of New Mexico: The Lasting Effects of Uranium Mining [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:13
We’re back with the New Mexico series where Jesse Deer in Water, Leona Morgan and I talk to and learn from the local peoples who are fighting against the nuclear fuel chain in New Mexico. As mentioned, New Mexico has bee…
26. The Peoples of New Mexico: Abandoned Uranium Mines [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:06
Petuuche Gilbert is an elder from the Pueblo of Acoma. He talks about his life in the “Grants Mining District,” and takes us on a tour of cultural sites and abandoned uranium mine lands in the region, where he worked and…
25. Volunteer Firefighters Against PFAS Pt. 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:04
Mark Vick is the Chief Volunteer Firefighter for the Rich Square Volunteer Fire Department and President of the Northampton County Firefighters Association. As a volunteer firefighter, they’re not only in service of the…