Podparks is back for a second season!
This week on Podparks, we are joined by Marian Stuiver, social scientist and head of the Green Cities Program at Wageningen University. Marian shares her long trajectory in urban resilience, reflecting on the work that led her to publish her book titled The Symbiotic City, Voices of nature in urban transformations.
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The relationship between nature and humans is complex and intrinsically linked. The physical value of nature, as Marian explains, is well-understood and relates to the natural resources we need to sustain our lives.
There is also a cultural value attached to what we consider beautiful or useful for our recreational needs. But as Marain explains, there is also an intrinsic value of nature that is irrespective of human needs, as well as a future value which highlights the importance of preserving nature for future generations.
Symbiotic cities recognize these four values and use them to center human development around nature, recognizing that we must adapt to the circumstances of our environment and not the other way around.
Marian highlights how the principles of symbiotic cities can help regions become better equipped to deal with climate change and other intersecting crises, and how learning to see the city from these lens – even from an early age – can equip citizens to become more resilient.