In order to learn about Urban Ecology and what it meant to have people interacting with nature in an urban setting, we explored the idea of having a sense of place. Our conclusion to the question “What creates the feeling of having a sense of place” was simply having a connection by ways of contribution to the area, being comfortable enough to acknowledge other people in the area, and having the capability to utilize small things that are usually taken for granted (such as nature) for the carrying out the two.

We adopted Jane Jacobs’ idea of connecting walking down a city street to a ballet and performed some “Jane’s Walks” of our own. Our first walk was in Easton, PA in which we explored the interactions with the citizens with the town as well as the natural environment that the town was built upon. Our second walk was in Philadelphia, PA in which we investigated the idea of a healthy city. We connected our experience in Philadelphia with our “Jane’s Walk” in Easton. Our third Jane’s Walk was in New York City in which we further enhanced our knowledge and gained a different perspective of healthy cities.

As a way of investigating the ideas of a sense of place and a healthy city, we visited sites in Easton such as the Easton Area Community Center, and Sette Luna Restaurant. At each location we participated in discussion about the progress the community was having with building a healthy city that created a sense of place for all of its citizens.

With the ideas from our “Jane’s Walks” and community discussions, we created a project focused on mapping the urban ecology that was occurring within the West Ward of Easton, PA. Our project consisted of locating green spaces and potential green spaces that can be utilized in creating an interaction between people and other people as well as people with nature.

Our work represents an integral component of Easton’s Urban Ecology Project, funded through the Wachovia Foundation. A group of Lafayette students known as the Technology Clinic published a report on the Urban Ecology of Easton in December 2008, and the Mapping Urban Ecology course will be offered in future semesters. Students will additionally be working on various elements of the Urban Ecology Project over the summer. This website represents just one piece of an exciting work in progress!

See updates of our work in progress.

VAST214 Spring 2009: (l-r 1st row): DeAndre Morrow, Taisha Jerez, Michael Handzo. (2nd row): Austin Kennedy, Colin McCulloch, Alec Bernstein, Victoria Santagata, Laura Bochner, Taylor Rand, Jasmine Little, Alyssa Calomeni, Alyssa Smith, Ramona Victoria Fittipaldi, Gabriel Eusebio, Nathan Kenison. (3rd row): Michael Eck, Nigel Martin, Cody Sumpter. (Not shown): Holden Ferry, Bonnie Winfield