“Touching” is not a word usually applied to Government publications, but it’s an appropriate one for “Memoryscape,” one of the case studies in Restorative Commons: Creating the Health and Well-Being through Urban Landscapes. This U.S. Forest Service publication, one of Library Journal’s 2009 Notable Government Documents, is an attractively packaged and well-illustrated collection of thought pieces, case studies, and interviews focused on the idea that biophilia – the basic human need for contact with nature – can and must be fostered in urban settings. As Oliver Sacks says in his Foreword, “I would even suggest that a sort of subtype of biophilia may be hortophilia, or a special desire for gardens….In many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication.” I know that whenever I pass an urban common garden, it always evokes positive feelings in me, even though I’m not a gardener myself. A walk or hike in a park definitely takes me out of myself and my problems, and it seems to work that way for most folks I know.
All the more pressing then, is the need to make nature and gardens available in such places as Rikers Island (a jail), Red Hook (a blighted urban neighborhood in New York City), Fresh Kills Park (a landfill), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (the site of horrific ethnic cleansing in the 1990’s).The essays and interviews in Restorative Commons describe the innovative garden/landscape projects in these places and others, along with the stories of the people who are running the programs and those benefiting from them vocationally and psychologically.
And then there’s “Memoryscape,” about the place in Westfield, Massachusetts known as “100 acres.” Brian Murphy, his brother Harold, and many of their friends used this area – an area of trees, dirt roads, and wildlife – as their “romping grounds.” Brian was killed at the World Trade Center, and Harold used his skills as a real estate developer with an interest in open space conservation to have 30 acres of this urban landscape permanently preserved. He takes his brother’s kids there to show them their dad’s “place” and, aside from a planned trail, it will stay as it is, rusted train trestle and all, so they and future generations can romp there, too. There are informal 9/11 memorials like this in the Boston and LA areas, where the planes took off, in the Greater New York area and adjoining suburbs, and in the DC area, too. (We could see the smoke from the Pentagon from our office windows that day).
This is an inspiring and hope-filled book. You can get,view, or order your own copy here or find it in a library here.
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Trudy Hawkins
Government Book Talk 
Hi there, I enjoy reading all of your posts. I wanted to write a little comment to support you.
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Dwight- Thanks for the note of encouragement! It is definitely welcome, particularly after the Government shutdown.
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Hi,
Nice sharing, it is true that plants and trees provide us natural medicines and many diseases can be cured using plants. Ayurveda describes best use of trees and plants.
Online urban landscaping design is not important but we should consider urban tree landscaping as we all know the benefits of growing trees in cities.
Regards,
Brenda.
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[…] publication embodies the community spirit of Earth Day. Previously blogged about in August 2010, Restorative Commons is a lovely book about the importance and positive effect gardens and green […]
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i find very interesting, a great way to get to know to gardens.i have visited so many but they are never enough.
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Hey there! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects? Thanks a lot!
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[…] Notable Documents: Gardens and Urban Landscapes « Government Book Talk […]
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Hello Jim,
Thanks for featuring our book on your GPO blog. I am one of the co-editors of Restorative Commons and I’d like a chance to discuss the book with you offline. I looked for your direct contact information but could not find it. Would you be willing to email me back to have a brief conversation?
Thank you,
Lindsay Campbell
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Thank You
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I would like to know, where to find the free money free vacations, I hear this all the time on the TV, and I have looked but cannot find a thing. Is there a book that does not cost an arm and a leg on this subject that can be bought.
Thank you
Samantha
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I don’t know if there are any Government publications about free vacations or money — I could use something like that, too! You might try the Federal Citizen Informaiton Center, which has lots of free and low-cost publications for consumers. Perhaps something there will point you towards what you’re looking for.
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