A Natural History of Empty Lots

Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places

Hardcover, 320 pages

English language

Published April 1, 2024 by Timber Press, Incorporated.

ISBN:
978-1-64326-337-3
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (2 reviews)

During the real estate crash of the late 2000s, Christopher Brown purchased an empty lot in an industrial section of Austin, Texas. The property—a brownfield site bisected with an abandoned petroleum pipeline and littered with concrete debris and landfill trash—was an unlikely site for a home. Along with his son, Brown had explored similar empty lots around Austin, so-called “ruined” spaces once used for agriculture and industry awaiting their redevelopment as Austin became a 21st century boom town. He discovered them to be teeming with natural activity, and embarked on a twenty-year project to live in and document such spaces. There, in our most damaged landscapes, he witnessed the remarkable resilience of wild nature, learned how easy it is to bring back the wild in our own backyards, and discovered that, by working to heal the wounds we have made on the Earth, we can also heal ourselves. Beautifully written …

1 edition

avatar for boogah

rated it

4 stars
avatar for joergr

rated it

4 stars