Natural History of Empty Lots

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

by

320 pages

English language

Published April 1, 2024 by Timber Press, Incorporated.

ISBN:
978-1-64326-337-3
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(5 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 …

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reviewed Natural History of Empty Lots by Christopher Brown

A Natural History of Empty Lots

Wasn't sure going in, through the author's apparent interest in edge spaces, abandoned places, and other marginal locations seemed like a vibe I might connect with. And that did turn out to be true, but with a different slant.

I could've gone for more on the policy and concept of these spaces; it's somewhat more memoir while out hiking, and it has the disjointedness of a gathering of journal entries. Overall, well worth the time spent here.

reviewed Natural History of Empty Lots by Christopher Brown

Ehhh?

It's...hrmm

I don't know

I think this is a book for drivers. I mean people who never walk places, never have stared out a bus window, who are used to going from home to business or park without any other experience of the outside world.

I think if you're that kind of person this might be really really good in terms of opening your eyes to a lot of things

But, but, this book felt weirdly unedited too because there were so many parts that, like I said earlier, made me go "didn't I already read this part??" and no it's just that he repeats himself A Lot

and the book itself feels very meandering like it was a series of blog posts not really meant to be read as a book but rather just a bunch of loosely themed diary-in-retrospect entries

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