International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)

No.4, 2023

Urban Environmental History: Cities and the Environment, Cities as Environment

(Abstract)

Andrea Gaynor

In 1990, the renowned environmental historian Donald Worster declared that it was inappropriate for environmental historians to study the urban environment, because the urban environment is an expression of human culture and not part of the “natural world.” Many environmental historians, consciously or unconsciously, follow this logic. Although more than half of the world’s population has lived in cities since 2008, much environmental history still focuses on themes and places outside of cities. This article argues and summarizes the importance of cities in environmental history, and discusses some important issues in the environmental history of Australian cities.