IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section B

Abstract

At the turn of the twentieth century, the countryside has often been a testing ground for the implementation of experimental infrastructures. Large scale projects across the globe emerged in the wake of World War I as a means to tackle contemporary issues while also building nationalistic ideals. As climate change continues to alter the natural environment of the twenty first century, natural disasters are becoming more frequent, rising to the forefront of political debates. Pressures on cities to rethink our coexistence between urbanization and nature become imminent. The silver lining in this environmental challenge is the opportunity to implement modern experiments in nature to combat contemporary urban issues due to climate change. But to what avail? This paper examines an historical approach to the transformation of nature in the wake of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s: The Prairie States Forestry Project (PSFP) in the Great Plains Region. The PSFP’s conception and implementation during a time of dire environmental and economic struggle is relevant in today’s contemporary climate, offering lessons of how an experimental planning project can reimagine our landscapes of production. Although the FSFP faced limitations, the ability for the concept to materialize is grounded in ethical ideals of conservation backed by legislative action. With climate change projected to continually devastate cities in the near future, the re-emergence of the PSFP can serve as a pilot model for new forms of imagination during a time when site extraction, modes of production, and urbanization are radically being reconsidered.