naturemaking

Naturemaking is a term used in environmental humanities and design to refer to the intentional process of creating or shaping natural environments through human actions, often blending ecological knowledge with cultural and aesthetic goals. It treats nature as something produced through interactions among people, technologies, and ecosystems, rather than as a fixed external backdrop.

Practices span urban naturemaking, landscape architecture, ecological restoration, green infrastructure, habitat creation, and community-led stewardship. Projects range from restoring wetlands and woodlands to designing urban parks, rain gardens, and green roofs, with attention to biodiversity, climate resilience, and social use.

Methods commonly combine participatory planning, ecological science, and design thinking. Tools include GIS analysis, restoration techniques, adaptive management, and collaborative governance, sometimes integrating indigenous knowledge and local expertise.

Naturemaking raises ethical and political questions, such as whose values and voices shape environments, how to balance conservation with recreation, and how to address equity and access. Critics note risks of reproducing unequal power dynamics or commodifying nature, while proponents emphasize public benefit and stewardship.

Outcomes include enhanced ecosystem services, novel ecologies, and spaces for education and recreation. Successful projects often involve ongoing monitoring, flexible management, and community engagement. Examples include urban wetlands restoration, native-plant corridors, and community gardens that function as living laboratories.

In scholarship, naturemaking is situated at the intersection of landscape architecture, urban planning, ecology, and environmental humanities. It is related to, yet distinct from, notions of rewilding, ecological restoration, and green infrastructure, emphasizing the practice of making nature as well as thinking about what nature should be.