#285 toronto's green space

I went for a walk in the Don Valley for most of yesterday afternoon. What I find most beautiful about the Don Valley is that you can go there, and be amongst the most natural elements and sort of hear the highways and streets in the distance. I think Toronto really has a lot going for it in this sense. Modern developments, well at least prior the new 'green' developments, often forget that people need green space. We are natural animals, and living in a city can be really damaging, I think, if you have no connection to the natural world. That's not to say that built cities are detrimental to humans; they're not. They're products of our intelligence, civility and culture. But, real nature is just as much a part of us. However, isolation within nature and no connection to the civilized world, is just as detrimental . We are social beings. I think both built cities and nature need each other. And I was very much aware of this yesterday while walking in natural untamed parts of the Don Valley while bridges connecting subway and street networks hovered above. Sure there are much more natural urban developments; cities, towns, colonies with more reciprocal relationships to the land. But although not as drastic, and despite some ill-informed urban developments, I'm really thankful that Toronto does have so many natural green spaces as part of its urban fabric.