What Was on Your Block Before New York?

What can a city's natural past teach us about its future? Eric W. Sanderson, Vice President for Urban Conservation at the New York Botanical Garden, explores how historical ecology, digital mapping, and landscape research can help cities restore biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, and rethink their relationship with nature. Drawing on the Welikia Project and New York City's Biodiversity District, this edition of Author's Corner examines how data, design, and conservation can shape more sustainable urban environments.