Making Stanley Park: Idealized Nature and Human-Environmental Relations

Environmental historian and author Sean Kheraj traces how this tension between popular expectations of idealized nature and the volatility of complex ecosystems helped shape the landscape of one of the world?s most famous urban parks. Kheraj's book, Inventing Stanley Park, examines how human forces have shaped ? and continue to shape ? this urban environmental space. Kheraj asks us to question our understanding of the 'nature' of Stanley Park, and why it is important be aware of our complex relationship with the environment. Sean Kheraj is an assistant professor in the Department of History at York University in Toronto.