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My latest for Curbed takes on the hegemony of the turfgrass lawn. 

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The case against lawns

In the discussion of cities, there is much rhetoric about wayfinding and placemaking: the idea that a diversity of buildings from different eras, built for different purposes, and the way they interface with the street gives a city its sense of place.

Comments

Anonymous

I absolutely adored this article. I'm currently reading about Post War consumerism and there's so much that comes out of cold-war paranoia that I loathe. I'm turning a bus into a sustainable-tiny home and currently looking at land on the edge of the national forest and there's so many amazing native species that could make a lawn so much more magical than just grass.

Anonymous

As much as I agreed with the article, I love my lawn. Maybe it brings back memories of our large yards and playing outside every free minute we could. My mom could toss us outside and know we were safe, as long as she didn't know we were jumping off the swing while it was level with the top bar, or testing our "wings" from the climbing tree. Then there was lawn darts (now banned) and softball and tag and all kinds of lawn activities. We lived in the country, so your lawn was where you played; there were no playgrounds, parks, or schools nearby. Plus we had the fields, the woods, and the river, but when your mom wanted to know where you were, we played on the lawn. We proved girls can get just as dirty as boys and then some! As an adult, I love my lawn for its looks (the plain green surrounded by the many flower beds and trees; it keeps my yard from looking too busy), its protection (it works as a friendly barrier to keep people away from my house, and therefore, me), and for fun, as we play badminton and croquet in the back yard, plus it's perfect for my trampoline, should I happen to bounce off. It breaks my heart to talk to some of the local kids who walk about a mile from their apartments through our neighborhood to their middle school, because they want a yard more than anything. When the house across the street was vacant and for sale, some of the kids would regularly stop to roll in the lawn, lie back and look at clouds, and just dream and enjoy. To them, a lawn was a luxury; all they had was concrete and parking lots. One girl wanted so desperately to have room to play badminton! I offered my lawn to them, but like so many of those transient families, they soon moved on. I dearly hope they get their lawns, even if it's not until adulthood. They may have missed out during their own childhood, but the next best thing is making lawn memories with their own children.