While contemplating the future, some of our writers reflected on whether society is losing its identity. Unique and often quirky, personality-filled spaces are replaced with homogenous, soulless, high-density buildings. And this isn’t a uniquely New Zealand problem. So instead of writing a News Story or a Thesis this week, we let some of the contributors play to their own strengths. Maia built an argument on facts and statistics, Lans reflected on their childhood. Dylan Jarrett took the ambitious choice to lead with a Modest Mouse quote as a nod to next week’s music issue and a silent prayer that people would stop calling him the guy who would fuck a tree. And Alifah Nur, as if taking cues from Toby, abandoned any notion of a word count to give an international perspective.

Around the World

Maia Jones

In today’s environment, it’s rare to find yourself isolated and at ease with nature and the space around you. In today’s fast-paced, urbanised world, issues with mental health are higher than ever. Green spaces such as natural reserves, botanical gardens, and parks have become the only place where you can feel relaxed and rejuvenated away from the stresses technology brings. Being surrounded in nature brings many mental and physical health benefits. It is important that we ensure we spend time in nature and not let ourselves be sucked up in the black hole that is the Internet.

There are many mental and physical benefits to being in nature. As humans, we are not designed to be hunched in front of a screen all day, and while it can be hard to incorporate nature into a technology-ridden world, it will bring clarity to your mind and soul. Surrounding yourself with greenery reduces stress, boosts mood, and enhances focus and creativity. Research has shown that being in nature lowers cortisol levels, which helps reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Natural environments also promote relaxation by engaging your senses. The sights, sounds, and smells of nature can have a calming effect on the brain. Exposure to sunlight can also increase serotonin production and improve your mood and energy levels. Time in nature can also restore your memory and combat memory fatigue. Interaction with nature has also been linked with a lower risk of psychiatric disorders, especially in urban areas. It can also help to ground you and remind you to focus on the present, reducing rumination and worry.

Nature also has insane physical health benefits. Being around nature promotes movement, which improves cardiovascular health and overall fitness. It also strengthens the immune system and reduces blood pressure, heart rate, and stress-related hormones. Greenery can also help decrease inflammation and manage chronic pain. Natural light can help to regulate circadian rhythm, which in turn improves the quality of sleep.

It is recommended to spend 20 minutes exposed in nature three times a week to truly reap the health and well-being benefits of being outdoors. A short walk in a park or green space near you can help to improve overall well-being.

In our concrete jungles, green spaces need to be incorporated before we all feel like we’re in a dystopian cyberpunk fever dream. Innovative ideas have brought nature into urban areas across the world to change this narrative.

In Liverpool, England, a living wall has been installed on the side of the St John’s Shopping Centre. It has transformed a concrete exterior into 65 metres of leafy habitat. This living wall was installed in 2020 and has been planted with 14,000 evergreens, which are situated to help trap pollution generated by the city’s nearby bus station. In 2021, a rooftop of bee hives was installed. This was the next phase of this green initiative, and these bees are now active across a five-kilometre radius of their hives. This initiative has helped increase well-being and help the ecology of the wider community.

Curitiba in Brazil has worked towards a sustainable model with tree planting. This model has been in the works since the 1970s, with city planners ensuring the well-being of residents is their primary concern. This plan has meant trees planted beside roads, parks, squares, and other public areas. There have been 139,000 planted between 2013 and 2016 alone. They have also established ten ‘mini forests’, where they make use of small, unused areas. Areas of public parkland have replaced concrete canals to channel rainwater runoff.

Singapore has announced a ‘Green Plan 2030’ where they intend to make the city as sustainable and nature inclusive as possible. The country currently has over 400 parks and four nature reserves, and they intend to increase this to 300 hectares of greenery and 200 hectares of skyrise greenery by 2030. They have also pledged to plant a million trees across their territory by 2030 and increase parkland by 50%.

Izmir in Turkey have established a 26,500m green ribbon of carbon-consuming vegetation. This will be the ‘Mavisehir Peynircioglu Stream Ecological Corridor’. This opened in 2020 and has seen an additional 1,150 trees and 250,000 bushes planted since opening. Izmir has also introduced several ‘parklets’, around the city. These are small sections of oasis, where residents can sit amid containers of plants that help reduce the ‘heat island’ effect created by grouped buildings. These pocket-sized parks are a model for other cities looking for a way to introduce nature to urban areas.

In South Korea, Seoul has planted a forest in the city. This was designed to lower city temperatures. This city currently holds 25.6 million people, making it one of the most heavily populated cities in the world. This large-scale population, as well as the heatwave experienced in Asia, temperatures soared to almost 40 degrees Celsius. This park, named the ‘Forest of Winds,’ is designed to bring cooling air to the city while also trapping polluting particulates and fine dust. The forest is planted with species such as pine trees, maples, wild cherry, and oak.

In New York, the High Line is a 2km long wheelchair- accessible public park, built along the remnants of an elevated section of disused railway line. The High Line opened in stages from 2009 to 2019 and is now a city greenway featuring over 150,000 flowers, shrubs and trees. While it was administered by the NYC Parks and Recreation Department, it is currently maintained and operated by volunteers. This park has inspired other cities, as Washington, D.C is now hoping to follow the example with their 11th Street Bridge Park.
It is beautiful and incredibly inspiring to watch as these cities have increased their greenery. We are all lucky enough to live in a nature-based country, where trees and bushes are scattered across every street. We all need to take advantage of our country’s greenery and spend time in nature. So, instead of reading this and ignoring all advice, try and go for a small walk and ground yourself in nature. Whether it’s just sitting and reading in the green, or walking the long way home from Uni, try and spend as much time as you can today outside and surrounded by the beings that rule this world.

(Photo from RNZ News Article Linked in Photo) Kirikiriroa Pā, where the Hamilton CBD now stands, was home for the hapū Ngāti Wairere up until 1864.

Living Local

Dylan Jarrett

Issac Brock, from Modest Mouse, coined the term ‘mall-fucked’. I think that’s the right word for how I feel about all this. Unique little joints in Auckland and Hamilton, cinemas, cafes and restaurants, turned into monocoloured and mono-focused money vacuums.

I got to watch as little Cambridge; all twee and quaint and flanked by farmland, got mall-fucked as I went through school. And, in the places where it didn’t get mall-fucked, paddocks were cleared out for big expensive retirement homes and I watched, in real time, as the sky was filled with some purple miasma. Part of it is the pressure, probably, everybody is so caffeinated and quick to get going and riding each other’s asses, you just don’t have time to stop and smell the flowers. When you’re rich and own a dozen acres of farmland just out of town, you’re probably allowed to see a real shooting star, not a starlink or airbus you’ve mistaken for one.

Lans McGall

Growing up in Kirikiriroa in the early 2000s has come with change and adjustment to our urbanised city. In 2010, I moved into the new suburb of Flagstaff where we were the final house on the street surrounded by farmland. Each year as I aged, I watched the council and developers take over my street. Over the past decade, we went from a small dead-end street to a main road. The countryside that framed Hamilton has steadily vanished, replaced by dense residential developments. Hamilton’s growing population has brought with it higher housing prices and an increasingly competitive job market. The convenience of the urbanisation of the city has allowed for the population growth, but at the cost of the sense of community that came with Kirikiriroa’s smaller scale. While the economic opportunities and modern amenities may appeal to newcomers, for many, Hamilton’s urban transformation feels like the fading of a unique character, traded for the homogeneity of yet another urban hub. The charm that defined it seems at risk of being lost forever.

Reclaiming My Childhood

Alifah Nur

Growing up in Indonesia, I was enveloped by the lush landscapes, the rhythmic sounds of cicadas in the afternoon heat, and the towering canopies of tropical forests. However, discrimination and xenophobia also shaped my experiences, adding layers of difficulties to my understanding of identity and belonging. Despite these struggles, my childhood was rooted in the freedom of the outdoors, such as cycling through rice paddies, swimming in rivers, and feeling the damp earth beneath my feet.
Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Singapore have undergone relentless urbanisation over the past few decades. The Kampongs of my childhood have been replaced by high-rise condominiums, and once-expansive green spaces have been carved up for new highways, shopping malls, and industrial developments. The vibrancy of nature, once an unspoken part of daily life, has been overshadowed by concrete and glass. In places such as Waikato Region, urban expansion mirrors this shift, transforming open fields into dense suburbs almost overnight. These changes bring economic growth, yet they come at a cost, such as deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and escalating pollution, all of which are slowly dimming the natural vibrancy of our world.

Scientific studies reveal that climate change, pollution, and deforestation are stripping away the colour and clarity of our environment. The once-clear skies are now veiled in haze of urban emissions and seasonal forest fires that have become alarmingly common in Southeast Asia. The dense jungles that defined our landscapes are shrinking, being replaced by palm oil plantations and barren plots of land. The warming climate disrupts monsoonal rhythms, endangering species that have thrived in perfect harmony with the land for centuries.

With the climate crisis intensifying, their childhoods may be devoid of the natural wonders we once took for granted. Rising temperatures, extreme weather patterns, and the destruction of vital ecosystems will shape their reality, limiting their interactions with nature. As they navigate a world stripped of its former richness, the next generation may find solace in virtual experiences that mimic the beauty of the natural world. However, no simulation can replace the profound connection and lessons that come from experiencing the wilderness firsthand.

For instance, technology, once a tool for progress, now plays an increasingly dominant role in shaping childhoods. While it has bridged distances and democratised information, excessive screen exposure has contributed to physical stagnation, mental health issues, and a growing disconnect from the natural world. It will be essential for future generations to find a balance between the virtual and the physical, cultivating a deeper appreciation for the environment around them. Encouraging outdoor activities and fostering a sense of stewardship towards nature may help counteract the negative effects of technology, allowing these children to forge meaningful connections with the world they inhabit. In Southeast Asia’s urban centres, from Jakarta to Singapore, children are more likely to be found indoors, immersed in virtual realities rather than the tangible landscapes outside their doors. The ability to climb trees, run barefoot on warm soil, and truly engage with the earth is fading, replaced by artificial entertainment and digital stimulation.

As we reflect on our past and consider the futures of those yet to come, the urgency of environmental stewardship becomes clear. Education, grassroots movements, and policy reforms must work in tandem to combat climate change and strike a balance between modernisation and ecological preservation. We must rekindle our connection with Indigenous knowledge, encouraging sustainable practices that once guided our ancestors. By fostering an appreciation for the natural world and adopting active lifestyles, we can reclaim the vibrancy of our childhoods not just for ourselves, but for the generations that will follow.