Living with Yards: Negotiating Nature and the Habits of Home

Yards are regulated by the state and markets, defined by imaginary property lines on maps, and can be central to privilege and exclusion. Living with Yards invites readers to engage with the possibilities of how we can coexist with our urban habitats, using the yard as a faceted lens to examine the multiple and contradictory ways people live in urban environments. Ursula Lang's book explores how inhabitants of Minneapolis live with their yards as sites of social and environmental care while negotiating difference, and highlights the potential for these realms of daily life to become more sustainable and equitable.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 15 January 2022
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

Yards, although not entirely untamed, are often subject to regulation and influence from both state and market forces. These spaces are defined by imaginary property lines on maps and can play a significant role in perpetuating privilege and exclusion. In the context of urban landscapes across North America and beyond, yards are becoming increasingly important as we strive to reimagine cities for greater sustainability, resilience, and adaptability.

Living with Yards: An Exploration of Urban Habitats invites readers to delve deeper into the complexities of coexisting with our urban environments. Through the lens of the yard, author Ursula Lang examines the diverse and contradictory ways in which people live in urban spaces, and how perceptions of these environments are shaped by contemporary environmental policies and projects.

Visual ethnography and narrative are used to illustrate how inhabitants of Minneapolis navigate their yards as sites of social and environmental care while also engaging with differences. Lang's subjects engage in a range of everyday practices related to cultivation and property ownership, often deviating from the environmental policies and projects in place.

The book aims to provoke thought about the potential for reimagining cities as more sustainable and equitable. By conducting in-depth visits to over forty yards and sharing her findings, Lang encourages us to consider what other possibilities these realms of daily life might hold. Living with Yards chronicles the interplay between the yard as habitat and our inhabitation of it, exploring the changes and innovations that a better understanding of urban living might bring.

In conclusion, Living with Yards offers a valuable perspective on the role of yards in urban landscapes and their potential for transformation. By examining the ways in which people live with and inhabit these spaces, the book encourages us to reimagine cities as more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive. Through its engaging narrative and visual ethnography, it provides a roadmap for creating better urban habitats that can support diverse and thriving communities.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228008989