Suburban Nature

In a community where the “Green” lifestyle is affordable and people are walking advertisements for Whole Foods, with their tote bags hanging proudly, nature seems to be a second thought. I was back home in Glenview, Illinois for the weekend when I went on a walk to The Glen, the local shopping and restaurant district. In my subdivision it seems like nature was built around the necessities for the residents. The houses are on equal sized lots, with single trees planted next to the foot of the driveway. The image of a skinny, young tree placed adjacent to a large, cement driveway leading to a two-car garage in the center of the house, shows that cars are at the heart of the suburbs. The walk through my subdivision was patterned with manicured lawns and sparse trees placed evenly throughout. When I left my neighborhood, I walked onto a wide, empty sidewalk, next to a packed four-line street. The street was lined with trees to barricade the residents in the behind neighborhoods from the noise. Through the horns and engines I could hear squirrels running through the trees and felt the itch of insects, my swelling mosquito bite is proof of nature in Glenview. I walked roughly a mile down the main road until I reached The Glen.
The Glen was once a naval airbase and pure prairie land. The naval base closed in the late 1990s and village created a housing development, with a entertainment district and business district. The development is entirely planned and that is seen from the building structure to the layout of nature. Patriot Boulevard, the main entryway to The Glen, leads to a strip-mall and supermarket with a parking lot that wraps around all the structures. The strip-mall and parking lot rests on what used to be acres of prairie land and home to many animals. Further down Patriot there is a child’s park and the entertainment district. There is a unified pattern to the where the trees are planted and it is obvious by the skinny bases that the trees are relatively young. It strikes me as odd that in what used to be prairie is now infested with only human life and growing green trees. Throughout the journey from the entertainment district and the north end to the business district at the south end, I did not see any animals, and there was a village truck spraying the parks so I could only assume that was to get rid of insects. At one of the most southern points there is a prairie preserve placed between two child enrichment centers. The preserve is an acre of the original prairie and houses many birds and insects, among other creatures. There is little human activity in the preserve, which makes it the most peaceful place in The Glen. The acre of prairie is in a planned spot, but is the least planned part of the area. The prairie is tucked away beyond the major attractions of The Glen and rests peacefully serving as a foil to the active North Shore lifestyle.
I felt most comfortable walking at a fast pace, in an unobservant manner as I do in the city. I walk like I am on a mission but as I began to notice the patterns in the nature of the area I realized that that was my mission. I have never been the outdoors type and it took me moving to the city for me to start walking places instead of getting in my car so walking around Glenview was out of my element. I have always enjoyed walking around the mall in The Glen and watching the people but I did not realize the detail and depth of the prairie preserve until I took the time to stop and look. I noticed a slower pace of time at that point, and in a busy lifestyle I could appreciate time passing slower. The difference I felt in observing the lack of nature to starting at the original form of nature showed me how people could benefit from the relaxation provided through nature and learn a slower way of life.