Anchorage’s green spaces focus of ARCA workshop

To many Anchorage residents, Fish Creek is an afterthought, mostly siphoned through culverts below strip malls and parking lots. But for some in Anchorage, the aboveground stretches of the creek serve as an important site for conversations, family picnics, or art displays. For still others, the waterway harks back to historic use dating back to the city’s first inhabitants, the Dena’ina. 

These multiple dimensions embodied in one green space were emblematic of the content of “Co-Creative Community Workshop: Biocultural Heritage & Climate Adaptation in Arctic Cities,” a two-day event organized by Alaska Sea Grant and the ARCA (Arctic Urban Green Spaces and Climate) consortium. The October event drew scientists, artists, local experts and community members to The Nave cultural center in Anchorage to discuss how green spaces can contribute to adaptation, resilience, and culture. 

“Communities in the North are unique,” said Davin Holen, Alaska Sea Grant’s coastal community resilience specialist and a co-organizer of the event. “Successful resilient communities in the North often incorporate green spaces, culture and social factors alongside housing and other infrastructure to enhance community well-being. This workshop created a conversation around what makes our community a success and how other Northern communities can learn from Anchorage.” 

The ARCA consortium consists of researchers at institutions in four countries, who are studying a set of Arctic and subarctic cities to see how their biocultural heritage can contribute to local resilience. The concept of biocultural heritage recognizes that biodiversity and cultural traditions are closely linked, and that places, like parks, shorelines and other urban green spaces hold ecological and cultural importance. The workshop blended panel presentations with small-group discussions, participatory mapping exercises, and even collaborative art-making, creating opportunities for participants to exchange knowledge and learn from one another. Attendees toured Cook Inlet Housing Authority properties to see how green spaces are being integrated into Anchorage’s urban development.

Holen said the event underscored how green spaces in an urban setting ensure that residents feel more connected to the natural world, contributing to individual, family and community well-being. He cited Fish Creek – which flows just a few blocks from the Nave, in the historic Spenard neighborhood – as an example, since the waterway has been a focus area for residents in search of communal green space. Holen also noted other ways urban green spaces foster resilience, such as providing trees and other natural features that mitigate heat in summers, and absorbing runoff from hardened surfaces during extreme rain and snowmelt.  

The organizers are preparing a summary to synthesize the discussions, themes, and community insights that emerged over the two days. ARCA will also share their findings more broadly by hosting a session on the overall project at the University of the Arctic meeting, and by posting workshop findings on the Adapt Alaska website.