cities and nature.. can they co-exists?

"the belief that the city is an entity apart from nature and even antithetical to it has dominated the way in which the city is perceived and continues to affect how it is built. this attitude has aggravated and even created many of the city's environmental problems" - anne whiston spirn

"we must learn the joy of working on the solution - not to be consumed by despair over the immensity of the task - but enriched by the steps to be taken - one at a time" - robert thayer