Place(making) for conservation activism: Materiality, non-human agency, ethics, and interaction in Indianapolis, IN

Abstract

In 2016 and 2017, local environmentalists in downtown Indianapolis organised for the conservation of an urban greenspace known as Crown Hill Woods. The woods was sold by Crown Hill Cemetery and its planned removal set off a struggle over the meaning of the woods that revealed elements of placemaking and place attachments. This article uses a case study of a conservation conflict to analyse the language used by conservation activists attempting to prevent the development of Crown Hill Woods. Drawing from public interviews, social media posts, blog posts, letters and essays, this study identifies several themes of placemaking present in the discourse around Crown Hill Woods, including materiality, non-human agency, ethical considerations, and interactional past/potential. These themes suggest that placemaking, and place attachments, can offer an alternative to ecosystem services as a motivator for conservation.