Urban Ecology Patterns, Processes, and Applications

by Niemela, Jari; Breuste, Jurgen H.; Guntenspergen, Glenn; McIntyre, Nancy E.; Elmqvist, Thomas; James, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780199563562
• ISBN10: 019956356X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-04-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Urbanization is a global phenomenon that is increasingly challenging human society. It is therefore crucially important to ensure that the relentless expansion of cities and towns proceeds sustainably. Urban ecology, the interdisciplinary study of ecological patterns and processes in towns and cities, is a rapidly developing field that can provide a scientific basis for the informed decision-making and planning needed to create both viable and sustainable cities. Urban Ecologybrings together an international team of leading scientists to discuss our current understanding of all aspects of urban environments, from the biology of the organisms that inhabit them to the diversity of ecosystem services and human social issues encountered within urban landscapes. The book is divided into five sections with the first describing the physical urban environment. Subsequent sections examine ecological patterns and processes within the urban setting, followed by the integration of ecology with social issues. The book concludes with a discussion of the applications of urban ecology to land-use planning. The emphasis throughout is on what we actually know (as well as what we should know) about the complexities of social-ecological systems in urban areas, in order to develop urban ecology as a rigorous scientific discipline.

Author Biography

The Editor-in-Chief, Jari Niemelä, is professor of urban ecology at the University of Helsinki, Finland. His research interests include urban ecology, biodiversity, interactions between ecological and social systems, and the application of ecological knowledge in decision-making.

The section editors Jürgen H. Breuste, Thomas Elmqvist, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Philip James, and Nancy E. McIntyre are leading researchers in this field.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Jari Niemela
The History of Urban Ecology, Mark McDonnell
Section 1 - Ecology in Cities: Man-Made Physical Conditions
Introduction to Section 1, Jurgen H. Breuste
1.1. Land Use and Surface Cover as Urban Ecological Indicators, Stephan Pauleit and Jurgen H. Breuste
1.2. Urban Climate, Eberhard Parlow
1.3. Urban Soils - Characterization, Pollution and Relevance in Urban Ecosystems, Martin Sauerwein
1.4. Hydrology of Urban Environments, Marc Illgen
Summary of Section 1, Jurgen H. Breuste
Section 2 - Ecology in Cities: Patterns of Urban Biodiversity
Introduction to Section 2, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
2.1. Plant Communities of Urban Wetlands: Patterns and Controlling Processes, Andrew H. Baldwin
2.2. Potemkin Gardens: Biodiversity in Small Designed Landscapes, Martin F. Quigley
2.3. Vegetation of Urban Hard Surfaces, Jeremy Lundholm
2.4. Composition and Diversity of Urban Vegetation, Christopher P. Dunn and Liam Heneghan
2.5. Anthropogenic Ecosystems: The Influence of People on Urban Wildlife Populations, Clark E. Adams and Kieran J. Lindsey
Summary of Section 2, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
Section 3 - Ecology in Cities: Processes Affecting Urban Biodiversity
Introduction to Section 3, Nancy E. MacIntyre
3.1. Coupled Relationships between Humans and other Organisms in Urban Areas, Barbara Clucas and John M. Marzluff
3.2. Urban Flora and Vegetation: Patterns and Processes, S.S. Cilliers & S.J. Siebert
3.3. Effects of Urbanisation on the Ecology and Evolution of Arthropods, Johan Kotze, Stephen Venn, Jari Niemela, and John Spence
3.4. Effects of Urbanisation on the Ecology and Evolution of Reptiles and Amphibians, Bruce W. Grant, George Middendorf, Michael J. Colgan, Haseeb Ahmad, and Michael B. Vogel
3.5. Biodiversity and Community Composition in Urban Ecosystems: Coupled Human, Spatial, and Metacommunity Processes, Christopher M. Swan, Steward T. A. Pickett, Katalin Szlavecz, Paige Warren, and K. Tara Willey
Summary of Section 3, Nancy E. MacIntyre
Section 4 - Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Social Systems in Urban Landscapes
Introduction to Section 4, Thomas Elmqvist
4.1. Global Effects of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services, Robert McDonald and Peter Marcotullio
4.2. Social-Ecological Transformations in Urban Landscapes - A Historical Perspective, Charles L. Redman
4.3. The Urban Landscape as a Social - Ecological System for Governance of Ecosystem Services, Christine Alfsen, Ashley Duval, and Thomas Elmqvist
4.4. Water Services in Urban Landscapes, Peter Bridgewater
4.5. The Role of Ecosystem Services in Contemporary Urban Planning, Johan Colding
Summary of Section 4, Thomas Elmqvist
Section 5 - Urban Design, Planning, and Management: Lessons from Ecology
Introduction to Section 5, Philip James
5.1. Urban Ecology - the Bigger Picture, Ian Douglas and Joe Ravetz
5.2. Urban Ecology and Human Health, Konstantinos Tzoulas and Kim Greening
5.3. Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning to Promote Ecological Services in the City, Stephan Pauleit, Li Liu, Jack Ahern, and Aleksandra Kazmierczak
5.4. Building for Biodiversity: Accommodating People and Wildlife in Cities, Jon Sadler, Adam Bates, Rossa Donovan, and Stefan Bodnar
5.5. Linking Social and Ecological Systems, Wayne C. Zipperer, Wayde F. Morse, and Cassandra Johnson Gaither
5.6. Building Urban Biodiversity through Financial Incentives, Regulation, and Targets, John Box
Summary of Section 5, Philip James
Overall summary, Jari Niemela
References
Index