Applied Urban Ecology
A Global Framework
1. Edition November 2011
235 Pages, Hardcover
Professional Book
Short Description
This book covers a range of recent approaches to urban ecology. It bridges the gap between theory and practice and presents a broad spectrum of recent urban ecology approaches from systems research to environmentally sound urban design, exemplified by selected case studies from different continents. Experts have been engaged from China, Great Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa, and the US. The contributor list includes a selection of well known key academics and a selection of promising young scientists.
Applied Urban Ecology: A Global Framework explores ways in which the environmental quality of urban areas can be improved starting with existing environmental conditions and their dynamics. Written by an internationally renowned selection of scientists and practitioners, the book covers a broad range of established and novel approaches to applied urban ecology.
Approaches chosen for the book are placed in the context of issues such as climate change, green- and open-space development, flood-risk assessment, threats to urban biodiversity, and increasing environmental pollution (especially in the "megacities" of newly industrialized countries). All topics covered were chosen because they are socially and socio-politically relevant today.
Further topics covered include sustainable energy and budget management, urban water resource management, urban land management, and urban landscape planning and design.
Throughout the book, concepts and methods are illustrated using case studies from around the world. A closing synopsis draws conclusions on how the findings of urban ecological research can be used in strategic urban management in the future.
Applied Urban Ecology: A Global Framework is an advanced textbook for students, researchers and experienced practitioners in urban ecology and urban environmental research, planning, and practice.
Foreword xiii
PART I: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Urban ecology - brief history and present challenges 3
Ulrike Weiland andMatthias Richter
1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 Brief history 3
1.3 Recent and present challenges 5
1.4 Purpose and structure of the book 7
References 9
PART II: URBAN ECOLOGY: RELATED DISCIPLINES AND METHODS 13
2. Thematic-methodical approaches to applied urban ecology 15
Matthias Richter and UlrikeWeiland
3. Monitoring urban land use changes with remote sensing techniques 18
Ellen Banzhaf andMaik Netzband
3.1 Land use changes and their consequences for urban ecology 18
3.2 Urban remote sensing (URS) and geographical information systems (GIS) for research in urban ecology 19
3.3 Measuring physical characteristics of urban areas with remote sensing technology 21
3.4 Global initiatives to measure urban expansion and land use change 24
3.5 Regional urban monitoring activities 26
3.6 Synthesis and outlook 29
References 30
PART III: SELECTED FIELDS OF URBAN ECOLOGY 33
A. PATHWAYS OF THE ECOSYSTEM APPROACH.
4. Quantifying spatiotemporal patterns and ecological effects of urbanization: a multiscale landscape approach 35
Jianguo Wu, Alexander Buyantuyev, G. Darrel Jenerette, Jennifer Litteral, Kaesha Neil and Weijun Shen
4.1 Introduction 35
4.2 Characterizing the spatiotemporal pattern of urbanization 36
4.3 Simulating spatiotemporal dynamics of urbanization 41
4.4 Effects of urbanization on biodiversity and ecosystem processes: examples from CAP-LTER 43
4.5 Concluding remarks 47
Acknowledgments 49
References 49
5. Designing urban systems: ecological strategies with stocks and flows of energy and material 54
Peter Baccini
5.1 The challenge of a new urbanity 54
5.2 Urban systems and their resource management 56
5.3 Strategies of reconstruction 60
5.4 Developing strategies for the design of urban systems 63
References 65
B. SOCIOENVIRONMENTAL THREATS.
6. Environmental and ecological threats in Indian mega-cities 66
Surinder Aggarwal and Carsten Butsch
6.1 Urbanization dynamics and emergence of mega-cities 66
6.2 Environmental threats 68
6.3 Mega-social challenges 74
6.4 Concluding remarks 78
Acknowledgments 80
References 80
7. From wasteland to wilderness - aspects of a new form of urban nature 82
Dieter Rink and Harriet Herbst
7.1 Introduction 82
7.2 Urban wilderness - some attempts at defining the term 83
7.3 Wastelands as a source of urban wilderness 83
7.4 Urban wilderness in planning 85
7.5 On the ecology of urban wilderness 86
7.6 Urban wilderness in a social context 87
7.7 Educational value of urban wilderness 89
7.8 Conclusions 90
References 91
C. FLOODING AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION.
8. Multiscale flood risk assessment in urban areas - a geoinformatics approach 93
Norman Kerle and Dinand Alkema
8.1 Introduction 93
8.2 Flood risk in the context of urban ecology 94
8.3 Comprehensive flood risk assessment - Naga City, the Philippines 96
8.4 The role of remote sensing in flood risk assessment and management 99
8.5 Disaster risk in the context of urban ecology - an outlook 104
References 104
9. Urban open spaces and adaptation to climate change 106
Marialena Nikolopoulou
9.1 Cities, climate change and the role of open spaces 106
9.2 Outdoor comfort 107
9.3 Use of space 108
9.4 Thermal perception 111
9.5 Adaptation 113
9.6 Design interventions 116
9.7 Conclusions 120
References 121
D. URBAN BIODIVERSITY.
10. Social aspects of urban ecology in developing countries, with an emphasis on urban domestic gardens 123
Sarel Cilliers, Stefan Siebert, Elandrie Davoren and Rina Lubbe
10.1 Introduction 123
10.2 Social benefits and human perceptions of urban green areas 124
10.3 Consequences of socioeconomic aspects on the urban green infrastructure 125
10.4 Urban domestic gardens 126
10.5 Conclusions 133
References 135
11. Plant material for urban landscapes in the era of globalization: roots, challenges and innovative solutions 139
Maria Ignatieva
11.1 Introduction 139
11.2 The beginning of plant material globalization 139
11.3 Victorian Gardenesque (1820-1880) 140
11.4 Influence of the Victorian garden on the global planting pattern 142
11.5 Victorian tropical and subtropical paradise 143
11.6 Modern nurseries' direction: global pool of plants 145
11.7 Innovative solutions: searching for new ecological planting design 148
11.8 Discussion and conclusion 150
Acknowledgments 150
References 150
E. ENVIRONMENTAL URBAN DESIGN.
12. Ecological infrastructure leads the way: the negative approach and landscape urbanism for smart preservation and smart growth 152
Kongjian Yu
12.1 Introduction 152
12.2 The negative approach: methodology 158
12.3 Urban growth based on EI: a case of negative planning for Taizhou City 159
12.4 Conclusion 165
References 166
13. Integrating science and creativity for landscape planning and design of urban areas 170
Antje Stokman and Christina von Haaren
13.1 Introduction 170
13.2 Landscape planning as a legally based contribution to sustainable development in Germany 171
13.3 Landscape design as a creative cultural action 173
13.4 Linking landscape planning and design: differences, interfaces and potential synergies 175
13.5 Conclusion 182
Acknowledgment 183
References 183
14. Landscape as a living system: Shanghai 2010 Expo Houtan Park 186
Kongjian Yu
14.1 Introduction 186
14.2 Objective 186
14.3 Challenges 186
14.4 Design concept and strategy: a living system 188
14.5 Conclusions 192
F. ENVIRONMENTAL URBAN POLITICS.
15. Geographical perspectives on a radical political ecology of water 193
Alex Loftus
15.1 Introduction 193
15.2 The urbanization of nature 194
15.3 Urban political ecologies of water 195
15.4 Privatization questions 196
15.5 Taking the debates forward 199
15.6 Infrastructures of power: democratizing water technologies 199
15.7 The everyday 201
15.8 Conclusions 202
References 202
PART IV: SYNTHESIS 205
16. Synthesizing urban ecology research and topics for urban environmental management 207
Matthias Richter and UlrikeWeiland
Index 213
"This book provides a wealth of information . . . It is a book for the specialist rather than the generalist and is thus most relevant for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates of ecology, geography, environmental science and urban planning." (Bulletin of the British Ecological Society, 1 June 2012) "I am sure that anyone teaching in this area at undergraduate or postgraduate levels will want it on their bookshelf." (Elsevier's Biological Conservation, 1 January 2012)
"I highly recommend the very hands on and engaging book Applied Urban Ecology: A Global Framework edited by Matthias Richter and Ulrike Weiland, to any field researchers, scientists, practitioners, urban planners, policy makers in government, business leaders, educators, and students at all levels who are seeking a clear and understandable guide to urban ecology, its challenges, and its potential solutions. This book will transform the way decision makers approach urban ecological issues, and provide students with a firm foundation in applied urban ecology." (Blog Business World, 4 January 2012)
"Nevertheless, each chapter is worth reading and I am sure this book will become a primer for studies in urban ecology. I am sure that anyone teaching in this area at undergraduate or postgraduate levels will want it on their bookshelf." (Biological Conservation, 12 December 2011)
Ulrike Weiland is Professor of Urban Ecology at the Institute for Geography, University of Leipzig, Germany.
