Urban Ecology Patterns, Processes, and Applications

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 Ecology brings 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.

Introduction. The History of Urban Ecology - An Ecologist's Perspective. Section 1 - Ecology in Cities: Man-Made Physical Conditions. Introduction to Section 1. 1.1. Land-Use and Surface-Cover as Urban Ecological Indicators. 1.2. Urban Climate. 1.3. Urban Soils - Characterization, Pollution, and Relevance in Urban Ecosystems. 1.4. Hydrology of Urban Environments. Summary of Section 1. Section 2 - Ecology in Cities: Patterns of Urban Biodiversity. Introduction to Section 2. 2.1. Plant Communities of Urban Wetlands: Patterns and Controlling Processes. 2.2. Potemkin Gardens: Biodiversity in Small Designed Landscapes. 2.3. Vegetation of Urban Hard Surfaces. 2.4. Composition and Diversity of Urban Vegetation. 2.5. Anthropogenic Ecosystems: The Influence of People on Urban Wildlife Populations. Summary of Section 2. Section 3 - Ecology in Cities: Processes Affecting Urban Biodiversity. Introduction to Section 3. 3.1. Coupled Relationships between Humans and other Organisms in Urban Areas. 3.2. Urban Flora and Vegetation: Patterns and Processes. 3.3. Effects of Urbanisation on the Ecology and Evolution of Arthropods. 3.4. Ecology of Urban Amphibians and Reptiles: Urbanophiles, Urbanophobes, and the Urbanoblivious. 3.5. Biodiversity and Community Composition in Urban Ecosystems: Coupled Human, Spatial, and Metacommunity Processes. Summary of Section 3. Section 4 - Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Social Systems in Urban Landscapes. Introduction to Section 4. 4.1. Global Effects of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services. 4.2. Social-Ecological Transformations in Urban Landscapes - A Historical Perspective. 4.3. The Urban Landscape as a Social - Ecological System for Governance of Ecosystem Services. 4.4. Water Services in Urban Landscapes. 4.5. The Role of Ecosystem Services in Contemporary Urban Planning. Summary of Section 4. Section 5 - Urban Design, Planning, and Management: Lessons from Ecology. Introduction to Section 5. 5.1. Urban Ecology - the Bigger Picture. 5.2. Urban Ecology and Human Health. 5.3. Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning to Promote Ecological Services in the City. 5.4. Building for Biodiversity: Accommodating People and Wildlife in Cities. 5.5. Linking Social and Ecological Systems. 5.6. Building Urban Biodiversity through Financial Incentives, Regulation, and Targets. Summary of Section 5. Concluding Remarks: The Way Forward for Urban Ecology. References. Index.

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.