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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $73.50

Format:
Paperback
392 pp.
75 b&w illustrations, 189 mm x 246 mm

ISBN-13:
9780199643950

Publication date:
December 2011

Imprint: OUP UK


Urban Ecology

Patterns, Processes, and Applications

Edited by Jari Niemelä, Jürgen H. Breuste, Glenn Guntenspergen, Nancy E. McIntyre, Thomas Elmqvist and Philip James

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.

Readership : This authoritative reference will be of relevance and use to ecologists, social scientists, students, and practitioners seeking to understand the fundamental principles of, and future prospects for, urban ecology. In addition it provides a sound scientific framework for urban ecologists, planners, architects, developers, and decision-makers to guide land-use and development towards a more sustainable future for the world's cities.

Jari Niemelä, Jürgen H. Breuste, Thomas Elmqvist, Glenn Guntenspergen, Philip James, & Nancy McIntyre: Introduction
Mark J. McDonnell: The History of Urban Ecology - An Ecologist's Perspective
Section 1 - Ecology in Cities: Man-Made Physical Conditions
Jürgen H. Breuste: Introduction to Section 1
Stephan Pauleit and Jürgen H. Breuste: 1.1 Land-Use and Surface-Cover as Urban Ecological Indicators
Eberhard Parlow: 1.2 Urban Climate
Martin Sauerwein: 1.3 Urban Soils - Characterization, Pollution, and Relevance in Urban Ecosystems
Marc Illgen: 1.4 Hydrology of Urban Environments
Jürgen H. Breuste: Summary of Section 1
Section 2 - Ecology in Cities: Patterns of Urban Biodiversity
Glenn R. Guntenspergen: Introduction to Section 2
Andrew H. Baldwin: 2.1 Plant Communities of Urban Wetlands: Patterns and Controlling Processes
Martin F. Quigley: 2.2 Potemkin Gardens: Biodiversity in Small Designed Landscapes
Jeremy Lundholm: 2.3 Vegetation of Urban Hard Surfaces
Christopher P. Dunn and Liam Heneghan: 2.4 Composition and Diversity of Urban Vegetation
Clark E. Adams and Kieran J. Lindsey: 2.5 Anthropogenic Ecosystems: The Influence of People on Urban Wildlife Populations
Glenn R. Guntenspergen: Summary of Section 2
Section 3 - Ecology in Cities: Processes Affecting Urban Biodiversity
Nancy E. MacIntyre: Introduction to Section 3
Barbara Clucas and John M. Marzluff: 3.1 Coupled Relationships between Humans and other Organisms in Urban Areas
Sarel S. Cilliers & Stefan J. Siebert: 3.2 Urban Flora and Vegetation: Patterns and Processes
Johan Kotze, Stephen Venn, Jari Niemelä, and John Spence: 3.3 Effects of Urbanisation on the Ecology and Evolution of Arthropods
Bruce W. Grant, George Middendorf, Michael J. Colgan, Haseeb Ahmad, and Michael B. Vogel: 3.4 Ecology of Urban Amphibians and Reptiles: Urbanophiles, Urbanophobes, and the Urbanoblivious
Christopher M. Swan, Steward T. A. Pickett, Katalin Szlavecz, Paige Warren, and K. Tara Willey: 3.5 Biodiversity and Community Composition in Urban Ecosystems: Coupled Human, Spatial, and Metacommunity Processes
Nancy E. MacIntyre: Summary of Section 3
Section 4 - Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Social Systems in Urban Landscapes
Thomas Elmqvist: Introduction to Section 4
Robert McDonald and Peter Marcotullio: 4.1 Global Effects of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services
Charles L. Redman: 4.2 Social-Ecological Transformations in Urban Landscapes - A Historical Perspective
Christine Alfsen, Ashley Duval, and Thomas Elmqvist: 4.3 The Urban Landscape as a Social - Ecological System for Governance of Ecosystem Services
Peter Bridgewater: 4.4 Water Services in Urban Landscapes
Johan Colding: 4.5 The Role of Ecosystem Services in Contemporary Urban Planning
Thomas Elmqvist: Summary of Section 4
Section 5 - Urban Design, Planning, and Management: Lessons from Ecology
Philip James: Introduction to Section 5
Ian Douglas and Joe Ravetz: 5.1 Urban Ecology - the Bigger Picture
Konstantinos Tzoulas and Kim Greening: 5.2 Urban Ecology and Human Health
Stephan Pauleit, Li Liu, Jack Ahern, and Aleksandra Kazmierczak: 5.3 Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning to Promote Ecological Services in the City
Jon Sadler, Adam Bates, Rossa Donovan, and Stefan Bodnar: 5.4 Building for Biodiversity: Accommodating People and Wildlife in Cities
Wayne C. Zipperer, Wayde F. Morse, and Cassandra Johnson Gaither: 5.5 Linking Social and Ecological Systems
John Box: 5.6 Building Urban Biodiversity through Financial Incentives, Regulation, and Targets
Philip James: Summary of Section 5
Jari Niemelä, Jürgen H. Breuste, Thomas Elmqvist, Glenn Guntenspergen, Philip James, & Nancy McIntyre: Concluding Remarks: The Way Forward for Urban Ecology
References
Index

There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.

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.

Making Sense - Margot Northey and David B. Knight
Urban Ecology - Edited by Jari Niemela, Jurgen H. Breuste, Glenn Guntenspergen, Nancy E. McIntyre, Thomas Elmqvist and Philip James
Community Ecology - Edited by Herman A. Verhoef and Dr. Peter J. Morin
Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning, and Human Wellbeing - Edited by Shahid Naeem, Dr. Daniel E. Bunker, Andy Hector, Michel Loreau and Charles Perrings

Special Features

  • The first research level book to define the field of urban ecology.
  • Emphasizes the concept of urban sustainability and the functioning of cities as integrated social-ecological systems.
  • Integrates ecology with design, planning, conservation, and management of urban areas.
  • Includes contributions from an all-star cast of urban ecologists.