.|  Baltimore Ecosystem Study
Urban Ecology Patterns, Processes, and Applications

 

 
Edited by Jari Niemelä, Jürgen H. Breuste, Glenn Guntenspergen, Nancy E. McIntyre, Thomas Elmqvist, and Philip James
 
The book has a biodiversity chapter which features the Baltimore Ecosystem Study.
 
Among the authors contributing to various chapters are colleagues Steward Pickett, Christopher M. Swan, Katalin Szlavecz, Paige Warren, and Wayne C. Zipperer.
 
Description from Oxford University Pess:
  • 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
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.
 
More Information From Oxford University Press