Urban Landscape Ecology
Science, policy and practice
Preview
Book Description
The growth of cities poses ever-increasing challenges for the natural environment on which they impact and depend, not only within their boundaries but also in surrounding peri-urban areas. Landscape ecology – the study of interactions across space and time between the structure and function of physical, biological and cultural components of landscapes – has a pivotal role to play in identifying sustainable solutions.
This book brings together examples of research at the cutting edge of urban landscape ecology across multiple contexts that investigate the state, maintenance and restoration of healthy and functional natural environments across urban and peri-urban landscapes. An explicit focus is on urban landscapes in contrast to other books which have considered urban ecosystems and ecology without specific focus on spatial connections. It integrates research and perspectives from across academia, public and private practitioners of urban conservation, planning and design. It provides a much needed summary of current thinking on how urban landscapes can provide the foundation of sustained economic growth, prospering communities and personal well-being.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: An Overview of Landscape Ecology in Cities
Robert A. Francis, James D.A. Millington and Michael A. Chadwick
2. Drivers of Soil Heterogeneity in the Urban Landscape
Alessandro Ossola and Stephen J. Livesley
3. Bees in a Peri-urban Landscape: A Synthesis of Research from East Contra Costa County, California
Misha Leong
4. Socioeconomics and Neighbor Mimicry Drive Yard and Neighborhood Vegetation Patterns
Emily Minor, J. Amy Belaire, Amélie Davis, Magaly Franco and Meimei Lin
5. An Exploration of the Relationships between Landscape Metrics and Tree Diversity in Urban Forests
Mikaël Maes
6. Edge Habitat of Urban Green Spaces: A Case Study in London (UK)
Marleen Feldbrugge, Patrick. G. Meirmans and Robert A. Francis
7. A Lawn without Grass: a New Tool for Landscape Ecologists
Lionel S. Smith
8. The Ecology and Management of Urban Pondscapes
Christopher Hassall, Matthew Hill, David Gledhill and Jeremy Biggs
9. The Value of a Small Urban River: Past, Present and Future
Rob C. Gray
10. Urban Ponds For People and By People
Malgorzata Blicharska and Frank Johansson
11. Modeling the Effects of Land Cover and Use on Landscape Capability for Urban Ungulate Populations
H. Brian Underwood and Chellby R. Kilheffer
12. Outdoor Recreation in Urban Forests – User Patterns and Impacts: Examples from Southern Germany
Gerd Lupp, Markus Melber, Theresia Hirschbeck, Anna Ritter, Martina Brockard, Valerie Kantelberg and Stephan Pauleit
13. Strengthening Urban Landscape Planning: A Metapopulation Modelling Framework
Laura J. Graham, Richard Field and Roy H. Haines-Young
14. Visualising Ecosystem Services using Historical Publications
Philip James, B.A. Law and Norman Redhead
15. What is Landscape Sensitivity? A Review of Two UK Coastal Case Studies
Josh Peacock
16. Urban Green Infrastructure in London: the Role of Landscape Ecology in Informing the Future of Parks and Green Space Policy in the City
Peter Massini
17. Urban Biodiversity Management in Ireland: Capturing the Experience of Practitioners
Maryann Harris, Tamara Hochstrasser, Karen Foley and Claire Cave
Editor(s)
Biography
Robert A. Francis is Senior Lecturer in Ecology, King’s College London, UK.
James D. A. Millington is a Lecturer in Physical Geography, King’s College London, UK.
Michael A. Chadwick is a Lecturer in Freshwater Ecology, King’s College London, UK.