What Is Urban Ecology?
Urban ecology is a discipline that studies ecosystems that include humans living in cities and urbanized landscapes. This interdisciplinary field focuses on researching how humans and ecological processes can co-exist. The ultimate goal of urban ecology is to understand human-dominated systems and to help societies in their effort to become more sustainable.
Considering the interdisciplinary nature, the term “urban ecology” also includes the study of humans in cities, nature in cities, as well as the relationships between humans and nature in general. Each research area has an essential contribution in terms of collecting data and researching the processes of urban ecosystems.
Within the science of ecology, urban ecology is defined as a study of processes, structure, and dynamics in urbanized areas. Urban ecology studies the relationships between human and non-human organisms in urban areas, interactions between organisms and their relationship with the native and constructed environment, and how these relationships between organisms impact the fluxes of energy, materials, and information within urban and nonurban systems.
The methods and concepts used in the study of urban ecology are based on biological science and interact with social science concepts, approaches, and concerns, thus producing a hybrid discipline. Subject to research in urban ecology are individual organisms, populations, communities, landscapes, and buildings and infrastructure. Furthermore, urban ecosystems are part of the global biogeochemical, economic, and human demographic.
Why Is Urban Ecology Important?
According to the United Nations’ median projection (2015a), by 2030, the world’s population will grow to around 8.5 billion. Additionally, a report released by the United Nations UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) states that by 2050, two out of every three people are likely to be living in cities or other urban centers. As a result of demographic shifts and overall population growth, approximately 2.5 billion people could be added to the urban areas by the middle of the century. This increase in population is expected to be highly concentrated in several countries. In addition to the demand for space for building homes, these people will need breathable air, potable water, and food.
The phenomenon of urbanization is already having a profound effect on the natural system. However, there are large areas of green spaces within cities (lawns, parks, golf courses, wetlands, nature preserves, etc.) which filter the pollution in air and water, produce oxygen, mitigate urban heat island effects, and provide habitat for many plant and animal species.
The development of landscapes in the past quarter-century draws scientists’ and environmentalists’ attention. They have recognized the need to understand the interactions of the living and non-living components of the urban ecosystems.
Evolving Discipline of Urban Ecology
Human settlements are specific ecosystems and a unique combination of human-made structures and natural elements, maintained by complex interactions within and between ecological and social systems. Today, urban areas face many daunting environmental and social challenges, including air and water pollution, increased stratospheric ozone levels, increasing energy demands, poor waste management, and food shortages.
Our planet has advanced into a stage of human–ecosystem relationships in which there is an immense economic and environmental interconnection in cities (Haughton & Hunter, 1994). The impact of this connection has grown from local and regional phenomena, to global in scale. In order to efficiently address and mitigate the social and environmental challenges arising from urbanization and human activities, there is a need to promote and advance the field of urban ecology. Urban ecology is focused on a diverse array of new research results, conceptual frameworks, designs, plans, policies, and vital debates, developed by urban ecology academics, professionals, and students worldwide.
History of Urban Ecology
Urban ecology arose in the early 1970s as a subdiscipline of ecology. Urban ecology is closely aligned with a relatively new discipline called landscape ecology and long-established discipline of geography. The approaches and frameworks used in other disciplines make the boundaries of urban ecology blurred, and therefore, it is impossible to set a unified definition. A commonly used definition for urban ecology is the study of environmental impact and sustainability of urbanization with a focus on biodiversity, ecosystem processes, and ecosystem services.
Urban Ecosystems
Urbanized areas can be viewed as a specific ecosystem due to their ecological attributes. Urbanized areas need enormous inputs of energy and materials for sustaining the human population and the diverse activities and to maintaining its structure and growth.
Humans are the dominant species in urban ecosystems. Their activities significantly impact many other species and ecological functions within urban ecosystems. Urban areas are urban–industrial techno-ecosystems dominated by businesses, dwellings, factories, roads, and other infrastructures of the human economy; including urban green spaces.
Urban areas are fundamentally dependent on the surrounding ecosystems, providing them with necessary resources and assimilating generated waste. An urban population’s ecological footprint (eco-footprint) is the area of ecoscape (landscape and seascape) critical for supplying food, energy, materials, waste disposal, and other essential goods and services. On average, one individual has an eco-footprint of about 2.7 hectares, while there are only 1.8 ha of bio-productive land and water on Earth (Ewing et al., 2010). In other words, humanity has already overreached the global bio-capacity by 30 %.
Future Challenges
Urban ecosystems sustain humans, associated non-native organisms, native species, and fragmented habitats. An urban ecosystems’ primary function is to supply immense quantities of natural resources and waste assimilation. The greatest challenge for urban ecologists is to develop a sustainable urban ecosystem and exchange of energy that doesn’t affect biodiversity. Ultimately, the knowledge of urban ecology will be used in mitigation and reducing the urban–industrial footprint. When scientists can develop such a plan, urban areas will become more ecologically sustainable than they are today.
Currently, urban ecology is unable to satisfy the growing demand for knowledge and solutions to create healthy, green, biodiverse, and resilient urbanized areas. With joint efforts, environmental conservationists, architects, planners, engineers, landscape architects, land managers, and policymakers are trying to achieve the full potential of urban ecology. Numerous studies contribute to the development of this discipline, including research of urban climate, urban sustainability, soils, vegetation, animals, ecosystems, green spaces, parks, people’s use of the environment, planning, management, and policymaking. Emerging disciplines relating to urban ecology, such as green architecture, smart growth, progressive planning, water conservation, can help create efficient and environmentally conscious urban infrastructure.