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Pickett STA, Cadenasso ML, Baker ME, Band LE, Boone CG, Buckley GL, Groffman PM, Grove JM, Irwin EG, Kaushal SS, LaDeau SL, Miller AJ, Nilon CH, Romolini M, Rosi EJ, Swan CM, Szlavecz K. Theoretical Perspectives of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study: Conceptual Evolution in a Social-Ecological Research Project. Bioscience 2020; 70:297-314. [PMID: 32284630 PMCID: PMC7138672 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biz166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Earth's population will become more than 80% urban during this century. This threshold is often regarded as sufficient justification for pursuing urban ecology. However, pursuit has primarily focused on building empirical richness, and urban ecology theory is rarely discussed. The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) has been grounded in theory since its inception and its two decades of data collection have stimulated progress toward comprehensive urban theory. Emerging urban ecology theory integrates biology, physical sciences, social sciences, and urban design, probes interdisciplinary frontiers while being founded on textbook disciplinary theories, and accommodates surprising empirical results. Theoretical growth in urban ecology has relied on refined frameworks, increased disciplinary scope, and longevity of interdisciplinary interactions. We describe the theories used by BES initially, and trace ongoing theoretical development that increasingly reflects the hybrid biological-physical-social nature of the Baltimore ecosystem. The specific mix of theories used in Baltimore likely will require modification when applied to other urban areas, but the developmental process, and the key results, will continue to benefit other urban social-ecological research projects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mary L Cadenasso
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Matthew E Baker
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Lawrence E Band
- Departments of Environmental Science and Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Christopher G Boone
- Professor and dean of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and the Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | | | - Peter M Groffman
- City University of New York's Advanced Science Research Center, Graduate Center, New York, New York, and a senior fellow at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York
| | - J Morgan Grove
- Team leader with the USDA Forest Service, Baltimore Field Station, Northern Research Station, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Elena G Irwin
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics and director of the Ohio State Sustainability Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | | | | | - Andrew J Miller
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Charles H Nilon
- School of Natural Resources, Fisheries, and Wildlife, University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Michele Romolini
- Managing director of the Center for Urban Resilience, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California
| | - Emma J Rosi
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook New York
| | - Christopher M Swan
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Katalin Szlavecz
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
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Cole K, Bennington C. From the Ground Up: Natural History Education in an Urban Campus Restoration. SOUTHEAST NAT 2017. [DOI: 10.1656/058.016.0sp1013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karen Cole
- Gillespie Museum of Minerals, Stetson University, DeLand, FL 32723
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Koptur S, Dutton A. The FIU Nature Preserve: Achieving Biological Conservation Through Diversification of Stakeholders. SOUTHEAST NAT 2017. [DOI: 10.1656/058.016.0sp1011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Koptur
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199
| | - Alexandra Dutton
- Office of University Sustainability, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199
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Romolini M, Morgan Grove J, Ventriss CL, Koliba CJ, Krymkowski DH. Toward an Understanding of Citywide Urban Environmental Governance: An Examination of Stewardship Networks in Baltimore and Seattle. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2016; 58:254-67. [PMID: 27145945 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-016-0704-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to create more sustainable cities are evident in the proliferation of sustainability policies in cities worldwide. It has become widely proposed that the success of these urban sustainability initiatives will require city agencies to partner with, and even cede authority to, organizations from other sectors and levels of government. Yet the resulting collaborative networks are often poorly understood, and the study of large whole networks has been a challenge for researchers. We believe that a better understanding of citywide environmental governance networks can inform evaluations of their effectiveness, thus contributing to improved environmental management. Through two citywide surveys in Baltimore and Seattle, we collected data on the attributes of environmental stewardship organizations and their network relationships. We applied missing data treatment approaches and conducted social network and comparative analyses to examine (a) the organizational composition of the network, and (b) how information and knowledge are shared throughout the network. Findings revealed similarities in the number of actors and their distribution across sectors, but considerable variation in the types and locations of environmental stewardship activities, and in the number and distribution of network ties in the networks of each city. We discuss the results and potential implications of network research for urban sustainability governance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Romolini
- Center for Urban Resilience, Loyola Marymount University, Research Annex 113, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90045, USA.
| | - J Morgan Grove
- Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Suite 350, 5523 Research Park Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21228, USA
| | - Curtis L Ventriss
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
| | - Christopher J Koliba
- Department of Community Development and Applied Economics, University of Vermont, 103D Morrill Hall, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
| | - Daniel H Krymkowski
- Department of Sociology, University of Vermont, 31 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
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Equitable distribution of open space: Using spatial analysis to evaluate urban parks in Curitiba, Brazil. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/0265813515603369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Urban parks are community assets, providing people places to play and rest. Access to parks in urban environments promotes social equity and improves quality of life for surrounding neighborhoods. In this context, social equity is related to accessibility, i.e. the possibility of walking or biking from home to a public park, giving people who do not have access to a variety of entertainment an option that is a public good. This paper examines the spatial distribution of urban parks in the city of Curitiba, Brazil, and how it relates to the socio-economic conditions of surrounding neighborhoods. Curitiba is known for its urban parks; however, no systematic study has been conducted to verify which neighborhoods enjoy park access within walking distance and what the socio-economic differences are between the better and worse served neighborhoods. In addition, we investigate if access to green open space has improved between the last two decennial census, a period marked by unprecedented socio-economic affluence in Brazil. Research questions, to be addressed using spatial analysis, focus on equitable distribution, and spatial evolution of parks and social equity. Variables include measurable walking distances from census tracts to parks, income data from the 2000 and 2010 Brazilian decennial censuses, and qualitative data of urban parks in Curitiba. Findings offer recommendations for future implementation of additional parks in Curitiba so that all areas of the city have adequate green open space and all citizens have equal access to recreation and leisure opportunities.
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Smucker NJ, Kuhn A, Charpentier MA, Cruz-Quinones CJ, Elonen CM, Whorley SB, Jicha TM, Serbst JR, Hill BH, Wehr JD. Quantifying Urban Watershed Stressor Gradients and Evaluating How Different Land Cover Datasets Affect Stream Management. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2016; 57:683-95. [PMID: 26614349 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-015-0629-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Watershed management and policies affecting downstream ecosystems benefit from identifying relationships between land cover and water quality. However, different data sources can create dissimilarities in land cover estimates and models that characterize ecosystem responses. We used a spatially balanced stream study (1) to effectively sample development and urban stressor gradients while representing the extent of a large coastal watershed (>4400 km(2)), (2) to document differences between estimates of watershed land cover using 30-m resolution national land cover database (NLCD) and <1-m resolution land cover data, and (3) to determine if predictive models and relationships between water quality and land cover differed when using these two land cover datasets. Increased concentrations of nutrients, anions, and cations had similarly significant correlations with increased watershed percent impervious cover (IC), regardless of data resolution. The NLCD underestimated percent forest for 71/76 sites by a mean of 11 % and overestimated percent wetlands for 71/76 sites by a mean of 8 %. The NLCD almost always underestimated IC at low development intensities and overestimated IC at high development intensities. As a result of underestimated IC, regression models using NLCD data predicted mean background concentrations of NO3 (-) and Cl(-) that were 475 and 177 %, respectively, of those predicted when using finer resolution land cover data. Our sampling design could help states and other agencies seeking to create monitoring programs and indicators responsive to anthropogenic impacts. Differences between land cover datasets could affect resource protection due to misguided management targets, watershed development and conservation practices, or water quality criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan J Smucker
- Atlantic Ecology Division, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Fellow c/o Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, RI, USA.
| | - Anne Kuhn
- Atlantic Ecology Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Narragansett, RI, USA
| | | | - Carlos J Cruz-Quinones
- Greater Research Opportunities for Undergraduates Program, University of Puerto Rico c/o Environmental Protection Agency, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Colleen M Elonen
- Mid-continent Ecology Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Sarah B Whorley
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station and Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Armonk, NY, USA
| | - Terri M Jicha
- Mid-continent Ecology Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Jonathan R Serbst
- Atlantic Ecology Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Narragansett, RI, USA
| | - Brian H Hill
- Mid-continent Ecology Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - John D Wehr
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station and Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Armonk, NY, USA
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Pincetl S. Cities as Novel Biomes: Recognizing Urban Ecosystem Services as Anthropogenic. Front Ecol Evol 2015. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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An Ecology for Cities: A Transformational Nexus of Design and Ecology to Advance Climate Change Resilience and Urban Sustainability. SUSTAINABILITY 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/su7043774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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LaDeau SL, Leisnham PT, Biehler D, Bodner D. Higher mosquito production in low-income neighborhoods of Baltimore and Washington, DC: understanding ecological drivers and mosquito-borne disease risk in temperate cities. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2013; 10:1505-26. [PMID: 23583963 PMCID: PMC3709331 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph10041505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2013] [Revised: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Mosquito-vectored pathogens are responsible for devastating human diseases and are (re)emerging in many urban environments. Effective mosquito control in urban landscapes relies on improved understanding of the complex interactions between the ecological and social factors that define where mosquito populations can grow. We compared the density of mosquito habitat and pupae production across economically varying neighborhoods in two temperate U.S. cities (Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC). Seven species of mosquito larvae were recorded. The invasive Aedes albopictus was the only species found in all neighborhoods. Culex pipiens, a primary vector of West Nile virus (WNV), was most abundant in Baltimore, which also had more tire habitats. Both Culex and Aedes pupae were more likely to be sampled in neighborhoods categorized as being below median income level in each city and Aedes pupae density was also greater in container habitats found in these lower income neighborhoods. We infer that lower income residents may experience greater exposure to potential disease vectors and Baltimore residents specifically, were at greater risk of exposure to the predominant WNV vector. However, we also found that resident-reported mosquito nuisance was not correlated with our measured risk index, indicating a potentially important mismatch between motivation needed to engage participation in control efforts and the relative importance of control among neighborhoods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul T. Leisnham
- Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; E-Mail: (P.T.L.); (D.B.)
| | - Dawn Biehler
- Geography & Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Danielle Bodner
- Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; E-Mail: (P.T.L.); (D.B.)
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