Developing a complementary framework for urban ecology

Kattel, GR; Elkadi, HA; Meikle, H

Abstract

Cities are characterized by dynamic interactions between socio-economic and biophysical forces. Currently more than half of the global population reside in cities which influence the global biogeochemical
cycles and climate change, substantially exacerbating pressures on urban pollution, water quality and
food security, as well as operating costs for infrastructure development. Goods and services such as
aesthetic values, water purification, nutrient recycling, and biological diversity, that urban ecosystems
generate for the society, are critical to sustain. Urban planners are increasingly facing the considerable
challenges of management issues for urban ecosystems. Poor understanding of the complementary roles
of urban ecology in urban infrastructure, and the functioning of ecosystems and ecological resilience
of a complex human-dominated landscape has impeded effective urban planning over time, resulting in
socialdisharmony.Hereacomplementaryframeworkforurbanecologyisproposed,inwhichecosystems
interactwithlanduse,architectureandurbandesign–“E-LAUD”–affectingecosystemandhumanhealth,
and building on the concept that land uses in urban green areas, road-strips, wetlands, ‘habitat islands’
and urban architecture could synergistically benefit when clustered together in different combinations
of urban landscapes. It is proposed that incorporation of the E-LAUD framework in urban planning forms
the context of a new interdisciplinary research programme on ecological resilience for urban ecosystems
and helps promote ecosystem services.

Citation

Kattel, G., Elkadi, H., & Meikle, H. (2013). Developing a complementary framework for urban ecology. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 12(4), 498-508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2013.07.005

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2013
• Deposit Date: Jun 9, 2015
• Journal: Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
• Print ISSN: 1618-8667
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 498-508
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2013.07.005
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2013.07.005
• Related Public URLs: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/16188667
• Additional Information: Funders : The Centre of Memory, Imagination, and Innovation (CMII) at Deakin University