ENVS-345 Urban Ecology (3)

Urban ecology is an interdisciplinary field that aims to understand how people and ecological processes coexist in human-dominated systems, such as cities. An understanding of how cities function as ecosystems can help to inform urban sustainability planning. This course uses quantitative and qualitative methods to study cities with respect to their form, growth, climate, land cover, flora, and fauna. It emphasizes learning and implementing R to conduct quantitative analyses and visualizations (no previous experience required). Example activities include mapping the urban heat island, quantifying local vegetation biodiversity, learning forest inventory techniques, examining the role of urban carnivores, and monitoring urbanization internationally using satellite imagery. The course also focuses on humans’ role in the urban ecosystem in terms of land use policy and transportation planning as well as the ecological, economic, and social justice ramifications of these plans. Prerequisite: completion of Quantitative Literacy I requirement.