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Ecological Heterogeneity in Urban Ecosystems: Reconceptualized Land Cover Models as a Bridge to Urban Design

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Resilience in Ecology and Urban Design

Part of the book series: Future City ((FUCI,volume 3))

Abstract

Urban systems are heterogeneous due to a combination of natural and engineered landscape elements, and socio-cultural characteristics and behaviors of individuals and institutions. This chapter aims to address the question: how can an understanding of spatial heterogeneity serve as a bridge connecting ecology and urban design? We discuss the fundamentals of heterogeneity from ecological science and key insights that have emerged from a 10 year collaboration between the ecologists, the architect, and the landscape architect who are its authors. The heterogeneity of an urban system is often depicted using land use/land cover models. These models, however, may be inadequate to capture the heterogeneity that is relevant to ecological processes. We expose the motivations for developing a new land cover model and present that model as an example of a tool to bridge ecology with design. This bridge is still very much under construction and future opportunities for research and application are suggested.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Phanat Xanamane for his assistance in ­furthering our collaborations and Kirsten Schwarz for creating many of the figures. The manuscript was improved by comments from the members of Cadenasso’s lab at the University of California, Davis. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation, Long Term Ecological Research program and a NSF Career grant (No. 0844778) to MLC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    M. L. Cadenasso

  2. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, AB, 2801, Sharon Turnpike, Millbrook, NY, 12545, USA

    S. T. A. Pickett

  3. School of Constructed Environments, Parsons The New School for Design, New York, NY, 10011, USA

    Brian McGrath

  4. urban-interface.com, 60 Union St, Newark, NJ, 07105-1430, USA

    Brian McGrath

  5. School of Design Strategies, Parsons The New School for Design, New York, NY, USA

    Victoria Marshall

  6. Till Design, Newark, NJ, USA

    Victoria Marshall

Authors
  1. M. L. Cadenasso
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  2. S. T. A. Pickett
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  3. Brian McGrath
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  4. Victoria Marshall
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. L. Cadenasso .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Sharon Turnpike 2801, Millbrook, 12545-0129, New York, USA

    S.T.A. Pickett

  2. , Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Shields Avenue 1, Davis, 95616, California, USA

    M.L. Cadenasso

  3. , Sch Constructed Environments, Parsons the New School for Design, East 13th Street 25, New York, 10011, New York, USA

    Brian McGrath

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Cadenasso, M.L., Pickett, S.T.A., McGrath, B., Marshall, V. (2013). Ecological Heterogeneity in Urban Ecosystems: Reconceptualized Land Cover Models as a Bridge to Urban Design. In: Pickett, S., Cadenasso, M., McGrath, B. (eds) Resilience in Ecology and Urban Design. Future City, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5341-9_6

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