GEOG 245:  ECOLOGY OF URBANIZATION
Wednesdays 3:30 – 6:00pm, Lafayette 111
Spring 2004
 

Instructor:       Beverley Wemple
Office:            Old Mill 202
Phone:           656-2074
E-mail:           bwemple@zoo.uvm.edu
Office hours:   M 12:15-2:15 p.m., F 9:00-10:00 a.m., or by appointment
 
 
 
This course examines the effects of urbanization on ecosystem structure and function.  The course begins with a brief introduction to the issue of land use change and how urbanization of the landscape affects ecosystem processes.  The remainder of the course is organized in seminar format, with students leading discussions of research papers.  Through these papers, we will examine effects of urbanization on runoff, erosion and sedimentation, channel morphology, biogeochemical cycles, water quality, and terrestrial and aquatic habitat.  We will also briefly explore some social and legal dimensions of ecosystem change with urbanization.  We will conclude with a discussion of tools used to assess urban condition and strategies for restoring ecosystem function in cities.

 

    Weekly assignments:
Jan 21:  Course introduction; ecosystem processes & potential effects of land-use change

Jan 28:  Integrated ecosystem research in cities

Feb 4: Social ecology

Feb 11: Hydrologic effects of urbanization

Feb 18: Urban climate

Feb 25: Carbon storage in urban trees

Mar 3:  Urban streams

Mar 10: Nitrogen cycling and riparian zone processing

Mar 24:  Simulation modeling

Mar 31:  Urban aquatic ecology

Apr 7:  Urban terrestrial ecology

Apr 14: Assessment techniques

Links to web sites of interest:

Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) sites

The Baltimore Ecosystem Study

The Central Arizona - Phoenix LTER

Vermont Forum on Sprawl

Urban Ecology, Oakland, CA

Sustainable Cities Research Institute, UK

Center for Watershed Protection