Urban Ecology

Ecological Reviews

by Kevin J. Gaston

This is the urban century in which, for the first time, the majority of people live in towns and cities. Understanding how people influence, and are influenced by, the 'green' component of these environments is therefore of enormous significance. Providing an overview of the essentials of urban ecology, the book begins by covering the vital background concepts of the urbanisation process and the effect that it can have on ecosystem functions and services. Later sections are devoted to examining how species respond to urbanisation, the many facets of human-ecology interactions, and the issues surrounding urban planning and the provision of urban green spaces. Drawing on examples from urban settlements around the world, it highlights the progress to date in this burgeoning field, as well as the challenges that lie ahead.

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Rebekah]

I think about halfway through, the chapters have covered the essential gist and most of the relevant topics sufficiently to provide evidence for smarter sustainable development strategies and their benefits. It's not worded in a way that is necessarily friendly for urban planners to pick up right away and go, "oh, OK, this is interesting and important" because it is pretty dry and academic for the most part. I guess the target audience is academics but to my mind, it's not enough to preach to the choir.