EST/EFB 220 Urban Ecology

EFB/EST 220 Urban Ecology

Course Syllabus

Instructor:

Professor Myrna Hall (112 Marshall, 470-4741, mhhall@esf.edu)

Office Hours:

Monday

2:00 – 4:00

Schedule Of Classes:

Lectures

9:30 – 10:25 (321 Bray Hall)

Labs

1:50 – 4:50 (Stadium Place)

Graduate Assistants:

Zeno Levy

Office: 218 Marshall

Office Hours: Fridays

10:45-12:45

Email: zenolevy@gmail.com

Catherine “Katie” Haase

Office: 244A Illick Hall

Office Hours: Mondays

10:30-12:30

Email: cghaase@syr.edu

Course Schedule:

efb220schedule.htm

Prerequisites: None

Course Goals:
To introduce students to the analytical methodologies and tools that will help them begin 1) to understand quantitatively the flows of energy and materials between urban ecosystem components, and between urban areas and the rural areas that support them; and 2) to evaluate how (or whether) cities might be truly “sustainable.” The role and importance of science, engineering, the design professions, education, and community participation in creating livable communities will be addressed, as will the social issues of environmental risk perception, equity and justice.

Objectives: To enhance student understanding of

1. the urban environment as an ecosystem and as part of the larger regional and global ecosystem

2. the quantification of the flow of energy, nutrients and materials through the urban ecosystem

3. the biogeography of the urban environment

4. the influence of human social and economic preferences, needs, and values on urban energy and resource dynamics

5. human perception of the urban environment and residence and its effect on behavior and response to urban environmental problems

6. the opportunities for ecologically-based urban remediation

7. environmental inequity and justice

8. the role of environmental science, design, engineering, community participation and policy studies in urban decision making

9. the need for measurable criteria for determining urban sustainability

Student Outcomes: At the end of the course, the student should be able to

1. measure several indicators of urban ecosystem health such as water quality, air quality, soil quality, noise, urban temperature, wildlife populations, citizen perceptions of quality of life, energy use, etc. using tools learned in this class;

2. trace (diagram) the flow of energy, nutrients, or materials through at least one subsystem of the urban environment;

3. discuss why urban environmental issues must be approached from a systems science perspective that includes socio/economic factors as well as the traditional ecosystem “biophysical” factors;

4. trace ecosystem effects of proposed remedial solutions, both within the local and regional ecosystem context

5. determine if, and explain why, a “solution” is sustainable

6. assess whether that “solution” offers equal environmental protection to all citizens

7. involve local citizens in the study and improvement of their local environment.

Course Reader and Lab Manual

Lab Materials Required:

Evaluation:

Course Grades:

Class Absence

Accommodations For Students With Disabilities:

For Sale in the ESF Copy Center, Basement of Bray Hall

Water sandals, wading boots, or old tennis shoes
Field Notebook (binder type-preferably water-proof), and waterproof pen

Evaluation Tool	Percentage of grade
Weekly Lab Assignments (10)	70
Mid-term exam	15
Final Project	15
Total	100

Your course grade will be determined by the grades earned on the items listed in the Evaluation section. You can find your letter grade in the table below.

A	93.0	-	100.0	Excellent
A-	89.5	-	92.9	Very Good
B+	87.5	-	89.4	Quite Good
B	82.5	-	87.4	Good
B-	79.5	-	82.4	Satisfactory
C+	77.5	-	79.4	Adequate, but needs improvement
C	72.5	-	77.4	Less than Adequate
C-	67.5	-	72.4	Major gaps in understanding
D	60.0	-	67.4	Minimum for passing
F	0	-	59.9	Minimal effort made in the course

If you encounter a situation beyond your control in which you will missing three (3) or more days of classes, you should contact the Office of Student Life (110 Bray Hall, 470-6660) and they will contact all your instructors for you. Supportive documentation may be required.

If you have an identified disability and will need accommodations, you should first contact Mr. Slocum in the Office of Student Life in 110 Bray Hall. Mr. Slocum will discuss the ESF process and work with you to access supportive services. If you have a learning disability, the College will require you to provide supportive documentation and will develop an approved accommodation sheet for you. We will not provide accommodations until Mr. Slocum has developed an accommodation plan and we meet to discuss its applicability to this course. Accommodations will not be provided retroactively. If you have any questions about disabilities, please contact me and/or Mr. Slocum as soon as possible. All conversations will be confidential.

Recommended Books:

§ Berkowitz, Alan R.; Nilon, Charles H.; Hollweg, Karen S. (Eds.), 2003. Understanding Urban Ecosystems: A New Frontier for Science and Education, Springer-Verlag, New York

§ Bullard, R. D. 1994. Introduction and chpt. 1, Environmental Justice for All in Unequal Protection : Environmental Justice and Communities of Color, Sierra Club Books.

§ Craul, P. 1992. Urban Soil in Landscape Design. Wiley, New York.

§ Douglas, I. 1983. The Urban Environment. Arnold, London.

§ Duany, A., E. Plater Zyberk, and J. Speck, 2000. Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream. North Point Press, New York.

§ Effler, S. W. 1996. Limnological and Engineering Analysis of a Polluted Urban Lake. Springer-Verlag, New York.

§ Forrester, J. 1969. Urban Dynamics, MIT Press, Cambridge

§ Hough, M. 1984. City Form and Natural Process : towards a new urban vernacular, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.

§ Howard, E. 1902. Garden Cities of Tomorrow.

§ Jacobs, J. 1961. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Vintage Books, New York.

§ Jacobs, J., 1970. The Economy of Cities. Vintage, New York.

§ Kunstler, J. H. 1996. Home from Nowhere. Simon and Schuster, New York.

§ Kunstler, J. H.. 2001. The City in Mind. The Free Press, New York.

§ McHarg, I. 1969. Design with Nature. American Museum of Natural History [by] the Natural History Press, Garden City, N.Y

§ Meadows, D. H., D. L. Meadows, and J. Randers, 1992. Beyond the Limits: confronting Global Collapse; Envisioning a Sustainable Future, Chelsea Green, White River Junction, VT.

§ Mumford, L. 1961. The City in History, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanich

§ Odum, H. T. 1970. Environment, Power, and Society, Wiley-Interscience, New York.

§ Spirn, A. W. 1984. The Granite Garden: Urban Nature and Human Design. Basic Books. New York.

§ Tainter, J. A. 1988. New Studies in Archeology: The Collapse of Complex Societies. Cambridge: Cambridge.

§ Todd, N. J. 1994. From Eco-cities to Living Machines: Principles of Ecological design, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, Calif.

§ Van der Ryn, S. and P. Calthorpe. 1986. Sustainable Communities: A new design synthesis for cities, suburbs and towns. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco.