Urban Ecology for the Development of Sustainable Living
Over the last decades, one of the most prominent change on earth is the conversion of land from wild to managed areas. The rapid growth of urban areas has an extremely large effect on both humans and other living organisms. Urban areas fragment the landscape but can also provide living space for a variety of organisms that could adapt to the urban environment.
In the UN developmental goal 11 - Sustainable cities and communities - it is stated that sustainable development cannot be achieved without transforming the way we design and manage our urban spaces. In this process, we need to consider the ecology of both beneficial organisms, such as pollinators, that could be a resource for food production, and pests that need to be managed.
In this course we will take a cross-disciplinary approach to prepare you to contribute to the development of sustainable future living, independent of your previous background in either natural or social science. Central to the course are the concepts of urban ecology and sustainable pest management, and how to design and maintain different types of green areas that are practical and adoptable for human activities
Course evaluation
The course evaluation is now closed
BI1380-40130 - Course evaluation report
Once the evaluation is closed, the course coordinator and student representative have 1 month to draft their comments. The comments will be published in the evaluation report.
Additional course evaluations for BI1380
Academic year 2023/2024
Urban Ecology for the Development of Sustainable Living (BI1380-40017)
2024-03-20 - 2024-06-02
Academic year 2021/2022
Urban Ecology for the Development of Sustainable Living (BI1380-40153)
2022-03-24 - 2022-06-05
Syllabus and other information
Syllabus
BI1380 Urban Ecology for the Development of Sustainable Living, 15.0 Credits
Urban Ecology for the Development of Sustainable LivingSubjects
Landscape Architecture Biology Biology Landscape ArchitectureEducation cycle
Master’s levelModules
| Title | Credits | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Single module | 15.0 | 0001 |
Advanced study in the main field
Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirementsMaster’s level (A1N)
Grading scale
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.
Language
EnglishPrior knowledge
Knowledge equivalent to at least 120 credits, of which at least 30 credits in one of the following subject areas: biology, landscape architecture, horticultural science, agricultural science or environmental science, and English 6 or equivalent.Objectives
The course is interdisciplinary and integrates ecology, pest management and urban planning with the aim to promote sustainable urban development for plants, animals and humans.
On completion of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain scientific concepts of urban ecology and integrated pest management (IPM), adapted to urban areas
• Analyse historical perspectives and future challenges for the development of urban green areas
• Integrate ecology and other disciplines to develop sustainable cities with focus on plants and their interacting species
• Analyse how theoretical concepts and reasoning within and among different subject areas can contribute to the design and management of sustainable green urban areas
• Identify hypotheses and scientifically investigate them to draw conclusions about sustainable development of green areas
• Communicate scientific results, and their implications for sustainable management of green areas, to a broad audience.
Content
The content ranges from natural science to social science perspectives, as well as their integration, for urban development in line with the UN sustainable development goals (e.g. SDG’s number 11 and 15). Central to the course are the concepts of urban ecology and sustainable pest management. Sustainable pest management relies on both profound ecological and biological knowledge of plant pests and beneficial organisms (e.g. pollinators), that is integrated with a social science perspective. The course addresses ecological processes within urban areas and how interactions between species (plants, microorganisms, insects) could be integrated with e.g. landscape architecture and environmental psychology, for developing sustainable urban areas for plants, animals and humans. Students are introduced to interdisciplinary work for designing and maintaining different types of green areas (e.g. parks, gardens, golf courses, urban farms) that are practical and adoptable for human activities. A range of perspectives from different actors (e.g. the public, decision makers, city planners and ecologists) of urban planning and management of urban green areas are part of the course, including perspectives of plant cultivation, biodiversity and invasive species, human health and wellbeing, landscape design and future challenges in both a Swedish and an international context. Students also have the opportunity to specialize within their own field and to understand how their own competences are needed to create sustainable cities.
The course is given via distance learning. Activities include lectures, seminars, case studies and other exercises and assignments, as well as project work.
Grading form
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.Formats and requirements for examination
The examination is based on oral and written reports of individual and group work. To pass the course students must pass the examination and participate in obligatory activities.
If a student has failed an examination, the examiner has the right to issue supplementary assignments. This applies if it is possible and there are grounds to do so.
The examiner can provide an adapted assessment to students entitled to study support for students with disabilities following a decision by the university. Examiners may also issue an adapted examination or provide an alternative way for the students to take the exam.
If this syllabus is withdrawn, SLU may introduce transitional provisions for examining students admitted based on this syllabus and who have not yet passed the course.
For the assessment of an independent project (degree project), the examiner may also allow a student to add supplemental information after the deadline for submission. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.
Other information
The right to participate in teaching and/or supervision only applies for the course instance the student was admitted to and registered on.
If there are special reasons, students are entitled to participate in components with compulsory attendance when the course is given again. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.
Additional information
The course is intended both for students with natural and social science background, and professionals.Responsible department
Department of Plant Protection Biology
Further information
Litterature list
Note that some additional literature is given in connection with lectures, assignments, seminars and project work.** **
Books:
Douglas I et al. 2020. The Routledge Handbook of Urban Ecology, Second edititon. Routledge, New York. Available as ebook from SLU library
Marzluff MJ et al. 2008. Urban Ecology. An International Perspective on the Interaction Between Humans and Nature. Springer, New York. Available as ebook from SLU library
Articles and book chapters:
DeFries & Nagendra. 2017. Ecosystem management as a wicked problem Science 356: 265–270. DOI: 10.1126/science.aal1950 (Lecture KKG)
Egan PA, Dicks LV, Hokkanen HMT and Stenberg JA. 2020. Delivering integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM). Trends in Plant Science 25: 577-589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2020.01.006 (Lecture JSB)
Elmqvist, T., et al. 2015. Benefits of restoring ecosystem services in urban areas. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 14: p. 101-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2015.05.001 (Lecture KKG)
Isaksson C. 2020. Urban ecophysiology: beyond costs, stress and biomarkers. Journal of Experimental Biology 223: jeb203794. doi:10.1242/jeb.203794 (Lecture CI)
Isaksson C and Bonier F. 2020. Urban evolutionary physiology* *In: Urban Evolutionary Biology. Edited by Szulkin M, Munshi-South J and Charmantier A. Oxford University Press.
DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198836841.003.0013 (Lecture CI)
Johnson TJ and Munshi-South J. 2017. Evolution of life in urban environments. Science 358, DOI: 10.1126/science.aam8327 (Lecture ÅL)
Karlsson Green K, Stenberg JA and Lankinen Å. 2020. Making sense of integrated pest management (IPM) in the light of evolution. Evolutionary Applications 13: 1791–1805.
https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13067 (Lecture JSB)
Lin, B.B., S.M. Philpott, and S. Jha. 2015. The future of urban agriculture and biodiversity-ecosystem services: Challenges and next steps. Basic and Applied Ecology, 16(3): p. 189-201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2015.01.005 (Lecture KKG)
Lowe, E.C., et al., 2019. Engaging urban stakeholders in the sustainable management of arthropod pests. Journal of Pest Science, 92(3): p. 987-1002. 10.1007/s10340-019-01087-8 (Lectures LGB & KKG)
Milot E and Stearns SC. 2020. Evolution of humans in cities. In: Urban Evolutionary Ecology. Edited by Szuskin M., Munshi-South J and Charmantier A. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198836841.003.0016 *File available for download *(Lecture ÅL)
McKinney ML. 2008. Effects of urbanization on species richness: A review of plants and animals. Urban Ecosystems 11:161–176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-007-0045-4 (Lecture ÅL)
Santangelo JS, Rivkin LR and Johnson TJ. 2018. The evolution of city life. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285: 20181529. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.1529 (Lecture ÅL)
Santangelo JS et al. 2022. Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover. Science 375: 1275-1281, DOI: 10.1126/science.abk0989 (Lecture ÅL)
Steffen W et al. 2015. Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science 347:1259855, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855 (Lecture KKG)
Stenberg JA. 2017. A conceptual framework for integrated pest management. Trends in Plant Science 22: 759-769. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.06.010 (Lecture JSB)