Course Description
This reading and field intensive course explores the theory and practice of urban “greening” by examining an urban green space in New York City. Drawing on analytical tools from the social and biophysical sciences, we will consider how New York’s historical and contemporary context shape the meaning, implementation, and social experience of its environmental spaces.
We will ask, “What does it mean to green New York? What does it mean to green a city?” Rather than accepting the answer to this term as self-evident, we will give it clear analytical contours and apply our research questions accordingly.
Our analytical approach integrates ecosystem ecology concepts, urban design principles, and social scientific sensibilities.
Course Objectives
- Define key theoretical concepts in urban ecology.
- Identify and analyze key local and global processes that influence the ecological health of our field site in New York City.
- Undertake, apply and evaluate primary research in urban ecology.
- Explain the function and utility of quantitative and qualitative research strategies for understanding environmental change in cities
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