The Story
This introductory textbook with a global scope aims to train students of geography, sustainability, and urban and environmental studies to re-imagine and transform cities to meet climate, biodiversity, and sustainability challenges. A dedicated team of authors critically examine the relationships between nature and urban areas, sharing an inspiring account of how nature helps us re-think our cities and their futures. Prior to this textbook, literature for courses covering urban nature was written by and for practitioners, whereas this textbook is written by experienced course instructors specifically to be accessible to diverse students. The textbook is illustrated with numerous photos and figures which bring key topics, challenges, and opportunities to life. It contains focus boxes and case studies from every continent, offering students an international scope and multiple entry points into the field. Chapters conclude with thought-provoking follow-up questions and recommended reading. The authors provide an array of supplementary online resources.
- Chapters are short, engaging in style, and relate to students as future practitioners
- Achieves a truly international lens, spotlighting locations ranging from Cape Town to Mexico City, Tianjin to Malmö
- A multi-author team representing urban nature from many angles captures the interdisciplinary nature of thinking on cities, nature, and sustainability
- Considers cities as dense networks of interwoven socio-spatial processes that are simultaneously local and global, human and physical, cultural and organic, which opens the door for more integrated measures
- Encourages students to notice the siloed structure of conventional approaches to city governance, finance, and engineering in meeting profoundly interconnected sustainability challenges
- Uses focus boxes to highlight the design and impact of nature-based solutions to urban problems
Description
This introductory textbook with a global scope aims to train students of geography, sustainability, and urban and environmental studies to re-imagine and transform cities to meet climate, biodiversity, and sustainability challenges. A dedicated team of authors critically examine the relationships between nature and urban areas, sharing an inspiring account of how nature helps us re-think our cities and their futures. Prior to this textbook, literature for courses covering urban nature was written by and for practitioners, whereas this textbook is written by experienced course instructors specifically to be accessible to diverse students. The textbook is illustrated with numerous photos and figures which bring key topics, challenges, and opportunities to life. It contains focus boxes and case studies from every continent, offering students an international scope and multiple entry points into the field. Chapters conclude with thought-provoking follow-up questions and recommended reading. The authors provide an array of supplementary online resources.
- Chapters are short, engaging in style, and relate to students as future practitioners
- Achieves a truly international lens, spotlighting locations ranging from Cape Town to Mexico City, Tianjin to Malmö
- A multi-author team representing urban nature from many angles captures the interdisciplinary nature of thinking on cities, nature, and sustainability
- Considers cities as dense networks of interwoven socio-spatial processes that are simultaneously local and global, human and physical, cultural and organic, which opens the door for more integrated measures
- Encourages students to notice the siloed structure of conventional approaches to city governance, finance, and engineering in meeting profoundly interconnected sustainability challenges
- Uses focus boxes to highlight the design and impact of nature-based solutions to urban problems
