Every month we feature a Roundtable in which a group responds to a specific question on The Nature of Cities. Check out the responses and join the conversation.
What did you read in 2018 that moved you? Isabelle Michele Sophie Anguelovski,
Barcelona |
Marc Barra,
Paris |
Katie Coyne,
Austin |
Samarth Das,
Mumbai |
Marcelo Lopes de Souza,
Rio de Janeiro |
Artur Jerzy Filip,
Warsaw |
Claudia Luna Fuentes,
Saltillo |
Russell Galt,
Edinburgh |
Ursula Heise,
Los Angeles |
Toby Kent,
Melbourne |
Patrick M. Lydon,
Osaka |
Pascal Mittermaier,
Boston |
Steward Pickett,
Poughkeepsie |
Huda Shaka,
Dubai |
David Simon,
Gothenburg |
Jay Valgora,
New York |
Chantal van Ham,
Brussels |
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Artists in Conversation with Water in Cities Carmen Bouyer,
Paris |
Patrick M. Lydon,
Osaka |
Antonio José García Cano,
Murcia |
Katrine Claassens,
Montreal |
Claudia Luna Fuentes,
Saltillo |
Nazlı Gürlek,
Istanbul & Palo Alto |
Basia Irland,
Albuquerque |
Robin Lasser,
Oakland |
Mary Mattingly,
Brooklyn |
Marguerite Perret,
Topeka |
Bonnie Sherk,
San Francisco |
Nadia Vadori-Gauthier Vadori-Gauthier,
Paris |
Aloïs Yang,
Prague |
8 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
What is one thing every ecologist should know about urban ecology? Pippin Anderson,
Cape Town |
Erik Andersson,
Stockholm |
Marc Barra,
Paris |
Nathalie Blanc,
Paris |
Marcus Collier,
Dublin |
Paul Downton,
Melbourne |
Ana Faggi,
Buenos Aires |
Niki Frantzeskaki,
Rotterdam |
Dagmar Haase,
Berlin |
Steven Handel,
New Brunswick |
Nadja Kabisch,
Berlin |
Timon McPhearson,
New York |
Harini Nagendra,
Bangalore |
Steward Pickett,
Poughkeepsie |
Philip Silva,
New York |
Mike Wells,
Bath |
Weiqi Zhou,
Beijing |
15 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
Let go of some urban domestication: How would you convince the mayor to re-wild the city? Juan Azcarate,
Bogotá |
Keith Bowers,
Charleston |
Katrine Claassens,
Montreal |
Don Dearborn,
Lewiston |
Ian Douglas,
Manchester |
Ana Faggi,
Buenos Aires |
Lincoln Garland,
Bath |
Amy Hahs,
Ballarat, Australia |
Mark Hostetler,
Gainesville |
Keitaro Ito,
Fukutsu City |
Louise Lezy-Bruno,
Paris |
Jala Makhzoumi,
Beirut |
Juliana Montoya,
Bogota |
Daniel Phillips,
Detroit |
Mohan Rao,
Bangalore |
Kevin Sloan,
Dallas-Fort Worth |
Kati Vierikko,
Helsinki |
35 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
Are cities ecosystems—analogous to natural ones—of nature, infrastructure and people? Does thinking about cities in this way help us think about urban design? Marina Alberti,
Seattle |
Erik Andersson,
Stockholm |
Sarah Dooling,
Austin/Boston |
Paul Downton,
Melbourne |
Thomas Elmqvist,
Stockholm |
Nancy Grimm,
Phoenix |
Dagmar Haase,
Berlin |
Dominique Hes,
Melbourne |
Kristina Hill,
Berkeley |
Madhusudan Katti,
Raleigh |
Francois Mancebo,
Paris |
Clifford Ochs,
Oxford |
Steward Pickett,
Poughkeepsie |
Stephanie Pincetl,
Los Angeles |
Rob Pirani,
New York |
Richard Register,
Berkeley |
Eric Sanderson,
New York |
Alexis Schaffler,
Berkeley/Johannesburg/Cape Town |
Vivek Shandas,
Portland |
David Simon,
Gothenburg |
Jane Toner,
Melbourne |
Yolanda van Heezik,
Dunedin |
Ken Yeang,
Kuala Lumpur |
David Maddox,
New York |
15 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
What are we trying to accomplish with biophilic cities? What are ambitious goals and targets, and measures of success? Pippin Anderson,
Cape Town |
Tim Beatley,
Charlottesville |
Lena Chan,
Singapore |
Paul Downton,
Melbourne |
Ian Douglas,
Manchester |
Dusty Gedge,
London |
David Goode,
Bath |
Bram Gunther,
New York |
Chris Ives,
Nottingham |
Tania Katzschner,
Cape Town |
Steve Maslin,
Bristol |
Peter Newman,
Perth |
Phil Roös,
Geelong |
Eric Sanderson,
New York |
Jana Söderlund,
Perth |
Fleur Timmer,
Bristol |
Chantal van Ham,
Brussels |
Mike Wells,
Bath |
Ken Yeang,
Kuala Lumpur |
22 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
24 January 2017
You say po-TAY-to. What ecologists and landscape architects don’t get about each other, but ought to. Ana Faggi,
Buenos Aires |
Mark Hostetler,
Gainesville |
Maria E Ignatieva,
Perth |
Amy Hahs,
Ballarat, Australia |
Jürgen Breuste,
Salzburg |
Susannah Drake,
New York City |
Marcus Hedblom,
Uppsala |
Andrew Grant,
Bath |
Mike Wells,
Bath |
Steven Handel,
New Brunswick |
Diane Pataki,
Salt Lake City |
Ian MacGregor-Fors,
Xalapa |
Anne Trumble,
Los Angeles |
Christine Thuring,
Vancouver |
Kevin Sloan,
Dallas-Fort Worth |
Gloria Aponte,
Medellín |
Nina-Marie Lister,
Toronto |
Sarah Hinners,
Salt Lake City |
AnaLuisa Artesi,
Buenos Aires |
Jala Makhzoumi,
Beirut |
Jason King,
Portland |
Yun Hye HWANG,
Singapore |
Danielle Dagenais,
Montreal |
Mary Cadenasso,
Davis |
Veronica Fabio,
Buenos Aires |
Peter Werner,
Darmstadt |
44 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
How can we make urban nature and its value more apparent, more “visible” to people? Simone Borelli,
Rome |
Sarah Charlop-Powers,
New York |
Marcus Collier,
Dublin |
Sven Eberlein,
Oakland |
David Goode,
Bath |
Leen Gorissen,
Antwerp |
Cecilia Herzog,
Rio de Janeiro |
Seth Magle,
Chicago |
Polly Moseley,
Liverpool |
Ragene Palma,
Manila |
Jennifer Sánchez,
San José |
Richard Scott,
Liverpool |
Chantal van Ham,
Brussels |
Gavin Van Horn,
Chicago |
Mark Weckel,
New York |
Mike Wetter,
Portland |
Niki Frantzeskaki,
Rotterdam |
Hastings Chikoko,
Johannesburg |
6 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
Urban agriculture has many benefits. Is one of them a contribution to urban sustainability? Jane Battersby,
Cape Town |
Katrin Bohn,
Brighton |
Christopher Bryant,
Montreal |
Easther Chigumira,
Harare |
Evan Fraser,
Guelph |
Kelly Hodgins,
Guelph |
Patrick Hurley,
Collegeville, PA |
Francois Mancebo,
Paris |
Idah Mbengo,
Harare |
Innisfree McKinnon,
Menomonie |
Leslie McLees,
Eugene |
Geneviève Metson,
Vancouver |
Navin Ramankutty,
Vancouver |
Kristin Reynolds,
New York City |
Esther Sanyé-Mengual,
Bologna |
Shaleen Singhal,
New Delhi |
Kathrin Specht,
Müncheberg |
Naomi Tsur,
Jerusalem |
Andre Viljoen,
Brighton |
Claudia Visoni,
São Paulo |
15 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
28 May 2016
Common threads: connections among the ideas of Jane Jacobs and Elinor Ostrom, and their relevance to urban socio-ecology Paul Downton,
Melbourne |
Johan Enqvist,
Stockholm |
Sheila Foster,
Washington, DC |
Lisa Gansky,
San Francisco |
Mathieu Hélie,
Montréal |
Mark Hostetler,
Gainesville |
Michelle Johnson,
New York City |
Marianne Krasny,
Ithaca |
David Maddox,
New York |
Michael Mehaffy,
Portland |
Harini Nagendra,
Bangalore |
Raul Pacheco-Vega,
Aguascalientes |
Mary Rowe,
Toronto |
Alex Russ,
Ithaca |
Laura Shillington,
Managua & Montreal |
Anne Trumble,
Los Angeles |
Arjen Wals,
Wageningen |
Abigail York,
Tempe |
11 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
30 April 2016
Visions of resilience: Eighteen artists say or show something in response to the word “resilience” Juan Carlos Arroyo,
Bogotá |
David Brooks,
New York City |
Katrine Claassens,
Montreal |
Emilio Fantin,
Milan |
Ganzeer,
Los Angeles |
Lloyd Godman,
Melbourne |
Fran Ilich,
New York City |
Frida Larios,
Antiguo Cuzcatlán, Copán, and Washington |
Todd Lester,
Säo Paulo |
Patrick M. Lydon,
Osaka |
Mary Mattingly,
Brooklyn |
David Maddox,
New York |
E. J. McAdams,
New York City |
Mary Miss,
New York City |
Edna Peres,
Johannesburg |
Caroline Robinson,
Auckland |
Finzi Saidi,
Pretoria |
Keijiro Suzuki,
Yamaguchi & Nagoya |
16 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
Taking “resilience” out of the realm of metaphor. How do you measure resilience in cities? How would you know if your city or your community was resilient? Keren Bolter,
Fort Lauderdale |
Cezar Busatto,
Porto Alegre |
Lorenzo Chelleri,
Barcelona |
William Dunbar,
Tokyo |
Thomas Elmqvist,
Stockholm |
Antoine Faye,
Dakar |
Richard Friend,
York |
Lance Gunderson,
Atlanta |
Tom Henfrey,
Bristol |
Patricia Holly,
Barcelona and Nairobi |
Dan Lewis,
Barcelona and Nairobi |
Rachna Leveque,
London |
Shuaib Lwasa,
Kampala |
Timon McPhearson,
New York |
Franco Montalto,
Philadelphia and Venice |
Luciana Nery,
Rio de Janeiro |
Henk Ovink,
The Hague |
Elisabeth Peyroux,
Paris |
Catherine Sutherland,
Durban |
Pakamas Thinphanga,
Bangkok |
Claire Weisz,
New York |
Daniel Zarrilli,
New York |
20 Comment(s) Join our Conversation
What prevents us from creating cities that are better for people and nature? It doesn’t seem like a lack of knowledge—don’t we have enough research knowledge to act on better policy? So, what is the impediment?
What I mean when I talk about collaboration. What is a specific experience collaborating on a project with someone from a different discipline or “way of knowing”?
Our goal is to empower cities to plan for a positive natural future. What is one specific action that should be taken to achieve this goal?
As a landscape architect, how do you interpret the word “biodiversity”? How does this meaning find expression in your design?
An urban planner and an urban ecologist walk into a bar. They chat about how (and maybe whether) “ecology” could play a bigger role in planning…
Smart cities are coming. Can they be as much about nature, health, and wellbeing as traffic flows, crime detection, and evermore efficient provision of utilities?
What is one thing every ecologist should know about urban ecology?
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Let go of some urban domestication: How would you convince the mayor to re-wild the city?
Ecosystems for everyone: Who should have access to the myriad benefits of ecosystem services and urban nature? Everyone. Does everyone? No. How will we achieve this moral imperative?
Imagine an “ecological certification” for urban design. What are such a certification’s key elements?
Are cities ecosystems—analogous to natural ones—of nature, infrastructure and people? Does thinking about cities in this way help us think about urban design?
To whom does a city’s nature belong? Is it a common pool resource, or a public good? And who decides?
What are we trying to accomplish with biophilic cities? What are ambitious goals and targets, and measures of success?
You say po-TAY-to. What ecologists and landscape architects don’t get about each other, but ought to.
Read this! 90 recommendations for the one book about (or relevant to) cities that everyone should read
Resilience isn’t only about infrastructure. How can we better support community-based environmental stewardship in readiness, response, and recovery from disturbance?
Habitat III is finally a reality. From your perspective, what would be the single most important tangible outcome (not output) of the event—short or long term—and what will it take to achieve this outcome?
How can we make urban nature and its value more apparent, more “visible” to people?
What are the unifying elements of an urban ecology of the Global South and geographic south? Are they different than those in the north?
Urban agriculture has many benefits. Is one of them a contribution to urban sustainability?
Common threads: connections among the ideas of Jane Jacobs and Elinor Ostrom, and their relevance to urban socio-ecology
Visions of resilience: Eighteen artists say or show something in response to the word “resilience”
Graffiti and street art can be controversial, but can also be a medium for voices of social change, protest, or expressions of community desire. What, how, and where are examples of graffiti as a positive force in communities?
Landscape initiatives are in operation or in development in many parts of the world. What is key to making them work and be useful? How are they good for cities?
Can cities save bees? How can urban habitats be made to serve pollinator conservation? How can that story be better told?
An explicitly urban Sustainable Development Goal has been adopted by the UN (#11). Now what? Where could it go wrong?
Green Form and Function versus Green Nativism: In changing urban spaces full of novel ecosystems and natural assemblages, is native purity a viable option?
What is the insurance value of urban ecosystems and their services?
Why don’t all public buildings have green roofs? Or all large private buildings (e.g. businesses)? Would this be a good idea? What would it take to make it happen and to make it worthwhile?
10 scientists and 10 practitioners walk into a bar…what would they talk about? How can research and knowledge generation be co-created to better support practitioners and evidence-based decision making?
Taking “resilience” out of the realm of metaphor. How do you measure resilience in cities? How would you know if your city or your community was resilient?
Imaging the urban wild: Fourteen photographers and artists show and talk about their work
Daylighting and restoring urban streams, ponds and wetlands can provide huge ecological and social benefits. Are such restorations “worth it”? What are the pitfalls? How can we demonstrate these benefits and elevate them in the public discourse so that urban wetlands become urban planning priorities?
Is there such a thing as a “bird friendly city”? What does it look like? What does it not look like? Why bother?
Urban water fronts have typically been sites of heavy development and often are sites of pollution or exclusive access. But they have enormous potential benefits. How can we unlock these benefits for everyone? Are there ecological vs. social vs. economic tradeoffs?
How can different ways of knowing—and of producing knowledge—be useful for understanding and managing urban ecosystems?
How can art (in all its forms), exhibits, installations and provocations be a better catalyst to raise awareness, support and momentum for urban nature and green spaces?
Do urban green corridors “work”? It depends on what we want them to do. What ecological and/or social functions can we realistically expect green corridors to perform in cities? What attributes define them, from a design and performance perspective?
What is the meaning and role of the “sacred” in the design and management of urban green space and the building of cities that are both green and livable?
How much should we worry about exotic species in urban zones? How do we reduce damage from exotic invasives when management resources are limited? Are there conflicts between management or eradication efforts and building general support for urban biodiversity?
Environmental education in cities focuses on youth and community development, restoring ecosystems, building green infrastructure, and more. But is urban environmental education really anything new? What should its goals and practices look like?
A Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on Cities and Human Settlements is competing for a place among the final United Nations SDGs that will be approved in 2014. If there were an explicitly Urban SDG, what would it look like? What should it say?
The sky is the limit for urban agriculture. Or is it? What can cities hope to get from community gardens and urban agriculture?
Many believe that better information on the monetary value of ecosystem services is critical for getting cities to adopt more green infrastructure solutions to issues such as storm water management, heat island, storm surge, etc. True? What are the key knowledge gaps for convincing cities to invest in ecosystems services?
What are the social justice implications of urban ecology, and how can we make sure that “green cities” are not synonymous with “gentrified” or “exclusive” cities?
Should programs in architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture require a certain minimum level of learning about the fundamentals of ecology? Why?
