Advancing Urban Ecology toward a Science of Cities

TLDR

Urban ecology is an interdisciplinary, rapidly growing field that remains heterogeneous and fragmented, yet holds promise for becoming an integrated science that informs decision‑makers about the complex interactions among social, ecological, economic, and built infrastructure systems. This paper presents an international consensus and proposes pathways to advance urban ecology toward a science of cities that supports sustainability, resilience, biodiversity conservation, and human well‑being. Advancement requires conceptual synthesis, data sharing, cross‑city comparative studies, new intellectual networks, interdisciplinary engagement, and addressing challenges in understanding urban system dynamics.

Abstract

Urban ecology is a field encompassing multiple disciplines and practical applications and has grown rapidly. However, the field is heterogeneous as a global inquiry with multiple theoretical and conceptual frameworks, variable research approaches, and a lack of coordination among multiple schools of thought and research foci. Here, we present an international consensus on how urban ecology can advance along multiple research directions. There is potential for the field to mature as a holistic, integrated science of urban systems. Such an integrated science could better inform decisionmakers who need increased understanding of complex relationships among social, ecological, economic, and built infrastructure systems. To advance the field requires conceptual synthesis, knowledge and data sharing, cross-city comparative research, new intellectual networks, and engagement with additional disciplines. We consider challenges and opportunities for understanding dynamics of urban systems. We suggest pathways for advancing urban ecology research to support the goals of improving urban sustainability and resilience, conserving urban biodiversity, and promoting human well-being on an urbanizing planet.