Apologies for cross postings
Call for Papers
Sustainable Ecologies of Global Cities
IGU / IBG Conference 15-20 August 2004, Glasgow UK
It is estimated that by 2010 almost 80% of the World's population will be living in cities, and as a result the sustainability of city living and urban development is set to become a major issue. The focus of the Rio and Johannesburg Worlds summits have thrust issues of sustainability and biodiversity onto the world stage and the conflict between people and nature is at its greatest within urban areas. It is clear that traditional views of the opposition or duality of nature and the city are undergoing reformulation in physical, social and political domains. It is now time to draw these currents of work together in order to think past the polar opposites and work towards a more holistic vision of sustainable urban living in the 21st century. The proposed session will consider (amongst others):
- What are the key ecological processes operating at city scales?
- How does an understanding of these aid the planning and design process?
- In what ways are ecological processes incorporated into the planning process at a variety of scales?
- Are new models of ecology, such as non-equilibrium ecologies, altering traditional conservation planning paradigms?
- What conflicts arise at the practical and conceptual interface between planning and ecology?
- How do these models intersect with debates concerning sustainability and livability.
- What notions of nature and society are built into ecological models?
- How can urban ecology contribute to a reformulation of the relations between nature and the city?
Drawing contributions from leading international scientists, this session aims to draw together key aspects of science and society in urban areas to provide a forum for dialogue and stimulate new relational ways of thinking sustainable ecologies in global cities. A range of approaches are encouraged from scientific and social disciplines such as ecology, biogeography, landscape design, planning, civil design, political ecology, cultural ecology, political economy, urban studies, human geography, economic geography. The session intends to attract, academics, practitioners, and policy-makers.
Structure: three components:
1. New ecologies of the city
2. Peopling and the ecology of the city
3. Sustainable ecologies of the city.
If you are interested in participating in this session please contact: Jon Sadler ([log in to unmask]), John Bryson ([log in to unmask]) or James Evans ([log in to unmask])
Please send expressions of interest and/or abstracts of 200 words by March 1, 2004.
Dr. James Evans
ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
U.K.
http://www.gees.bham.ac.uk
Tel. +44 (0)121 4148096
Fax. +44 (0)121 4145528
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