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Credits: 3 Spring 2013: Not Offered |
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The conversion of land surface to urban uses is one of the most profound human impacts on the global biosphere. Urban growth and associated changes in human activities on the land (land use) and in the physical attributes of earth’s surface (land cover) have profound environmental consequences, including local and regional climate change, loss of wildlife habitat and biodiversity, soil erosion, and a decrease in ecosystem services. Aggregated globally, these effects constitute the most significant human impacts on the functioning of earth as a system. The impacts of urban growth and land-cover change will affect both earth’s biosphere and the quality of human life for generations to come. The interactions between human and ecological systems influence social marginalization and the vulnerability of people and places. This seminar examines the interactions and relationships between urbanization and global change at local, regional, and global scales. Topics include urban land-cover change, cities and local climate, urban vulnerability, urban diets and the challenges for agriculture, and the spatial evolution of cities.
