Nachbarschaftsgarten Wieckerstr., Berlin; Photo: Monika Egerer
We use interdisciplinary research to explore ecological and social dimensions of urban ecosystems, with a focus on urban agricultural systems. Our goal is to help create productive spaces within cities that offer food, habitat, and community.
Imagine a city full of life. Rich with biodiversity and nourished communities. Resilient to climate change and restoring habitat for endangered species.
Our research explores how to transform human spaces into thriving productive ecosystems. We combine approaches from community ecology, agriculture, and geography to understand how we can manage urban habitats and landscapes to better support biodiversity and ecosystem function, while improving human wellbeing.
Because better cities mean a brighter future for all of us.
Most people live in cities globally. An increasing amount of land on this planet is being paved to accommodate urban and suburban development, often with negative implications for biodiversity and for ecosystem service provision. We need to understand how we can transform these landscapes for both people and nature.
Most of our knowledge of ecosystems and understanding of sustainable agriculture is based on rural systems and natural systems. Urban ecology and urban agriculture needs equivalent ecological knowledge fit for dynamic city environments to best support biodiversity and ecosystem services. Our research team uses urban systems such as community gardens and green spaces as a laboratory for scientific investigations to unravel complex ecological relationships, and as a classroom to teach students, scientists, and community members.
We explore the ecological interactions and processes in urban ecosystems and agroecosystems that provide ecosystem services — the benefits that people derive from ecological properties and processes. We largely focus on pest control, pollination, and climate regulation in relation to urban food production. Our work also incorporates aspects of human wellbeing, and how this relates to habitat management and use. Our vision is to build a scientific understanding of the ecology of urban productive ecosystems, to disseminate management information to diverse stakeholders, and to improve urban sustainability for people and the environment.
