Such an understanding requires more than knowledge of physical and biological science, says William Burch of the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Since human beings and their communities play an integral role in how urban and suburban landscapes evolve, we need to understand how these changes come about and what social, cultural and political influences drive them. Most ecologists have not been used to doing this, he adds. It requires that we integrate substantially with social scientists. It is this unique challenge of joining environmental and human dimensions that has led Pickett, Burch and a team of ecologists, social scientists, foresters and geographers to become engaged in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study.
Ecological research needs to be focused more directly on populated areas.
It is for these reasons that neighborhood outreach programs and summer institutes for teachers are such key elements of the study. Suburban Sprawl and Urban In-filling Throughout the nation, measures to put the brakes on accelerated development of rural areas have set off firestorms of debate and controversy. They include measures like Maryland's Smart Growth initiative, measures which aim to preserve forests, wetlands and rural areas and to foster redevelopment of metropolitan areas, especially cities that over the last several decades have experienced population losses and abandonment of commercial and residential buildings. These measures guide growth toward areas where roads and streets, along with underground sewage pipes and stormwater drains, are already in place. Many planners counter, however, that by in-filling urban centers, we have a better chance to control and consolidate wastes, treating them more efficiently before they drain into the Bay's tributaries.