Urban Ecology: Science of Cities by Richard T. T. Forman (review)

Book Review URBAN ECOLOGY: SCIENCE OF CITIES. By Richard T. T. Forman.2014. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. 478 pages. $120 hardcover, $60 paperback, ISBN: 978-1-107-00700-0 (hardcover), ISBN: 978-0-521-18824-1 (paperback) Reviewed by Laura R. Musacchio The maturation of the science of urban ecology in the United States over the past two decades represents a milestone in the discipline of ecology, with great potential to enhance the relationship between science and urbanism in this century. The Long-Term Ecological Research projects (LTER) in Phoenix and Baltimore, Urban Long-Term Ecological Research Area projects (ULTRA), and Urban Long-Term Ecological Research Area Exploratory projects (ULTRA- Ex) have repositioned urban ecology from the margins of ecology to one of its most important frontiers for building cross-disciplinary awareness and understanding. These projects helped to establish new approaches for interdisciplinary research collaborations among the ecological, social, and biophysical sciences, which now are the standard for organizing research and educational programs across academia, and especially at major public universities in the United States. To broaden the appeal of the science of urban ecology beyond scientists, transdisciplinary activities must be expanded to synthesize and translate urban ecological research so that it will be more user-friendly for practitioners to apply to the design, planning, and management of cities and infrastructure. In this context, Richard Forman's new book, Urban Ecology: Science of Cities, makes an important contribution to building cross-disciplinary awareness and understanding between science, design, planning, and management by synthesizing and translating urban ecology's key principles and concepts so that they are more accessible and understandable. This book will likely appeal across disciplines (e.g., ecology, natural resources, design, planning, geography, and urban...