Landscape ecology

 1. Cities are ecosystems - consider ecosystem processes, and interrelationships between ecological functions and land transformation, improve how cities provide essential services to expanding urban population

2. Intertwining ecological and human processes - water, carbon and nutrient cycles, interconnected natural and social-ecological systems

3. Cities are heterogeneous - identifying patchiness of natural and man-made systems, having a mix of uses and green spaces has important effects on species - both humans and flora and fauna

4. Matrix matters - affects potential biodiversity and ecological functions, temperature, moisture, movement of animals, corridors and stepping stones, edges and nodes

5. Scale matters - information describing the environment at appropriate levels of scale is needed to make better decisions

6. Change is constant - disturbances, either natural or human-induced. To capture the benefit of ecological processes in cities, the design of cities will have to embrace this type of change. A long-term approach is needed to understand how to increase the real health of urban ecosystems. Changing our view of complexity to see diversity rather than mess will need to be part of this process. Incorporate adaptive management into processes of design and planning.

7. Clear articulation of goals and assumptions is important for evaluating and learning from outcomes. Goals may be different for different scales.

8. Be comforatble with uncertainty.

(Source: http://landscapeurbanism.com/article/changing-the-land/)

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