Once dominated by energy-intensive, ferrous-based industries, "Rust Belt"? cities in the Northeast and Midwest were the backbone of the U.S. economy. Over the last 50 years, however, their populations and economies contracted dramatically with many social and ecological ramifications. By re-envisioning blighted urban spaces and reconnecting to regional natural productive capacity, Rust Belt cities may arrive at a more sustainable social and ecological future. This collaborative research project will engage university-based scholars, government scientists, and local stakeholders in an examination of the process of urban greening to mitigate rust belt urban "blight" while enhancing the socioecological metabolism of these cities. The investigators' objectives are to use the theory of socioecological metabolism and behavioral decision theory to assess how the socioecological metabolism of a typical Rust Belt city has changed over time as well as its vulnerability to future external factors, such as restrictions in oil availability, climate change, and reverse migration from the Sunbelt. They also will investigate how city revitalization emphasizing natural ecosystem processes via green infrastructure might affect socioecological metabolism at both the city/regional and the household/neighborhood levels in the future. The investigators will explore with local government and citizen stakeholders the institutional and societal constraints that may limit transitioning to this new city form and how urban ecosystem science can be transferred from the scientific community to local actors. They also will explore the potential range of socioecological options and possibilities of land-use and land-cover structure and management and how it can contribute to long-term future sustainability and quality of life in Rust Belt cities.
This project will advance the scientific understanding of the human dimensions of urban ecosystem material and energy flows within the socioecological metabolism framework, particularly as related to the necessity of: providing reliable energy sources to support urban metabolism and understanding how alternative land-use and land-cover patterns will impact energy budgets, water. and air quality. The project will advance the scientific understanding of socioecological metabolism and its utility in urban planning, particularly with respect to urban greening; and it will provide an educational tool to cultivate urban citizens' interest about urban fauna and its evolution over time, ecosystem services, and biodiversity. The value of this work is not limited to Rust Belt cities. More broadly, the project will provide knowledge about the human dimensions of urban green revitalization, which has become an important national initiative, and a suite of tools designed with and for managers and decision makers that will help them explore alternative urban design and planning policies to mitigate the impact of potential external events, incorporate regional ecosystem production capacity, evaluate physical opportunities for green infrastructure, honor citizen preferences, and educate the community toward new paradigms in urban form. This award was funded as an Urban Long-Term Research Area Exploratory (ULTRA-Ex) award as the result of a special competition jointly supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
