Integration of urban ecological research into urban planning

Background/Question/Methods

The identification and conservation of critical landscapes and their associated ecological functions in the Northeast Megaregion will face enormous challenges by the mid-21st century. Stretching from the northern suburbs of Boston to the southern suburbs of Washington, D.C., the Northeast Megaregion is home to about 49 million people. It is expected to grow by 19 million people by the year 2050. This population depends on the region’s unique natural landscapes and estuaries that provide drinking water, food and fiber production, wildlife habitat, carbon sinks, and recreational amenities. These environmental assets are increasingly threatened by rapid growth at the metropolitan fringe, increased fragmentation of vegetated cover and land ownership, environmental stress and degradation, and the multiplicity of government land use and natural resource policies and regulations. Anticipated changes in climate, including greater frequency of droughts and extraordinary storm events, rising temperatures, and retreat of winter snow pack, will exacerbate these threats.

Results/Conclusions

Regional approaches to land and water conservation and recent advances in green design and engineering are fostering sustainable approaches to managing these landscapes and estuaries. Examples include New Jersey’s Highlands Regional Council, Long Island Sound Stewardship System, and the New York New Jersey Harbor Comprehensive Restoration Improvement Plan.