@article{38d3dd436da74adcaf6d16f13d15a123,
title = "Does the ecological concept of disturbance have utility in urban social–ecological–technological systems?",
abstract = "The ecological concept of disturbance has scarcely been applied in urban systems except in the erroneous but commonplace assumption that urbanization itself is a disturbance and cities are therefore perennially disturbed systems. We evaluate the usefulness of the concept in urban ecology by exploring how a recent conceptual framework for disturbance (Peters et al. 2011, Ecosphere, 2, art 81) applies to these social–ecological–technological systems (). Case studies, especially from the Long‐Term Ecological Research sites of Baltimore and Phoenix, are presented to show the applicability of the framework for disturbances to different elements of these systems at different scales. We find that the framework is easily adapted to urban and that incorporating social and technological drivers and responders can contribute additional insights to disturbance research beyond urban systems.",
keywords = "cities, conceptual framework, disturbance, economic disruption, fire, flood, land conversion, legacy, model, social–ecological–technological systems, urban vegetation, urbanization",
author = "Grimm, {Nancy B.} and Pickett, {Steward T.A.} and Hale, {Rebecca L.} and Cadenasso, {Mary L.}",
note = "Funding Information: We acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation via the following grants: Long-Term Ecological Research Program for work in Baltimore (DEB-1027188) and Phoenix (DEB-1026865), the Urban Resilience to Extreme Weather-related Events Sustainability Research Network (URExSRN; SES-1444755), Urban Sustainability Research Coordination Network (RCN-1140070), Innovative Urban Transitions and Aridregion Hydro-sustainability (EPSCoR IIA-1301792), and Managing Idaho{\textquoteright}s Landscapes for Ecosystem Services (EPSCoR IIA-1208732). In addition to financial support, our work on these projects has informed our thinking about urban disturbance and motivated this contribution. We also thank the organizers of the Ecological Society of America organized session on “The Emergence, Rise, and Future of Urban Ecology in the United States,” as well as the “Ecology In, Of, and For Cities” symposium, both at the Baltimore meeting, for prompting us to put this long-standing discussion into presentation and ultimately manuscript form. Two anonymous reviewers provided helpful comments that improved the final manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017, {\textcopyright} 2017 Grimm et al.",
year = "2017",
month = jan,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1002/ehs2.1255",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "3",
journal = "Ecosystem Health and Sustainability",
issn = "2096-4129",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "1",
}