Complexity and Consequence in Coupled Natural Urban Systems

We start by stating the obvious: human activities have profound impacts on the environment. While there are more apparent and singularly evident mechanisms by which we harm the natural environment, such as through pollutants and waste, the impact of human settlements is more extensive yet less examined outcome. It has been widely noted that our human population is moving increasingly into urban or collocated settlements, concentrating our footprints into ever larger towns and cities. Such colocation brings economic and cultural benefits but concentrates environmental impacts. There is increasing work that recognizes that urban and natural ecosystems must be considered as continuities and that zoning regulations that prescribe areas for settlement do not delineate boundaries of these systems.