Ecological Landscaping

From scientific principles to public practices and policies

An interdisciplinary conference to explore

designing and managing urbanized landscapes

Sunday October 28 - Wednesday October 31, 2007

Cleveland, OH

Conference Overview

          Ecologically-based landscaping guidelines and practices are needed to help solve urban environmental problems such as those related to storm water run-off, nutrient cycling, waste generation and disposal, air and water pollution, pest control and loss of beneficial biodiversity. Widespread adoption of holistic, ecosystem approaches to urbanized landscape design and management can help foster social, economic and environmental stewardship and sustainability among human inhabitants of urbanized environments.

   This conference will bring together a diversity of people interested in the environmental and sociocultural aspects of urbanized landscapes and provide a  venue for sharing, discussing and synthesizing information about the study and practice of urban landscape design and management. A key focus will be on fostering discussion of issues from multiple disciplinary and management perspectives.

   The central objective of the conference is to explore how ecological and sociocultural principles derived from basic research can guide on-the-ground practices of sustainable urbanized landscape design management and the development of public policies that foster such practices (Fig. 1). This conference will be distinguished from others by its emphasis on implementation and integration of scientific principles into the real-world design and management of urbanized landscapes.

Central questions to be addressed by conference speakers include the following:

• How should sustainable urbanized landscapes function and what should they look like?

• What previous research provides a strong foundation for principles and practices of ecological landscaping?

• What are the key research gaps and needs that need to be addressed for future progress in developing principles and practices of ecological landscaping?

• How can we develop attractive, healthy, and non-polluting urbanized landscapes that are economically and socially sustainable over long timescales?

• What socioeconomic and political factors influence the ways in which people design and manage urbanized landscapes?

• How can we bring about positive changes in public attitudes toward urban landscaping norms and practices?

• Can education about scientific principles change people’s perspectives about appropriate and sustainable urban landscaping practices?

  The target audience for the conference includes:

      ·        Social and natural scientists from universities, government, NGO's and consulting firms

·        Extension agents

·        Landscape designers and architects

·        Urban planners

·        Policy makers

·        Landscape and turfgrass managers

·        Landscape and turfgrass managers

·        Lawn care and landscape management companies

·        Students interested in urban ecology, horticulture, public policy, etc.

For additional informatio the conference coordinators:

Loren Byrne, Ph.D.
Roger William University
One Old Ferry Rd.
Bristol, RI
Ph: 330-263-3723,  Fax 330-263-3686; e-mail: lbyrne at rwu.edu
or
Parwinder Grewal, Ph.D.
The Ohio State University, OARDC
1680 Madison Ave.
Wooster, OH 44691
Ph: 330-263-3963, Fax 330-263-3686, e-mail: grewal.4@osu.edu 

Word documents for Sponsor Agreement and Vendor Contract