Urban and Regional Issues

Finding the balance

Our research tries to improve environmental conditions in cities, while at the same time reaching out to ensure viable regional areas through regional industry and ecosystem health.

We are working hard to address several critical issues:

• analyzing and reducing the environmental footprint of cities, suburbs and industrial areas
  
• understanding environmental and social health in cities
• studying aging in rural industries and out migration of young people from rural areas

Why conduct research in urban and rural issues?

Globally, urbanization and suburbanization are driving many environmental and social changes, so there is no shortage of interesting work in this area. It also makes for convenient fieldwork because it can be done close to home.

As a student, you have the opportunity to influence policy by working for people that are making important decisions in these areas. Here are just a few examples of the many urban and rural research projects you could be involved in:

• determining fire risk and asset protection priorities for HRM’s urban fringe
• developing plans for forests in cities and on university campuses
• using visual methods to integrate student values in campus landscape development
• measuring environmental impact at the neighbourhood level
• discovering how the multi-functionality of urban landscapes can influence long-term sustainability

Find out what our researchers are working on:

	Kate Sherren Dr. Sherren focuses on balancing the benefits and risks of urban and peri-urban nature, with a particular interest in fire risk. Her students have had the opportunity to influence municipal decision-making around trees and fire management in the urban fringe.
	Peter Duinker Dr. Duinker concentrates on urban forests, as well as rural woodlot management. He recently spearheaded the creation of the Halifax Regional Municipality’s Urban Forest Master Plan, which was adopted by HRM Council in September 2012 and will guide improvements in the HRM tree canopy for decades to come.
	Peter Tyedmers Dr. Tyedmers uses environmental indicators, like ecological footprint and energy use, to understand the sustainability implications of our lifestyle choices. His work has challenged widely held assumptions related to the drivers of urban environmental impact.
	Michelle Adams Dr. Adams concentrates on the sustainability implications of re-industrializing our cities in a manner that bases the architectural design and planning on the models and metaphors found in ecological systems. She is currently a co-editor and chapter author of a forthcoming book based on collaborations with researchers in the United Kingdom.
	Karen Beazley Dr. Beazley focuses on regional-scale landscape conservation and connectivity planning. She has strong relationships with local and regional organizations that are implementing biodiversity conservation research and planning, which provides her students with great opportunities to work on interesting projects.
	Tony Walker Dr. Walker has spent many years studying the impacts of environmental pollution arising from urban developments or industrial facilities adjacent to communities. Much of this research focuses on quantifying the extent and magnitude of pollution and then developing risk based management or remediation strategies to mitigate contaminants in the urban or regional environment.