Author: Erin Kelly

Background & Theory

Civic Ecology

Application

Civic Ecology Praxis

Rapid urban expansion and sustainable development are viewed as incompatible.
Systems thinking allows us to see how these two processes may work together, leading to resilience in socio-ecological systems.

Marianne Krasny
Professor and Chair, Department of Natural Resources
Keith G. Tidball
Extension Associate and PhD Student, Department of Natural Resources

Urban
Community
Greening

Participatory Habitat
& Watershed
Restoration

Community-based
Biodiversity Monitoring
Monitoring

Existing
asset
in city

Global Urbanization1

Civic Ecology Research Applications
...in International and Community Development
Civic Ecology situates initiative and ownership within local communities, and thus fosters local leadership. This, along with its integration of diverse peoples and perspectives, participatory approaches, and commitment to learning, makes Civic Ecology an important element in sustainable approaches to international development and to developing resilience prior to and following disaster. 7
"Shaping an environment" or community through leveraging existing skills, leadership, and other assets to create an enabling environment for growth and sustainability is also an important element of Civic Ecology. 8
...in Conservation Education
Civic Ecology Education integrates learning from scientists and community members, and community action. The goal is to build resilient communities, through enabling youth and adults to develop and apply an understanding of science and of diverse cultures, and to become active, contributing, and informed members of their community. Civic Ecology Education builds on and reinforces existing community assets.9
...in Natural Resources Management
Community-based biodiversity monitoring and other Civic Ecology tools can be used to better manage natural resources. Currently, we are exploring issues related to urban land use management and community greening in Cape Town and Johannesburg South Africa, New York City, and New Orleans.

System Dynamics entails making three fundamental shifts of mind relative to traditional way of thinking.
From linear, laundry list thinking to a circular, closed-loop view of causality.
2. From an external to an internal focus on performance; how we, not others, are responsible for results.
3. A focus on an operational view of how things work in contrast to analysis methods based on statistical correlation of past trends.2
“Systems dynamics thinking gets a lot of its power from a 'feedback' perspective -- the realization that tough dynamic problems arise in situations with lots of pressures and perceptions that interact to form loops of circular causality, rather than simple one-way causal chains.”3

Asset
enhanced

More
resilient
city

Intervention

Feedback loops help us to understand how existing assets in cities can be used to help resolve conflicts that arise through resource exploitation.

Research Questions
What role do urban community greening, watershed restoration, and similar Civic Ecology initiatives play in building communities that are resilient in the face of conflict and disaster?
What is the role of education programs based in Civic Ecology initiatives in building community resilience?
How might Civic Ecology initiatives be used in development, post-conflict reconstruction, and “Environmental Peacemaking”?5

The Problem
With urban centers growing at an unprecedented rate, cities are becoming an increasingly critical component of regional and global socio-ecological systems. This leads to two important questions:
At what point will cities' ability to demonstrate resilience, or capacity to tolerate further change without reorganizing around a different set of structures and procedures, be compromised?
How will such loss of social and ecological structure and processes impact global human and environmental security?
The Solution
Civic Ecology seeks to answer questions about the role of community-based environmental initiatives in building resilience and security in cities.

Natural
Resources

Cities

Resilience theory provides explanations for the source and role of transforming change in adaptive systems.4

REFERENCES
United Nations World Urbanization . www.un.org/.../publications/WUP2005/2005wup.htm
RJ Walkers adaptation of Barry Richmond. An Introduction to Systems Thinking, iThink 4.0 documentation, High Performance Systems Inc., Page I-12.
3. George Richardson. System Dynamics in an Elevator. http://www.stewardshipmodeling.com/System%20Dynamics%20in%20the%20Elevator.htm
4. Panarchy diagram courtesy of The Sustainable Scale Project. http://www.sustainablescale.org/ConceptualFramework/UnderstandingScale/MeasuringScale/Panarchy.aspx
Conca, K & G Dabelko (Eds.), 2002, Environmental Peacemaking, Johns Hopkins University Press.
6.Urban resilience diagram courtesy of Urban Resilience Research Prospectus, Resilience Alliance. http://www.resalliance.org/1610.php
7. Tidball, KG & ME Krasny,. 2007. “From Risk to Resilience: What Role for Community Greening and Civic Ecology in Cities?” in Wals, Arjen (editor), Social Learning Towards a more Sustainable World, Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
8. Krasny, ME & KG. Tidball. Civic Ecology Education: a Systems Approach to Resilience and Learning in Cities. Environmental Education Research. (accepted, in revision).
9. Weinstein, E & KG Tidball. 2007. Environment Shaping: an Alternative Approach to Development and Aid. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, Routledge, Vol. 1, Issue 1.

Civic Ecology is a systems approach to urban resilience6 that integrates social and ecological processes, governance, and the built environment.