Course Description
Students will be introduced to the interdisciplinary field of urban forestry and its implementation across the world. They will learn the principles behind urban forest governance, urban forest planning and green-space management, and their role in contributing to human health and wellbeing, more vibrant and attractive cities, improved ecosystem functioning, and building resiliency to an uncertain and changing climate. Students will develop and apply knowledge through interactive instruction, reading and writing assignments to assess and critique contemporary urban forest case studies, self-guided field trips, and conducting an urban forest site analysis and planning project. Exercises will be used throughout the course to provide a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges faced by urban forest managers and stewards.
Topics covered in this course include the impacts of urbanization on urban nature and urban ecology, history and evolution of urban forestry, urban forest ecosystem services, urban forest management, climate change, society and human well-being, design and planning, urban/rural interface issues, and urban forest governance and policy.
Target Audience
This course is meant for students of forestry and related fields (such as ecology, arboriculture, environmental sciences) who are interested in urban forestry. The course can also be taken by students with backgrounds in e.g. urban planning, geography, and landscape architecture. The course was developed as part of a larger online graduate course within the field of forestry, but can in principle be taken as a stand-alone course. Some prior knowledge of forests and forestry will be beneficial. The course focuses on the Asia Pacific region, but also covers examples from other parts of the world.
Course Authors
Dr. Cecil Konijnendijk, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada
Dr. Lorien Nesbitt, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada
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