ABSTRACT
Transdisciplinary examination of urban ecosystems and their sustainability is a clear motivation for the present volume. In this afterword, I offer three reflections about the volume’s value for inspiring future work to integrate diverse perspectives to better understand and improve urban places. First, as suggested by the book’s title, “ecosystem” is a useful umbrella term to encompass social and ecological variables that interact to form the structure and dynamics of all types of urban places. Such unifying terminology relates to my second reflection: more explicit and expansive efforts are needed among scholars and other stakeholders to integrate the social and ecological dimensions of the study and pursuit of urban sustainability. A third reflection is the value of this book for revealing the importance of community-based sustainability projects and innovative urban environmental education for generating positive outcomes for disciplines, students, and communities. Overall, the book’s diverse chapters collectively point to the study and practice of urban ecosystem stewardship as foci for fostering the research, education, and partnerships that can help make urban places more sustainable and resilient.
