Biocomplexity:
Modeling the Interactions Among Urban Development, Land Cover Change, and
Bird Diversity
National Science Foundation, Biocomplexity
$1,128,818, September 2001 - February 2005
(PIs: M. Alberti, P. Waddell, J. Marzluff, M. Handcock)
This project will apply Bayesian networks and a multi-agent microsimulation
to develop an integrated model of urban development and land cover change
that can interface with a large set of ecosystem processes in the Central
Puget Sound Region. In this project the focus is on linking urban development
and land cover change to bird diversity as a test case for our modeling approach.
The project aims to understand how best to model complexity and uncertainty
of coupled socioeconomic and biophysical processes in metropolitan regions
and their interactions with the policy domain.
BiocomplexityII:
Urban Landscape Patterns - Complex Dynamics and Emregent Properties
National Science Foundation, Biocomplexity II
$1,399,644, September 2005 - August 2009
(PIs: M. Alberti, C. Redman, J. Marzluff, J. Wu, M. Handcock, M. Anderies,
P. Waddell, H. Kautz, D. Fox)
This research project will examine urban landscapes as emergent phenomena
that result from local interactions of human agents, real estate markets,
built infrastructure, and biophysical factors like land cover, geomorphology,
and natural disturbance regimes to develop a theory of urban landscape dynamics.
The study will employ complex systems, patch dynamics, hierarchical theory,
and an agent-based modeling approach to study coupled human-natural dynamics
and empirically test this approach in two different bioregions (Seattle and
Phoenix). The models will be developed and used to test hypotheses regarding
emergent properties of urban landscapes and to enhance basic understanding
of humans-ecological interactions in urban landscapes across scales. Urban
landscapes exhibit some fundamental features of complex self-organizing systems.
They are highly heterogeneous, spatially nested, and hierarchically structured.
The urban spatial structure can be described as a cumulative and aggregate
pattern that results from numerous local decisions involving a large number
of adaptive agents interacting among themselves and with biophysical factors.
These behaviors eventually can lead to different metropolitan patterns. This
research will address four questions: (1) How do dynamic landscape systems
evolve to generate emergent patterns that are evident in urban landscapes?
(2) What nonlinearities, thresholds, discontinuities, and path dependencies
explain divergent trajectories of urban landscapes? (3) How do emergent urban
landscape patterns influence biodiversity and ecosystem functioning? (4) How
can planning integrate this knowledge to develop sustainable urban landscape
patterns? The model implementation will be based on a dynamic probabilistic
relational model (DPRM) in which parameters and spatial rules are estimated
empirically from two longitudinal land-cover and land-use data sets developed
for the Seattle and Phoenix metropolitan areas. This project is supported
by an award resulting from the FY 2005 special competition in Biocomplexity
in the Environment focusing on the Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems.
Development of an Integrated Urban Ecological Simulation Model for the Puget
Sound: Puget Sound Regional Synthesis Model (PRISM)
University Initiative Fund (UW)
$214,909
(PIs: M. Alberti, P. Waddell)
This project develops an integrated strategy to model the urban development
and ecological dynamics in the Central Puget Sound Region. This modeling effort
is part of the Human Dimension of PRISM, the Puget Sound Regional Integrated
Synthesis Model. PRISM is an interdisciplinary initiative at the University
of Washington that inks models of urban processes with hydrologic and atmospheric
models to form an integrated model design to address the kinds of questions
raised by the Salmon ESA listing.
(Posting Date: 1/4/00)
Dynamics of an Invasive Non-Native Species and its
Biological, Physical, and Human Impacts: Spartina Alterniflora on the Pacific
Coast
National Science Foundation
$3,800,000, 10/2000-9/2005
(PIs: A. Hastings, S. Ustin, D. Strong, E. Grosholz)
Impervious Surfaces Classification NOAA, Department
of Ecology, Space Imaging Integrated Framework: Urbanization, Human Health
and Nearshore Interactions
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10
$59,000, 2003-2004
(PIs: M. Alberti, E. Faustman)
This project builds upon Urban Ecology Research Laboratory's research on the
impacts of urban development on ecological systems and develops an integrated
conceptual framework to quantify the relationship between human and biophysical
stressors, processes, exposure and effects in the Puget Sound region. Our
study focuses on how to conceptualized reciprocal urbanization affects the
health of marine and nearshore areas, and how those impacts in turn affect
human health. We developed an integrated framework as a tool to aid in using
science and research to inform shoreline management and planning processes.
We explored case examples to illustrate the complex relationships linking
environmental variables, human development patterns, algal blooms, bacterial
contamination, and human health concerns. This framework will serve as a tool
for understanding the relationships between human actions, vectors, effects,
biophysical processes, management, and social, cultural and economic processes.
A secondary phase of the research is to provide an evaluation of our project using the case examples of application of the integrated framework information linking human and ecosystem processes across disciplinary boundaries. Together with Elaine Faustman, director of the University of Washington's Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication, we invite planners to evaluate the applicability and transferability of such a framework in their shoreline plans and programs to inform decision making processes on the interactions between nearshore areas, urbanization and human health.
Land Cover Change Model for Central Puget Sound
King County, Department of Natural Resources
$183,657, 2004
(PI: M. Alberti)
Landscape Benchmarks Project
Washington State Dept. of Community, Trade, and Economic Development
$56,620 & $27,819, Phases IIA & IIB, 2003--2005
(PI: M. Alberti)
This study develops and applies a set of landscape metrics as benchmarks for
monitoring landscape changes associated with urban growth in central Puget
Sound over the period 1991-1999. Selected metrics are examined and proposed
as benchmarks for monitoring the effectiveness of the Washington State Growth
Management Act and the progress towards its goals. Landscape metrics were
selected among a large set of metrics developed in the field of Landscape
Ecology to quantify and monitor landscape patterns. The study is based on
a multi-year land cover classification and analysis of USGS Landsat Thematic
Mapper (TM) at a three time-steps (1991, 1995, and 1999) at the regional and
county level within and outside the urban growth boundary. A finer resolution
analysis is also conducted using a 150 meter moving window across the region
and to evaluate the spatial distribution of landscape change. Analysis of
US Census data from 1990 and 2000 are used to infer relationships between
population growth and impervious area.
NSF IGERT in Urban Ecology
National Science Foundation IGERT
$2,700,000, September 2001-August 2006
(PIs: G. Bradley, M. Alberti, J. Marzluff, C. Ryan, and C. Zumbrunnen)
IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating
Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the multidisciplinary backgrounds. The
program aims to develop innovative models for graduate education and training
for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.
This IGERT centers on five broad research themes: (i) What socioeconomic factors
drive urban development, (ii) How landscape ecology can be used to quantify
urban development patterns, (iii) How urban development patterns affect biodiversity
and ecosystem function, (iv) How changes in ecosystems affect human preferences
and decisions, and (v) How policies influence human settlement and its effects.
Pacific Northwest Center for Ocean and Human Health
NSF and NIEHS
$7,543,020, 2003-2008
(Project Leader 2, GIS & Urban Ecology: M. Alberti)
Transportation Impervious Surfaces WSDOT, 2005
(PI: M. Alberti)