How can Landscape Ecology contribute to the study of urban sprawl?

Landscape ecology studies the interaction between spatial and temporal pattern and ecological process (Turner et al. 2001). Within landscape ecology, spatial and temporal scales are a prominent issue. A central hypothesis in landscape ecology is that the spatial arrangement of the landscape affects ecological systems. For example, the distribution of vegetation responds to a combination of north-south gradients of temperature and east-west gradients of moisture (Turner et al. 2001). One of the main reasons urban sprawl is a concern is the assumption that the spatial arrangement of urban development will have social, economic and environmental consequences over a range of temporal scales. By applying the theory of landscape ecology to urban sprawl, we can better understand what urban sprawl is, what are its effects and how can it be managed. In particular, it will be the use of landscape ecologys tools that will allow us to store, manipulate and display spatial and temporal data at ...  more