Vivek Shandas
Portland
Professor Vivek Shandas specializes in integrating the science of sustainability to citizen engagement and decision making efforts. He evaluates the many critical functions provided by the biophysical ecosystems upon which we depend, including purifying water, producing food, cleaning toxins, offering recreation, and imbuing society with cultural values. Dr. Shandas studies both the value of these “ecosystem services” and how urban development impacts their function. His research strives to improve environmental conservation and governance efforts at neighborhood and national scales. He teaches courses in environmental planning, participatory geographic information systems (GIS), and ecosystem services.
More by this author at The Nature of Cities
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What prevents us from creating cities that are better for people and nature? It doesn’t seem like a lack of knowledge—don’t we have enough research knowledge to act on better policy? So, what is the impediment?
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Rethinking Cities as Vulnerable Ecosystems
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Are cities ecosystems—analogous to natural ones—of nature, infrastructure and people? Does thinking about cities in this way help us think about urban design?
