Urban Wastelands (eBook)

Faced with the growing demand for nature in cities, informal greenspaces are gaining the interest of various stakeholders - residents, associations, public authorities - as well as scientists. This book provides a cross-sectorial overview of the advantages and disadvantages of urban wastelands in meeting this social demand of urban nature, spanning from the social sciences and urban planning to ecology and soil sciences. It shows the potential of urban wastelands with respect to city dwellers' well-being, environmental education, urban biodiversity and urban green networks as well as concerns regarding urban wastelands' in relation to conflicts, and urban marketing. The authors provide a global insight through case studies in nine countries, mainly located in Europe, Asia and America, thus offering a broad perspective.

As Associate Professor of Environmental Geography at the University of Tours (France), in the Planning & Environment Department, Francesca Di Pietro works on plant biodiversity in anthropogenic environments, at first in agricultural landscapes, later in urban ones. Her research focuses on plant communities of urban habitats such as public green spaces, urban wastelands, roadsides, community and individual gardens. Since 2011 she has worked on urban wastelands, coordinating work on their plant communities, informal uses, and how they are perceived.

Amélie Robert is currently a contract researcher and part-time lecturer at the University of Tours. Her research focuses on landscape dynamics, the identification of their drivers and ecosystem services, from a geohistorical perspective. More generally, she questions the interrelationships between societies and their environments in different contexts. She pays special attention to novel ecosystems, particularly in urban contexts, having contributed to several research programs in this field.