GEOG  410U (Y01) & 510(002)

Urban Natural Resources: Urban Streams
M 14:00-17:40       413 Cramer Hall

Course Description
This course will examine the use of urban natural resources with a focus on urban streams. The Willamette River and its many tributaries in the Portland metropolitan area exemplify the significant interrelationships between human and biophysical systems.  We will cover such topics as the role of streams in the built environment, human modifications of stream systems and their consequences  (e.g., disappearing streams, channelization), and local community responses to restore and protect urban streams. Geog 410U/510 will be multidisciplinary and collaborative in nature, integrating fieldwork with class discussion and linking theory with decision-making.  Course participants are expected to engage in weekly readings and discussion and to write a team research project based on community field trips and data collection.

Instructor
Heejun Chang, Ph.D.       
Office: 424-I Cramer Hall
Email: changh@pdx.edu
Phone: 503-725-3162
Office hours: Tue & Thu 1:30 – 3:00 PM

Textbook
Riley, A. L. (1998) Restoring Streams in Cities: A Guide for Planners, Policy Makers, and Citizens. Island Press, Covelo: CA.

Grading
Term Paper (50%), Quizzes (20%), Article review (20%), Participation (10%)

Term paper: The term paper asks you to review literature and to collect your own data based on a survey, field work, or experiment and to critically analyze the data to support any aspect of problem of interest. Details of the term paper requirements will be announced later. Late term papers will not be accepted. As part of the term paper, you will make an oral presentation (10%) to the class on your project at the end of the term. A maximum of 30 minutes including discussion will be allotted to each group. I will grade your presentation based on timeliness, structure, and contents.

Quizzes: There are in two quizzes in this class. The tests will not be cumulative. Quizzes will consist of short answers, and problem solving questions. Material will be from the assigned readings. There will be no make-up quizzes except for documented medical or family emergencies. University policies on academic honesty apply.

Article Review: Choose two from the list on the next page. (double-spaced, 2 page limit per review)  

1) Appropriate citation (author, year, title, journal name, volume, page)
    McDonald, G.M., Szeicz, J.M., Claricoates, J., Dale, K.A. (1998) Response of the central Canadian treeline to recent climate change. Annals of the Association of Geographers 88: 183-208.

2) Problem statement
- What question(s) do(es) the author(s) try to answer? What are the hypotheses?
- What goals and objectives are found in the article?
- Is this an important or a novel question?

3) Data/ Methods
- What kinds of data were used? Did the author(s) collect the data?
- What statistical method was used?

4) Results
- What are the findings of the article? – What is most surprising?

5) Your own evaluation of the article
- Did the author(s) answer the hypotheses?
- Were the data enough to support the hypotheses?
- Was the method employed appropriate to answer the research questions?
- What do you find most interesting about the article?
- What remains unanswered?
- Would you like to replicate some of the approaches adopted in the article? If not, how would you like to approach differently?

Tentative lecture schedule                     
Date                  Topics                                                                      Activities
 9/30      Introduction to course                          Course goals & policies, divide groups
10/7      Urban ecosystems                                Term paper Topics to be determined
10/14    Urban streams                                       Quiz 1. Group meeting. Outline due
10/21    Disturbance of urban streams             Observation. Article Review 1 due
10/28    Disturbance of urban streams             Guest lecture.  Abstract due
11/4       Perceptions on urban streams           Quiz 2.  Contingent analysis, group meeting
11/11    Veteran’s day    
11/18    Restoration of urban streams              Guest lecture.  Article Review 2 due
11/25    Urban River Management                    Group meeting
12/2      Urban River Policy                                 Group meeting
12/9      Presentation                                           Term papers due


Reading List
* indicates required reading.

1. Background (Week 1-2)

*Collings, J. P., Kinzig, A., Grimm, N. B., Fagan, W. F., Hope, D., Wu, J., Borer, E. T. (2000). A new urban ecology. American Scientist, 88, 416-425.

Bolund, P. & Hunhammar, S. (1999). Ecosystem services in urban areas. Ecological Economics, 29, 293-301.

*Pickett, S.T.A., Cadenasso, M. L., Grove, J. M., Nilon, C. H., Pouyat, R. V., Zipperer, W. C., and Costanza, R. (2001). Urban Ecological Systems: Linking Terrestrial Ecological, Physical, and Socioeconomic Components of Metropolitan Areas. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 32, 121-157.

*Dow, K. (2000). Social dimensions of gradients in urban ecosystems. Urban Ecosystems, 4, 255-275.

Mcintyre, N. E., Knowles-Yanez, K., & Hope, D. (2001). Urban ecology as an interdisciplinary field: differences in the use of "urban" between the social and natural sciences. Urban Ecosystems, 4, 5-24.

2. Urban streams: overview  (Week 3)

*Falkenmark, M. & Folke, C. (2002). The ethics of socio-ecohydrological catchment management: towards hydrosolidarity. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 6(1), 1-9.

Paul, M. J. & Meyer, J. L. (2001). Streams in the urban landscape. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 32, 333-365.

Chocat, B., Krebs, P., Marsalek, J., Rauch, W., & Schilling, W. (2001). Urban drainage redefined: from stormwater removal to integrated management. Water Science and Technology, 43(5), 61-68.

*Riley, A. L. (1998) The Basics. In Restoring streams in cities: a guide for planners, policy makers, and citizens. pp. 1-33. Washington, D.C.: Island Press

3. Disturbance of urban streams (Week 4-5)

*Riley, A. L. (1998) The Environmental Professional. In Restoring streams in cities: a guide for planners, policy makers, and citizens. pp. 89-107. Washington, D.C.: Island Press

*Riley, A. L. (1998) River Scientists. In Restoring streams in cities: a guide for planners, policy makers, and citizens. pp. 111-157. Washington, D.C.: Island Press

*Karr, J. R., & Chu, E. W. (2000). Sustaining living rivers. Hydrobiologia, 422, 1-14.

Finkenbine, J. K., Atwater, J. W., & Mavinic, D. S. (2000). Stream health after urbanization. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 36(5), 1149-1160.

*Sonoda, K., Yeakley, J. A., and Walker, C. E. (2001). Near-stream landuse effects on streamwater nutrient distribution in an urbanizing watershed. Journal of the American Water Resources Association. 37, 1517-1532.

*Trimble, S. T. (1997). Contribution of Stream Channel Erosion to Sediment Yield from an Urbanizing Watershed. Science, 278, 1442-1444.

*Stein, J. L., Stein, J. A.  & Nix H. A. (2002). Spatial analysis of anthropogenic river disturbance at regional and continental scales: identifying the wild rivers of Australia, Landscape and Urban Planning 60: 1-25.

Nelson, E. J., & Booth, D. B. (2002). Sediment sources in an urbanizing, mixed land-use watershed. Journal of Hydrology, 264(1-4), 51-68.

Gregory, K. J. (2002). Urban Channel Adjustments in a Management Context: An Australian Example. Environmental Management, 29(5), 620-633.

4. Perceptions and restoration of urban streams (Week 6, 8)

*Faulkner, H., Green, A., Pellaumail, K., & Weaver, T. (2001). Residents' perceptions of water quality improvements following remediation work in the Pymme's Brook catchment, north London, UK. Journal of Environmental Management, 62(3), 239-254.

Tunstall, S. M., Penning-Rowsell, E. C., Tapsell, S. M., & Eden, S. E. (2000). River restoration: Public attitudes and expectations. Journal of the Chartered Institutions of Water and Environmental Management, 14(5), 363-370.

*Riley, A. L. (1998). Restoration is Ancient History. In Restoring streams in cities: a guide for planners, policy makers, and citizens. pp. 189-210. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

*Riley, A. L. (1998). Citizen-Supported Restoration Activities. In Restoring streams in cities: a guide for planners, policy makers, and citizens. pp. 299-334. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

*Tapsell, S., Tunstall, S.,  House, M., Whomsley, J., and Macnaghten, P. (2001). Growing up with rivers? Rivers in London children's worlds. Area 33(2): 177-189.

5. Management and Policy (Week 9)
    
*Baer, K. E. & Pringle, C. M. (2000). Special problems of urban river conservation: the encroaching megalopolis. In Global Perspectives on River Conservation: Science, Policy, and Practice, ed. P.J. Boon, B.R. Davies, GE. Petts, pp.385-402. New York: Wiley.

Ellis, J. B. & Crabtree, B. (1999). Organisational Issues and Policy Directions for Urban Pollution Management. In Water Quality: Processes and Policy edited by S. T. Trudgill, D.E. Walling, and B.W. Webb. pp. 181-200.

*Schauman, S., & Salisbury, S. (1998). Restoring nature in the city: Puget Sound experiences. Landscape & Urban Planning, 42(2-4), 287-295.

*Adams, M. S., Kausch, H., & Gaertner, K. (2000). Historical changes, and a modern program to improve the ecology of the Alster River of Germany. Urban Ecosystems, 4, 171-192.