Ecosystem Services in Horticulture

This Working Group addresses the issues surrounding the quality of life in urban settings as climate change intensifies the negative effects that urbanization has on people and the environment. The intention of this group’s activities is to bring together researchers and professionals from the following disciplines for cross-disciplinary discussion and collaboration:

• horticultural academics and researchers,
• urban planners,
• landscape architecture professionals and academics,
• entrepreneurs across the horticultural and urban infrastructure spectrum.

The goals include:

• understanding a wider perspective on the various issues through active listening to other disciplines,
• developing creative research collaborations for complex problems,
  germinating ideas for innovation targeted at the inter-related issues of mitigating heat island effects, low availability of local fresh food,
• stormwater pollution, air quality issues, water quality and scarcity, soil contamination, and various other environmental degradations and their effects on human health, happiness, and safety, along with social equity concerns.

The main focus presently is to raise awareness of the Working Group and engage interest and membership from the various sectors mentioned above through professional society and academic newsletters and email lists. The outcome of this goal will be the International Symposia on Greener Cities.