It's not the proliferation of chain stores and restaurants making some of America's most geographically distant cities look more and more alike. Ironically enough, local vegetation is to blame, as the country heads towards ecological homogenization.
Maggie Koerth-Baker investigates the effects of ecological homogenization, as normative approaches to how natural landscapes "ought to look," have caused places like Baltimore, Minneapolis and Phoenix to become "more like one another ecologically than they are like the wild environments around them."
As Koerth-Baker notes, the topic is the focus of "a huge, four-year project financed by the National Science Foundation to compare urban ecology in six major urban centers — Boston, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Miami, Phoenix and Los Angeles. The purpose of the study is to determine how much cities are homogenizing and to create a portrait of the continentwide implications of individual decisions we make about our backyards."
"Why does any of this matter to anyone who’s not an urban ecologist?"
"'If 20 percent of urban areas are covered with impervious surfaces,' says Peter Groffman, a microbial ecologist and one of the study participants, 'then that also means that 80 percent is natural surface.' Whatever is going on in that 80 percent of the country’s urban space — as Groffman puts it, 'the natural processes happening in neighborhoods' — has a large, cumulative ecological effect."
FULL STORY: Bloom Town

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Washington Legislature Passes Rent Increase Cap
A bill that caps rent increases at 7 percent plus inflation is headed to the governor’s desk.

From Planning to Action: How LA County Is Rethinking Climate Resilience
Chief Sustainability Officer Rita Kampalath outlines the County’s shift from planning to implementation in its climate resilience efforts, emphasizing cross-departmental coordination, updated recovery strategies, and the need for flexible funding.

New Mexico Aging Department Commits to Helping Seniors Age ‘In Place’ and ‘Autonomously’ in New Draft Plan
As New Mexico’s population of seniors continues to grow, the state’s aging department is proposing expanded initiatives to help seniors maintain their autonomy while also supporting family caregivers.
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