FT 7 - A Crosstown Walk on 7th Street: A Socioeconomic Gradient

Thursday, August 11, 2016: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
Shuttle Drop-off outside Lobby A area, Ft Lauderdale Convention Center
Trip Leader:
Charles H. Nilon
Co-leaders:
Colin Polsky , Paige S. Warren and Myla FJ Aronson
The crosstown walk is a course module that can be used in undergraduate and graduate courses in ecology, design, planning, and social sciences for students to collect ecological and social data to understand the socio-ecological drivers of environmental change in cities. The crosstown walk is particularly useful as a tool that illustrates key concepts about urban ecology and environmental justice. On this field trip, we will introduce the course module and describe how it is used in different types of course. We will introduce the Urban Biodiversity Research Coordination Network (UrBioNet) and discuss how the module can be used to introduce students to the socioeconomic and demographic drivers of biodiversity in cities, and how the module can be used in a collaborative study of biodiversity in the world's cities. Our three mile walk will be along North 7th Street in Ft. Lauderdale, a starting and ending in the predominately white and upper income Flagler Village neighborhood and going through a black working class neighborhood. We will collect data on birds, insects, and vegetation during the walk. At the conclusion of the walk we will review our findings from the walk and discuss how the module can be used in different courses and settings.

Registration Fee: $15

Equipment and Attire: Participants should plan on bringing good walking shoes, sun screen, hat, bug repellent, camera, water, and other personal items for outdoor walking in the summer sun. We will walk approximately 3 miles.

Itinerary: 8:00 am- Meet in the lobby of the convention center for a 15 minute overview of the crosstown walk protocol and the socioeconomic gradient along NE/NW 7th Street, and discuss plans for day's walk. 8:15 am- Leave the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center and travel 3.5 miles north to NE 7th St. and N Federal Highway. http://www.mapquest.com/directions/from/us-fl-fort+lauderdale-1950+eisenhower+blvd-33316~to~us-fl-ft+lauderdale-ne+6th+st+&+n+federal+hwy-33304+4607/L1;26.097479,-80.124399/L1;26.129919,-80.137563 9:00 am - Start crosstown walk, going west for 1.5 miles to the intersection of NW 7th St. and NW 15th Ave. Return along same route. 10:30 am - Discussion about the walk and module protocol and overview of UrBioNet project. 11:30 - am Return to convention center.

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