Segregation by race and class are common phenomena among urban systems in the United States as well as other countries. There are many social-economic dimensions involved in segregation, including its historical origins, persistent legacies, social identification, access to capital, and implications for equity. In spite of the importance of segregation in, its ecological significance is very little explored. This talk will present an overview of the dimensions of segregation to justify and explain the questions that will be addressed from both social and ecological perspectives throughout the symposium. Furthermore, the parallels between urban segregation in the United States and global examples emerging from colonial histories and contemporary patterns of migration will be highlighted. The history and nature of segregation in Louisville as the venue for the meeting will also be used to help contextualize the topic of the symposium.
Results/Conclusions
The social and ecological dimensions of urban segregation relate the symposium to the broad theme of the ESA 2019 meeting: "Bridging communities and ecosystems: Inclusion as an ecological imperative." Segregation remains an impediment to inclusion. The talk points to the ecological effects and implications of segregation as an important research frontier for urban ecology. It will identify key issues that inform the remaining talks and can organize future research on the ecology of segregation. Addressing the ecology of segregation provides an important opportunity to advance interdisciplinary research in urban systems. Furthermore, the applications of scientific insights from the ecology of segregation are an opportunity for transdiciplinary engagement with urban policy, management, planning, and design. This talk challenges ecology to help identify and mitigate the environmental burdens associated with racial and class segregation.