This course lays the groundwork for students from the School of Architecture and the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies to collaboratively explore and define ecologically driven urban design. The goal is to work as an interdisciplinary group to cultivate a perspective on the developing field of urban ecology and approaches to implementing urban ecological design. The transformation of urban ecology from a role in studying a system to studying and shaping urban ecosystems is a primary focus for the course. The course concentrates on the following questions: How do we define urban ecosystems? How do we combine science, design, and planning to shape and manage urban ecosystems? How do we implement effective and adaptable experimental and monitoring methods specific to urban sites and human subjects in order to conduct viable urban ecological research? The course uses the Earth Stewardship Initiative, a large land-planning project developed for the Ecological Society of America in Sacramento, Calif., to create a real-world project where interdisciplinary teams can work to combine ecological applications and design with the goal of shaping urban systems to improve the ecological, social, and infrastructural function of city components. Limited enrollment.