MCCHE Convergent Innovation Webinar Series with Dr. Jochen Jaeger
Urban sprawl unstoppable? On the importance of greenbelts, targets, and limits
Dr. Jochen Jaeger
Dr. Jochen Jaeger, interested in trans-disciplinary and holistic approaches to research, teaches in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment at Concordia University (Montreal). He received his PhD from the Department of Environmental Sciences at the ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in 2000. Research in his lab has a focus on landscape fragmentation, road ecology, urban sprawl, and environmental impact assessment. Examples include the effectiveness of greenbelts at mitigating urban sprawl, the effectiveness of fences and wildlife passages at reducing wildlife mortality on roads, and the connectivity of natural areas in cities as an indicator in the City Biodiversity Index (CBI). Most recently, a team in his lab developed a predictive model of high-risk mortality zones for turtles on roads across Quebec.
Abstract
Current trends in land uptake for urban development across the planet contradict all principles of sustainability. Urban sprawl causes soil sealing, loss of fertile farmland, and loss of ecological soil functions. It results in higher car dependency, higher greenhouse gas emissions, higher infrastructure cost for transport and water supply, and the degradation of ecosystem services. Urban sprawl in Montreal has increased dramatically in the last 70 years. Urban planning has not been effective at stopping urban sprawl. In what kind of cities do we want to live in the future and want to pass on to future generations? Without the implementation of rigorous measures, sprawl will continue to increase. How effective would a greenbelt be at addressing this issue?
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Convergent Innovation Webinar Series features cutting edge science, technology and innovation in agriculture, food, environment, education, medicine and other domains of everyday life where grand challenges lie at the convergence of health and economics. Powered by data science, artificial intelligence, and other digital technologies, this disciplinary knowledge bridges with behavioural, social, humanities, business, economics, social, engineering, and complexity sciences to accelerate real-world solution at scale, be it in digital or physical contexts. Initiated in the agri-food domain, the series is now encompassing other grand challenges facing modern and traditional economies and societies, such as ensuring lifelong wellness and resilience at both the individual and population levels.
