Urban Socio-ecological Systems Research Articles

Urban planning for flood resilience under technical and financial constraints: The role of planners and competence development in building a flood-resilient city in Matola, Mozambique

Today, urban flood resilience constitutes an academic and political discourse as well as a ‘proposed state’ to be achieved within urban management, planning, and development. Matola, a major Mozambican coastal city, has witnessed many floods, mainly caused by rainfall, the most devastating of which happened in 2000. This study analyses the actions the urban planners took during that major flood event, what flood mitigation and adaptation strategies and measures for increased flood resilience they have developed since that flood event, and the contribution of urban planning to building flood resilience under financial and technical constraints. The study is based on interviews with 32 urban planners from Matola and observations in the field. In addition to financial limitations, the main challenge in promoting flood resilience in Matola is the deficient and insufficient coordination in mitigation and adaptation actions among urban planners, political elites, and members of low-income urban communities, who use floodplain areas for purposes that contradict resilience-building actions. During the 2000 floods, mitigation actions were carried out by rescuing people and goods and placing them in accommodation centres. After the 2000 floods, gradual adaptation strategies and measures were carried out, such as hiring and training staff, designing a new urban plan, gradual resettlement, opening drainage channels, and allocating water pumping systems in some areas to promote flood resilience. The study concludes that urban planning contributed significantly to the building and promotion of flood resilience in Matola: the strategies and measures taken so far have contributed significantly to reducing the exposure and vulnerability to flooding of the population, their assets, and urban infrastructure, as well as improving the ecosystem in lowlands and coastal protection wetlands. The study brings a contribution from retrospective and prospective resilience thinking to the debate on building and promoting resilience in urban socio-ecological systems, showing the role of urban planners, and planning and management activity since the 2000 floods, and perspectives on the future. The study demonstrates that the development of competences or technical skills to plan and manage strategies and measures to promote resilience is a key factor in promoting socio-ecological resilience.

Świat post-naturalny? Teoretyczne, empiryczne i artystyczne rewizje

This article explores approaches to wilderness in contemporary urban spaces and the demarcations drawn through the concepts of nature vs culture, politics vs art, science vs narratives, city vs wild life in urban studies, philosophy and environmental art. The argument about the new forms of wild life, such as charismatic animals and weeds in cites, impacts the way in which we think about the encounters between posthuman philosophy, urban ecology and art. The paper seeks to pose the questions of post-natural world anew, in ways that allow for a resolution of the tension between contrary concept of wilderness and urban practices. It argues that all forms of life (human and wild) are connected, reassembled and exposed both materially and discursive in urban socio-ecological systems. This interconnectedness penetrates all dimensions and scales of urban life and is transferable from urban ecology to environmental art, from philosophy to politics, from popular culture to urban environment.

Civic Stewardship and Urban Climate Governance: Opportunities for Transboundary Planning

Using interview data with civic environmental stewardship groups in New York City ( n = 26), we identify strategies through which civic stewards engage in transboundary environmental governance and urban climate adaptation planning. Our findings articulate the diverse ways that civic stewards engage with planning in urban socio-ecological systems, as they (1) shape physical spaces, (2) broker partnerships, (3) disrupt the status quo, (4) build civic capacity, and (5) envision new futures. We contribute to the literature by embedding civic stewardship within urban planning discourse, suggesting partnerships between civic stewards and government planners that facilitate the co-production of innovative urban climate governance efforts.

A multi-criteria framework for assessing urban socio-ecological systems: The emergy nexus of the urban economy and environment

The social and ecological impacts of urbanization require integrated management of cities and their resource metabolism for long-term sustainability and economic prosperity. Traditionally, network models are used to study internal metabolic processes in cities, complementing the traditional “black box” urban models to account for the input of material and energy resources and the output of final products and wastes. This study introduces a multi-criteria assessment framework by integrating a unique hybrid-unit input-output model with the emergy accounting method to estimate the environmental support provided to urban socio-economic systems, applied here to the case of Vienna, Austria. By focusing on the internal organisation and functioning of urban socio-economic systems, the proposed framework strengthens the understanding of ecological and socio-economic flows exchanged among industries and the environment. The results suggest that resources can be saved by applying supply-side and demand-side interventions and improving share of renewables. The multi-criteria assessment framework developed in this study allows to investigate the urban metabolism of cities and regional contexts through the identification of sustainable pathways rooted in material circularity and resource efficiency, supporting the design of policies in line with the “integrated wealth assessment” and “circular economy” principles. • Use of supply-side and demand-side models to build Vienna's input-output system. • Introduction of hybrid-unit environmental input-output model for urban scale. • Square matrix is derived by integrating matrix inversion and reflexive approaches. • Energy and mining activities use the most investments but invest the least. • Agriculture and mining sectors use the lowest amount of emergy-based investments.

PROSPECTS OF TWINNING CLIMATE CHANGE AND URBAN SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES THROUGH TRANSFORMATIVE ADAPTATION: LESSONS FOR AFRICAN CITIES

In most African cities, existing approaches to tackle climate change and sustainability issues have remained largely weak, piecemeal and fragmented. For example, current adaptation practices are mainly focusing on ‘adapting to’ climatic disturbances instead of ‘adapting with’ the vulnerable urban population. This approach views climate change as the main source of vulnerability and focuses on protecting systems from weather and climatic events. It grossly ignores the social roots of vulnerability and misses out on opportunities such as those that emerge when climatic risks are jointly treated with environmental sustainability concerns. To evade this problem, this paper proposes a shift towards transformative adaptation, an approach that comprehensively attend to the entire urban socio-ecological system. The aim is to contribute to the discourse of inclusive cities by examining the prospects of simultaneously addressing climate change alongside other urban development challenges. Drawing on growing literature and reports on climate change adaptation in cities, I argue that the adjustment approach does not comprehensively address the underlying urban vulnerabilities and fail to match the severity of climate change impacts being experienced. On the contrary, a transformative approach locates urban risk beyond the biophysical environment to the entire urban social-ecological system. Thus, this approach is capable of jointly dealing with climate change and other urban development challenges as it holistically deals with the underlying vulnerability risks in urban settlements while addressing the root causes of urban unsustainability. African cities can draw useful lessons from the benefits that come with a transformative adaptation trajectory.

Scaling Biodiversity Conservation Efforts: An Examination of the Relationship Between Global Biodiversity Targets and Local Plans

Cities have a critical role to play in meeting global-scale biodiversity targets. Urban socio-ecological systems connect human and ecological well-being. The outsized impact of cities reaches well-beyond their geographic borders through cultural, ecological, and economic interactions. Although cities account for just 2% of the earth's surface, they host over half of the human population and are responsible for 75% of consumption. The Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and others have acknowledged the important role cities can play in achieving global targets. In response, at least 110 cities have produced plans focused on biodiversity, but we do not know the extent to which these city plans align with global targets or what role they play in achieving these targets. Here, we explore the relationship between global biodiversity conservation targets and local biodiversity plans to identify how elements at the two scales align or diverge. We compared the CBD Strategic Plan 2011–2020 (Aichi Targets) with 44 local biodiversity plans (often called LBSAPs) from cities around the world. We analyzed more than 2,800 actions from the local plans to measure the relationship with these global targets. Our results show how local approaches to biodiversity conservation can inform post-2020 global frameworks to improve coordination between global and local scale processes. We identify actions particular to the local scale that are critical to conserve global biodiversity and suggest a framework for improved coordination between actors at different scales that address their respective roles and spheres of influence.

Urban soils as a spatial indicator of quality for urban socio-ecological systems

The development of criteria and indicators to quantify the transition to sustainability of the urban socio-ecological systems quality is determinant for planning policies and the 21st century urban agenda. This study models the spatial variation in the concentration and distribution of some macronutrients, micronutrients, and trace nutrients in the soil of a high-altitude city in the Andes. Meanwhile, machine learning methods were employed to study some interactions between the different dimensions that constitute an urban socio-ecosystem that caused these variations. We proposed a methodology that considered two phases: a) field work to collect data on 300 soil samples; laboratory analysis to measure the concentrations of 24 macronutrients, micronutrients, and trace nutrients; and the design of geophysical, spectral, and urban co-variables; b) statistical and geo-informatics analysis, where multivariate analysis grouped the elements into factors; and, machine learning integrated with co-variables was applied to derive the intensity of each factor across the city. Multivariate statistics described the variation in soil co-concentrations with a moderate percentage (42%). Four factors were determined that grouped some of the analyzed elements, as follows: F1 (Zn, S, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Cr), F2 (Ba, Ag, K, In, and Mg), F3 (B, V, Li, and Sr), and F4 (Si and Mn). The percentage R2 out-of-bag of the spatial model were: F1 = 20%, F2 = 8%, F3 = 14%, and F4 = 10%. Our outputs show that the enrichment and contamination by anthropogenic factors, such as the increase in population density, land use, road network, and traffic generated by fossil fuel vehicles, should be prioritized in urban planning decisions.

Structural-dynamic analysis of indicators for survival and life expectancy in the population of industrial city

An assessment of sustainability of urban socio-ecological system development may be carried out based on the analysis of indicators from the mortality and life expectancy tables that are widely used as the systemic indicators for the levels of territorial socio-economic development and the quality of life and health of the population. Aim. The aim of the study was to perform the structural-dynamic analysis and assessment of survival rates and life expectancy in the population of Angarsk, a large industrial city in the Irkutsk region, for the post-Soviet period. Material and Methods. The short tables of population mortality rates for the period of 1990–2019 were calculated based on official data from the Federal State Statistic Service. The epidemiological analysis of survival rates, life expectancy, and its component composition was carried out according to the method of C. Chandra Sekar. Results. The population aged under 29 years had the highest survival rates in 2016–2019 and the lowest survival rates in the first half of the 1990s. Older working age cohorts demonstrated the highest survival rates in 1990–1991 and the lowest survival rates in 2003–2004. Cohorts of retirement-age men showed the highest survival rates in the mid-2010s whereas female cohorts had the highest rates mostly in 2018–2019; the lowest survival rates were observed in 1994–1996. The life expectancy rates decreased in men of almost all age groups in 1995; the most significant decreases were observed in the groups of 30–54 year-old men and 40–54, 60–69, and 85–89 year-old women. The second pronounced decrease in the life expectancy rates occurred in 2005: the rates significantly decreased (by 6.8 years) in the cohorts of men aged 20–44 and 50–54 years. The most pronounced decreases in life expectancy of women were observed in age groups of 15–34, 40–44, 50–54, and 85–89 year-olds in 2001. Conclusion . In the 1990s and during the first half of the 2000s, the systemic socio-economic crisis caused pronounced decreases in the rates of survival and life expectancy in various age groups of the population of Angarsk. The dynamics of studied demographic indicators in 2010–2019 was characterized by a steady linear growth. Further changes in the indicators will depend on the extent of impact of unfolding COVID-19 pandemic on the population and pandemic-triggered crisis-related phenomena in the socio-economic sphere.

Theorizing Public Participation and Local Governance in Urban Resilience: Reflections on the “Provincializing Urban Political Ecology” Thesis

Urban political ecology (UPE) infuses Marxism with poststructuralism and constructivism to explore the dialectic relationship between nature and society in urban environments as well as the economic aspect of an urban socioecological system. Nevertheless, the literature on southern urbanism has urged UPE to become more “provincialized” to reflect the diffuse forms of power and everyday governance influencing the planning of cities in the Global South. This article reviews and reflects on this wave of debates raised by critics who have positioned postcolonial thinking as an alternative to Marxist political economy, in which UPE is rooted. It also identifies those works that might help provincialize UPE differently. Without rejecting the Marxism, another set of approaches draws influence from the strategic-relational approach (SRA) to examine environmental issues in ways that destabilize conventionally economic determinist UPE. In addition to involving corporate elites and city officials, a UPE framework incorporating the SRA is capable of bringing the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community leaders, and environmentalists in everyday governance to the front. The article contends that the latter framework adds weight on public participation and local governance in different geopolitical contexts without losing sight of the social inequalities caused by state-led or privatized programs in the quest for urban resilience.

Forests and urban green areas as tools to address the challenges of sustainability in Latin American urban socio-ecological systems

One sustainability challenge is confronting the process of global urbanization considering wellbeing and environmental justice. Integrating different disciplines to describe and analyze the relationships of urban socio-ecological systems gives us useful empirical tools to formulate policies and programs in urban planning considering their spatial dimension. The objective of this study is to present a model that integrates and explains the socio-ecological urban relations of a Latin American city considering three high-level approaches: forestry, geography, and psychology. Thus, we defined four factors: a) urban forest and green areas; b) urban spatial segregation; c) perceived restoration; and d) subjective wellbeing. For these, we grouped 16 measured variables and collected them with three specific procedures: a) SPOT remote sensors and object-based classification of urban coverage; b) analysis of geospatial data with census information; and c) field surveys. We applied descriptive multivariate statistics and also proposed a structural equation model (SEM) that integrates all the variables and data. We found that the factor “urban green areas” had a direct positive relationship with the factors “urban spatial segregation” and “perceived restoration.” We observed that urban green areas were meeting spaces between different socioeconomic categories, reducing segregation and multiplying opportunities for the psychological restoration of citizens. However, we found no evidence that green areas are related to subjective wellbeing. The model quantified the socio-ecological relationships produced by combining various factors of urban socio-ecological systems, suggesting the benefits of this method to generate knowledge towards planning and managing Latin American cities. Our results are encouraging in terms of environmental justice and wellbeing. In developing countries where forecasts indicate rising urban populations, the need to establish planning processes based on scientific information is vital to meet the challenges of sustainability in the twenty-first century.

Modeling urban socio-ecological drivers of human– carnivore coexistence

AbstractAchieving human–carnivore coexistence is a growing challenge in an increasingly crowded world. In many cases, humans are already sharing landscapes with carnivores, but conditions promoting coexistence are not well understood. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are adaptable meso carnivores and their activities increasingly overlap with those of humans in urban environments. Does this overlap constitute coexistence? How do social variables situated within their rightful ecological contexts influence the potential for conflict? In this study, we explore aggregated social and land cover variables contributing to coexistence between humans and coyotes. We surveyed residents in four North Carolina cities on their perceptions, interactions and preferred management actions related to coyotes. We then modeled spatial patterns in urbanite interactions with and perceptions regarding coyotes and investigated how land cover characteristics may correlate with those perceptions. Our results suggest prior interactions and select land cover types may drive human coexistence with coyotes and contribute contextual understanding of urban socio-ecological systems to prevent conflict and effectively promote coexistence. Additional research that expands upon this study and explores spatial as well as temporal dimensions of human–wildlife coexistence is needed in diverse contexts.

Modelling the relationship between urban expansion processes and urban forest characteristics: An application to the Metropolitan District of Quito

The rapid process of global urbanisation engenders changes in urban socio-ecological systems and in the landscape structure. However, the future processes of urban expansion in Latin American cities has been little studied even though the wellbeing of its citizens will depend on territorial management and on planning the provision of ecosystemic benefits and services. This research, considering different socio-ecological dimensions, proposed to determine the causes of potential urban expansion, analysing the dimensions and possible predictors that would explain the expansion of a high Andean city and its influence on peri-urban forest landscapes.To develop a model that integrates the complexity of the system, we used the following five dimensions: biophysics, land cover and management, infrastructure and services, socio-economics, and landscape metrics, and we opted for a binomial analysis through a spatial logistic regression model developed from 33 predictors.Considering the odd radio of the model, we observe that the independent increase in predictors, including building blocks, drinking water, sewerage, waste collection, average land size, the Interspersion and Juxtaposition Index (IJI) and Largest Patch Index (LPI), and the constant behaviour of the others predictors, would increase the probability of a potential urbanisation of the territory. Similarly, the independent increase in predictors, including the presence of protected areas, the presence of protected forests, land cover, unemployment, and the Shannon Diversity Index(SHDI), reduce the probability of the urbanisation process.Our results suggest that the territorial vulnerability from a potential urbanisation process is strongly related to an increase in infrastructure, services, and the average size of properties variables. Moreover, the landscape with the greatest potential for urbanisation presents an adequate intercalation of the different patches that compose it. However, the presence of variables such as protected areas and protective forests, in addition to monitoring indicators such as landscape diversity and mitigation strategies, could be considered to focus the analysis on the current dynamics of urbanisation processes in Latin America.

Evaluación de tradeoffs entre servicios ecosistémicos urbanos a escala megalopolitana

Avanzar hacia un desarrollo sostenible requiere comprender los servicios ecosistémicos urbanos (SEU), este trabajo aplica un análisis de tradeoffs, jerárquico y multicriterio para evaluar y explicar las relaciones tradeoffs entre SEU: agua, aire y clima. Producidos y soportados por el sistema socioecológico urbano en las cinco zonas metropolitanas más importantes de la Megalópolis de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México (MZMVM), periodo 2000-2016. Se devela la preferencia del SEU de abasto sobre los SEU de regulación (de forma temporal, espacial o interpersonal). Por tanto, resalta su importancia en apoyo a la toma de decisiones en la formulación de políticas públicas.

台风灾害下海岸带城市社会-生态系统脆弱性评估——大数据视角

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 台风灾害下海岸带城市社会-生态系统脆弱性评估——大数据视角 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201808101709 作者: 作者单位: 厦门大学环境与生态学院,厦门大学环境与生态学院,厦门大学环境与生态学院,厦门大学环境与生态学院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家重点研发计划（2016YFC0502904）；厦门大学大学生创新创业训练计划项目（103842017103） Vulnerability assessment of urban socio-ecological systems in coastal zones under the influence of typhoons:Big data perspective Author: Affiliation: Xiamen University,,, Fund Project: The National Key Research and Development Program (2016YFC0502904);The innovation and entrepreneurship training program for undergraduates of Xiamen University (103842017103) 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:2016年莫兰蒂台风对厦门城市社会-生态系统造成重创，该系统在灾害影响下的脆弱性成为亟待研究的重要问题。基于新浪微博平台进行大数据挖掘，结合统计年鉴及空间基础数据，建立台风灾害影响下基于暴露-敏感-应对-恢复力体系的海岸带城市社会-生态系统脆弱性指标体系，评估灾前灾后台风对厦门不同地区的影响；同时根据微博大数据的定位信息，对不同受灾信息进行灾情跟踪及分析，结果表明，在本次台风灾害中思明、湖里区表现出的脆弱性较低，而海沧、集美区表现出的脆弱性较高，主要是由于思明、湖里区的应对能力明显高于其他各区，从大数据显示的恢复情况来看，除海沧区外，其他三区在电力方面的恢复速度都较为迅速。研究成果能够为台风灾害背景下的城市脆弱性评价提供新的方法与技术，为灾前防治、灾后恢复提供决策参考。 Abstract:With the increase in the intensity and frequency of natural disasters, the risk and loss assessment of urban natural disasters and the construction of an urban security pattern are becoming more important. Based on social media data from the Sina microblogging platform, statistical yearbook data, and using the ArcGIS software, this study establishes a typhoon disaster vulnerability index for the rapid assessment of the impact of Typhoon "Meranti" on different districts of Xiamen at different stages. The location of a specific microblog information from the microblogging platform is used to track and analyze disaster information. The results show that when facing a typhoon disaster, the Siming and Huli District showed relatively low vulnerability, while Haicang and Jimei District showed higher vulnerability, which is mainly due to the quick response of local government and civil society organization in Siming and Huli District. From a perspective of recovery, except for the Haicang District, the speed of recovery of power in the other districts is relatively rapid. This study provides a new method and technology for the evaluation of typhoon disaster vulnerability, decision reference for pre-disaster control, and post-disaster recovery. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

‘Stream Daylighting’ as an approach for the renaturalization of riverine systems in urban areas: Istanbul-Ayamama Stream case

This paper discusses the interactions between riverine systems and urban areas with a focus on the ecosystem services (ESs) provided by urban rivers and the threats they have been confronting in the urbanization process. Urbanization, as a global demographic trend, led to the increase in migration of people from rural regions to urban areas (especially in developing or under-developed countries) that caused congestion problems in cities with a number of documented effects on urban socio-ecological systems. Due to the urban population increase and expansion of anthropogenic activities, urban riverine systems as one of the most vulnerable components of urban ecology have been exposed to the crisis of ecological deterioration. As a result, their hydro-morphological characteristics changed, crucial functions and aquatic habitats have been lost. From this point of view, Ayamama Stream Watershed is evaluated in the context of the study due to its critical location in Istanbul and a conceptual model framework called ‘Co-MISDAL’ is developed referring to the ‘renaturalization’ of buried sections of the river network by using ‘Stream Daylighting’ method under the key principles of ‘Ecohydrology’. Three-stage research methodology is used in the paper and 10 different practices of Stream Daylighting from 4 different regions (USA, Switzerland, Korea, Canada) are comparatively analyzed to develop Co-MISDAL as a guideline for renaturalization of the Ayamama Stream Watershed that is suffering from the extreme flood events and pollution problems. The research mainly aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ecohydrological approach and renaturalization practices for buried and/or damaged urban riverine systems through Stream Daylighting approach.

Interactions between urban water policy, residential irrigation, and plant & bird diversity in the Fresno-Clovis Metro Area

Abstract Background/Question/Methods: Ecological theory has begun to incorporate humans as part of coupled socio-ecological systems. Modern urban development provides an excellent laboratory to examine the interplay among socio-ecological relationships. Urban land and water management decisions result from dynamic interactions between institutional, individual and ecological factors. Landscaping and irrigation at any particular residence, for example, is a product of geography, hydrology, soil, and other local environmental conditions, the homeowners’ cultural preferences, socioeconomic status, identity construction, neighborhood dynamics, as well as zoning laws, market conditions, city policies, and county/state/federal government regulations. Since land and water management are key determinants of habitat for other species, urban biodiversity is strongly driven by the outcome of interactions between these variables. This study addresses the significance of water as a key variable in the Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area (FCMA), shaping current patterns of landscape and water use, at a time when the city of Fresno is installing meters as a regulatory tool to conserve water. We combine data from a citizen science bird monitoring project, field surveys of trees, and mail surveys of residents to address interactions among key components of the urban socioecological system. Results/Conclusions: We present results of multivariate analyses of bird and tree surveys to show that neighborhood income and irrigation levels interact to influence species diversity of both taxa. Data from the Fresno Bird Count found that bird species richness and functional group diversity are both strongly correlated with residential irrigation and neighborhood income levels. Tree species diversity shows a similar pattern. We examine these results to test and develop several theoretical models explaining outdoor water use behaviors, with the aim of assessing the resilience of such behaviors with the introduction of water metering in Fresno, and the resilience of urban plant and bird communities to resulting changes in water use in the landscape. We argue that socioeconomic status results from a complex interplay of cultural, economic, structural, and social-psychological factors, influencing institutional policies regarding the governance of water resources, and in turn impacts biodiversity within the urban landscape through spatial and temporal variations in water usage. This study is part of a long-term research project that examines the impacts of human water usage and water use policies on biodiversity within an urban environment.

Resilience in urban socioecological systems: residential water management as a driver of biodiversity

AbstractCities are unique ecosystems where human social-economic-cultural activities prominently shape the landscape, influencing the distribution and abundance of other species, and consequent patterns of biodiversity. The long-term sustainability of cities is of increasing concern as they continue to grow, straining infrastructure and pushing against natural resources constraints. A key resource is water, esp. in the more rapidly urbanizing arid regions. Understanding water management is thus critical for a deeper theoretical understanding of urban ecosystems and for effective urban policy. Landscaping and irrigation at any urban residence is a product of local geophysical/ecological conditions, homeowners’ cultural preferences, socioeconomic status, neighborhood dynamics, zoning laws, and city/state/federal regulations. Since landscape structure and water availability are key determinants of habitat for other species, urban biodiversity is strongly driven by the outcome of interactions between these variables. Yet the relative importance of ecological variables vs human socioeconomic variables in driving urban biodiversity remains poorly understood. Here we analyze data from the Fresno Bird Count, a citizen science project in California’s Central Valley, to show that spatial variation in bird diversity is best explained by a multivariate model including significant negative correlations with % building and grass cover, and positive correlations with interactions between irrigation intensity, median family income, and grass height. We discuss implications of our findings for urban water management policies in general, and for Fresno’s planned switch to metering water use in 2013. Ecological theory, conservation, and urban policy all benefit if we recognize cities as coupled socioecological systems.

Resilience in urban socioecological systems: residential water management as a driver of biodiversity

Cities are unique ecosystems where human social-economic-cultural activities prominently shape the landscape, influencing the distribution and abundance of other species, and consequent patterns of biodiversity. The long-term sustainability of cities is of increasing concern as they continue to grow, straining infrastructure and pushing against natural resources constraints. A key resource is water, esp. in the more rapidly urbanizing arid regions. Understanding water management is thus critical for a deeper theoretical understanding of urban ecosystems and for effective urban policy. Landscaping and irrigation at any urban residence is a product of local geophysical/ecological conditions, homeowners’ cultural preferences, socioeconomic status, neighborhood dynamics, zoning laws, and city/state/federal regulations. Since landscape structure and water availability are key determinants of habitat for other species, urban biodiversity is strongly driven by the outcome of interactions between these variables. Yet the relative importance of ecological variables vs human socioeconomic variables in driving urban biodiversity remains poorly understood. Here we analyze data from the Fresno Bird Count, a citizen science project in California’s Central Valley, to show that spatial variation in bird diversity is best explained by a multivariate model including significant negative correlations with % building and grass cover, and positive correlations with interactions between irrigation intensity, median family income, and grass height. We discuss implications of our findings for urban water management policies in general, and for Fresno’s planned switch to metering water use in 2013. Ecological theory, conservation, and urban policy all benefit if we recognize cities as coupled socioecological systems.