Human Ecology

Human Ecology
Author: Frederick R. Steiner
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2016-02-16
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1610917383

Humans have always been influenced by natural landscapes, and always will be—even as we create ever-larger cities and our developments fundamentally change the nature of the earth around us. In Human Ecology, noted city planner and landscape architect Frederick Steiner encourages us to consider how human cultures have been shaped by natural forces, and how we might use this understanding to contribute to a future where both nature and people thrive. Human ecology is the study of the interrelationships between humans and their environment, drawing on diverse fields from biology and geography to sociology, engineering, and architecture. Steiner admirably synthesizes these perspectives through the lens of landscape architecture, a discipline that requires its practitioners to consciously connect humans and their environments. After laying out eight principles for understanding human ecology, the book’s chapters build from the smallest scale of connection—our homes—and expand to community scales, regions, nations, and, ultimately, examine global relationships between people and nature. In this age of climate change, a new approach to planning and design is required to envision a livable future. Human Ecology provides architects, landscape architects, urban designers, and planners—and students in those fields— with timeless principles for new, creative thinking about how their work can shape a vibrant, resilient future for ourselves and our planet.

Human Behavior and the Principle of Least Effort

Human Behavior and the Principle of Least Effort
Author: George Kingsley Zipf
Publisher: Ravenio Books
Total Pages: 637
Release: 2016-01-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN:

This classic is arranged as follows: Preface 1. The Question of Practical Application. 2. The Question of Natural Science. 1. Introduction and Orientation I. The Selection of a Path II. The “Singleness of the Superlative” III. The Principle of Least Effort IV. The Scope of the Principle: “Tools-and-Jobs” V. Previous Studies VI. Prospectus 2. On the Economy of Words I. In Medias Res: Vocabulary Usage, and the Forces of Unification and Diversification II. The Question of Vocabulary Balance III. The Orderly Distribution of Meanings IV. The Integrality of Frequencies V. The Integrality of Rank VI. The Length of Intervals Between Repetitions VII. The Problem of Spreading Work Over Time (The Even Distribution of Work Over Time) 3. Formal Semantic Balance and the Economy of Evolutionary Process I. The “Minimum Equation” Of Arrangement II. The Law of Abbreviation of Words III. The Law of Diminishing Returns of Tools IV. The Law of Diminishing Returns of Words 4. Children’s Verbalizations and the “Origin of Speech” I. The Problem II. Quantitative Data III. Theoretical Discussion of the “Origin” Of Speech IV. Summary 5. Language as Sensation and Mentation I. The Comparative Conservatism of Tools in the Risks and Opportunities of the Environment II. The Economy of Sensation III. Mentation: The Correlation of Sensory Data IV. A Mind as a Unit Semantic System V. Intellectual Rigidity and Death: Miscellanea V. Summary: The N Minimum 6. The Ego as the “Origin” Of a Frame of Reference I. A Definition of an Organism II. The Biosocial Population of Organisms III. The Economy of Procreation IV. The Synchrony of the Biosocial Continuum 7. Mind and the Economy of Symbolic Process: Sex, Culture, and Schizophrenia I. Human Sexual Activity II. The Economy of Symbolic Process (Substitution III. Culture, Society, and the Superego IV. Autism and the Confusion of Kinds of Reality V. On Schizophrenic Speech VI. Semantic Dynamics: Summary VI. Language and the Structure of the Personality 8. The Language of Dreams and of Art I. The Language of Dreams II. The Language of Art III. Language and the Structure of the Personality: Mary of Part One 9. The Economy of Geography I. A Lemma in Which a Number of Human Beings Becomes Increasingly More Organized II. The Hypothesis of the “Minimum Equation” III. Empiric Tests IV. Concluding Remarks 10. Intranational and International Cooperation and Conflict I. Canadian Data II. Unstable and Stable Intranational Conditions III. Stable and Unstable International Equilibria 11. The Distribution of Economic Power and Social Status I. Theoretical Considerations II. Empiric Data III. The Interaction Between Individuals: Dominance and Submission IV. Summary 12. Prestige Symbols and Cultural Vogues I. Theoretical Considerations II. Pioneer Empiric Data III. Musical Composers and Compositions IV. Samples of Congressional Action V. Summary

Structural Human Ecology

Structural Human Ecology
Author: Thomas Dietz
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780874223170

People's influence on ecosystems can create serious environmental consequences. Structural Human Ecology is a term coined to describe scientific studies and analyses of the stress individuals and communities place on the environment, human well-being, and the tradeoffs between them. As an emerging discipline, it is devoted to understanding the dynamic links between population, environment, social organization, and technology. The community of specialists working in this field offers cutting-edge research in risk analysis that can be used to evaluate environmental policies and thus help citizens and societies worldwide learn how to most effectively mitigate human impacts on the biosphere. The essays in this volume were presented by leading international scholars at a 2011 symposium honoring the late Dr. Eugene Rosa, then Boeing Distinguished Professor of Environmental Sociology at Washington State University. Book jacket.

Human Ecology

Human Ecology
Author: Gerald G Marten
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2010-09-23
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1136535012

'The scope and clarity of this book make it accessible and informative to a wide readership. Its messages should be an essential component of the education for all students from secondary school to university... [It] provides a clear and comprehensible account of concepts that can be applied in our individual and collective lives to pursue the promising and secure future to which we all aspire' From the Foreword by Maurice Strong, Chairman of the Earth Council and former Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) The most important questions of the future will turn on the relationship between human societies and the natural ecosystems on which we all, in the end, depend. The interactions and interdependencies of the social and natural worlds are the focus of growing attention from a wide range of environmental, social and life sciences. Understanding them is critical to achieving the balance involved in sustainable development. Human Ecology: Basic Concepts for Sustainable Development presents an extremely clear and accessible account of this complex range of issues and of the concepts and tools required to understand and tackle them. Extensively supported by graphics and detailed examples, this book makes an excellent introduction for students at all levels, and for general readers wanting to know why and how to respond to the dilemmas we face.

Ecology

Ecology
Author: J. L. Chapman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 1999
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780521588027

This is a comprehensive textbook for A-level students and first-year undergraduates taking courses in biology, geography and Earth sciences.

High-School Biology Today and Tomorrow

High-School Biology Today and Tomorrow
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies
Total Pages: 361
Release: 1989-02-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0309040280

Biology is where many of science's most exciting and relevant advances are taking place. Yet, many students leave school without having learned basic biology principles, and few are excited enough to continue in the sciences. Why is biology education failing? How can reform be accomplished? This book presents information and expert views from curriculum developers, teachers, and others, offering suggestions about major issues in biology education: what should we teach in biology and how should it be taught? How can we measure results? How should teachers be educated and certified? What obstacles are blocking reform?

Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology

Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology
Author: F Stuart Chapin III
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2006-04-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0387216634

Features review questions at the end of each chapter; Includes suggestions for recommended reading; Provides a glossary of ecological terms; Has a wide audience as a textbook for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students and as a reference for practicing scientists from a wide array of disciplines

The Ecology of a City and Its People

The Ecology of a City and Its People
Author: Stephen Vickers Boyden
Publisher: Canberra, Australia ; Miami, Fla. : Australian National University Press
Total Pages: 468
Release: 1981
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

The past - ecological background; Ecological perspectives; Land, nature and people; Life conditions and biopsychic state in early Hong Kong; The present - Hong Kong in the 1970s; Conceptual framework; Modern Hong Kong - an overview; Extrasomatic energy; Energy in the Hong Kong food system; Nutrients and water supply in Hong Kong; The built environment and transportation; The population; Material aspects of human experience; Social relationships and some important intangibles; Behavioural aspects of human experience; Environment, life style and health: problems and principles; The future - human ecological imperatives; The future of urban settlements; Life conditions check list; Common behavioural tendencies; Biosocial survey.

Fundamentals of Human Ecology

Fundamentals of Human Ecology
Author: Edward J. Kormondy
Publisher:
Total Pages: 532
Release: 1998
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

For undergraduate courses in Human Ecology, Environmental Studies, Ecological Anthropology, and Human Geography. Presenting general ecological principles followed by discussions of the human aspects of the problem, the goal of this text is to present the fundamentals of ecology and its application to humans. This text takes an integrated approach to human ecology, blending biological ecology with social sciences approaches.