North Central Research Station

Natural Environments for Urban Populations
RWU-NC-4902

Nearly 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas ranging in size from small cities to large metropolitan areas. Every day, these urban dwellers affect the natural environment – and the natural environment affects them.  Decisions about where and how urban people build and landscape their homes, where and how they recreate, and where they vacation all influence the environment.  At the same time, the natural environment changes urban people, too. Trees, prairies, lakes, and rivers, both within and beyond the borders of cities and towns, affect urban people’s health and well-being.

As urban populations increase in size, extent, and diversity, natural resource planners and policymakers must address growing concerns about a wide range of environments. To make the best decisions—for people and for nature—they need better information about how urban people influence and are influenced by natural environments across the entire spectrum of urban to rural landscapes. That is the focus of the Natural Environments for Urban Populations unit.

We research how urban people perceive, use, benefit from, and value natural environments across the landscape. We seek answers to resource management questions, and our findings help natural resource managers and policymakers make informed decisions in planning, designing, and managing places with people in mind.  Our research focus areas are Landscape & Demographic Change, Management and Restoration of Natural Landscapes, Environmental Perceptions & Values, the Calumet Initiative, and the Fire Management Initiative.

Staffed with social scientists with a wide range of relevant backgrounds, Natural Environments for Urban Populations is one of only a few Forest Service research work units that study the human component of natural resource management.