2B06183 Socio-economic Metabolism of Urban Systems and its Impact on Ecosystems
The project aims at assessing dependence of urban systems on surrounding environment and at expressing the degree of impact on surrounding ecosystems and biodiversity by urban metabolism. It elaborates on the concept of socio-economic and urban metabolism and strives to express the relation between environmental burden and ecosystem services, including biodiversity maintenance.
2B06183 Socio-economic Metabolism of Urban Systems and its Impact on Ecosystems
Donor
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Programme 2B - Healthy life of high quality
Project duration
2006-2011
Project coordinator in CUEC
Mgr. David Vačkář
Project description
The project aims at assessing dependence of urban systems on surrounding environment and at expressing the degree of impact on surrounding ecosystems and biodiversity by urban metabolism. It elaborates on the concept of socio-economic and urban metabolism and strives to express the relation between environmental burden and ecosystem services, including biodiversity maintenance.
The research is rooted in the concept of environmental sustainability, while it aims at a quantitative expression of the balance of urbanized systems with their longterm base of natural resources.
Metabolism of urban systems is assessed using the method of material and energy flow analysis (MEFA) and by stating the overall footprint of the urban systems via the analysis of the demands on biologically productive area.
An important part of the project forms the integrated assessment of the impacts of socioeconomic metabolism on ecosystem services and biodiversity.
Project milestones
1) Urban ecosystem
The objective of this part is to identify a suitable model of an urban ecosystem as a complex of socioeconomic and biophysical factors.
- 30.6.2008 - basic research
2) Socioeconomic metabolism
This part intends mainly to detect the interlinkages between the trends of macroeconomic indicators of environmental sustainability and trends set by the socioeconomic metabolism of regions and urban systems.
- 31.12.2009 - basic research
3) Demands of urban systems on primary productivity and area
The objective lies in expressing the impact of human dominance on ecosystems and biodiversity using the aggregated indicators of environmental sustainability.
- 31.12.2009 - basic research
4) Metabolism of urban systems
The objective is to quantify material and energy flows, inputs and outputs, and demands on biologically productive area of selected model cities in the context of regions.
- 30.6.2011 - applied non-industrial research
5) Ecosystem services in urban context
This part aims at an integrated assessment of ecosystem services in urban context, their disturbance rate at present and possible risks of their disturbance in future.
- 30.6.2011 - applied non-industrial research
Outputs
HAVRÁNEK, Miroslav, VAČKÁŘ, David. Ecological footprint of the Czech Republic: Robustness of Energy Conversion Approaches. Paper at the International Ecological Footprint Conference, Cardiff, 8-10.5. 2007
