The overarching theme and goal of this conference is to link human dimensions aspects of land-use change along urban/rural interfaces with ecological aspects of land-use change along urban/rural interfaces. The organizers believe that such linkages offer the promise of new, powerful insights for understanding the forces that shape, and are shaped by, urbanization and offer more encompassing and compelling understanding of the causes and environmental consequences of urbanization-related land-use change policies. The conference will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to share current research results and implementation strategies, and to identify knowledge gaps, challenges, and opportunities regarding the interaction between urbanization and natural resources. In particular, approaches that focus on integrating socioeconomic and ecological research will be highlighted.
