The Purpose and Vision of the Urban Ecology Collaborative

The purpose of the Urban Ecology Collaborative (UEC) is to cultivate healthy, safe and vibrant cities through collective learning and united action. The UEC is a partnership of universities, non-profit organizations, and state, local and federal officials working in cities in the Eastern United States. Participating cities currently include Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, New Haven, Newark, New York City, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Providence, Washington, D.C., and Worcester. The UEC is always looking to forge greater partnerships across more cities and with more urban forestry organizations in our current and future member cities.

The UEC meets its purpose by:

• Producing visions for urban resilience. The UEC creates versions of the 21st Century city that connect urban forestry with all components of sustainable, healthy and livable cities.
• Cross-city research. The UEC promotes learning by coordinating research projects using a thematic approach across multiple cities and levels.
  • Monitoring and evaluation of urban transformation. The UEC develops and uses tools to evaluate and illustrate the value of urban ecology projects in and across cities.
• Communications and advocacy. The UEC ensures that its work is known at the national and community levels by decision-makers and that leaders at all levels support its vision for urban ecology transformation.
  • Publication of products. The UEC facilitates model sharing and distribution of its data and its methods by publishing in a variety of outlets and by hosting training workshops. Among other outlets, the UEC publishes an on-line journal called Cities and the Environment.
• Professional support and development systems. The UEC facilitates professional leadership development and encourages diversity in the field of urban ecology through a supportive network of individuals who share its vision and its commitment to collaboration.
  • Developing the next generation of leaders. The UEC is developing a framework for involving young people in both local and cross-city UEC projects while training the next generation of leaders in urban ecology.
• Effective Partner Collaboration. The UEC uses a collaborative learning process across partner cities to efficiently replicate and evolve successful models for community-based ecological restoration and education.
  • Increasing local partner capacity. The UEC supports strong and diverse collaborative networks within each city that increase municipal and NGO effectiveness in transforming our cities.
• Building financial stability. The UEC partners work together to provide sustainable funding for its cross-city partnership activities, projects and research.