Spanning the knowledge-action gap to advance transdisciplinary understanding about changing landscapes and new natures in postindustrial cities and metropolitan regions of the United States

This presentation explores how the academic communities of landscape architecture, landscape planning, and urban landscape ecology have responded to the challenges of spanning the knowledge-action gap about the changing landscapes and new natures in American postindustrial cities and metropolitan regions. The first part examines how the changing landscapes of these cities and metropolitan regions defy conventional ideas about what is urban and what is urban nature because transformations in land uses and land covers represent alternative types of heterogeneity. The second part briefly examines the major themes in the critical appraisals that have occurred in these three academic communities about the challenges of spanning the knowledge-action gap to advance transdisciplinary understanding about this topic. Points of convergence and divergence in the perspectives of these academic communities are compared. The third part delves into how better transdisciplinary connections can be enhanced through three leverage points to better connect these academic communities across the knowledge-action gap. Important spanning themes are identified that help to create stronger conceptual scaffolding and intellectual connections among these academic communities. The goal is to spur co-production of new conceptual frameworks to advance transdisciplinary understanding about changing landscapes and new natures in postindustrial cities and metropolitan regions of the United States. Finally, the last part examines how a more fruitful relationship might emerge among these academic communities in the United States if all factors fall in place while also allowing them to maintain their own distinctive disciplinary identities.

Keywords: (1) transdisciplinary synergies and collaboration, (2) landscape architecture, landscape planning, and urban landscape ecology, (3) urban landscape change and hybrid geographies, (4) urban nature and new natures, and (5) ecosystem services, ecologies, and novel ecosystems