urban ecology (sociology)

Examines what happens when natural gas extraction by means of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" takes place in a densely populated area with homes, schools, hospitals, parks, and businesses. The book focuses on fracking in the Barnett Shale, the natural gas-rich geological formation under the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Natural gas development is an important part of American energy policy to help reduce dependence on foreign oil, yet, as the book shows, it comes at a cost to the local communities in health and environmental burdens.

Explores technologies and strategies for sustainable living in the early twenty-first century, with a focus on cities, discussing why they are unsustainable, buildings, eco-communities, transportation, and how to change existing cities to be more environmentally friendly.

Discusses various issues related to sustainable cities, covering unplanned growth, unequal access to resources, transportation problems, the environmental impacts of building, and relocation, and including two case studies for each as well as advice on what that reader can do to help.

Text and illustrations provide an introduction to urban habitats.

Discusses how the ways that we think about environmentalism has affected the designs of towns and cities.

Provides descriptions of the plants and animals that may be found in local habitats, based on the author's explorations of his own backyard in New Jersey; organized by season.