The dualism of nature/culture widely present within Western society at large is out of step with an increasingly urbanizing world. Building on previous discussions of nature/culture duality, an integrative framework is presented that argues for the embracing of the ‘mundane nature’ found within human landscapes.

This research project explores the concept of ‘agency’ in the context of sustainable community development and the involvement of citizens in achieving social change and social innovation in their communities around community development issues.

Stream daylighting projects are highly complex and require prolonged cooperation between multiple agencies and collaboration between diverse actors. Given most of these projects are quite expensive and require extensive effort in a very small area, a “frog dilemma” emerges in which the ecological benefits might seem to not justify the resources required.

Urban centers serve as hubs of human innovation and as places where different ideas and cultures come together, creating complex and organic mixing of ideas. However some urban areas are more dynamic than others. Though Richard Florida discusses the role of demographics in this differentiation of urban zones, the nature of the urban form also plays a role.

In the natural world, the transfer of resources between landscape features such as the corridors and patches that make up the mosaic of ecological niches is increased where those boundaries are more complex.

This article describes research that builds on a previous study of social capital conducted in 2002 and 2003 in a Canadian community, exploring the relationship between agency and sustainable community development.

Diversity is a key component for resilience within systems, including human societies. Our natural tendency towards homophily, however, impedes diversity within human societies and economies. Bio-diverse ecosystems, though themselves threatened, can act as a model for diverse and more resilient human societies.

Community level action towards sustainable development has emerged as a key scale of intervention in the effort to address our many serious environmental issues. This is hindered by the large-scale destruction of both urban neighbourhoods and rural villages in the second half of the twentieth century.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential of online communication technologies to facilitate university‐led transdisciplinary sustainable development research and lower the ecological footprints of such research projects. A series of case studies is to be explored.

Design/methodology/approach

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential of online communication technologies to facilitate university‐led transdisciplinary sustainable development research and lower the ecological footprints of such research projects. A series of case studies is to be explored.