SPECIAL SEMINAR Sponsored by Ecological Science & Engineering Human Populations in River Corridors: Causes of Greatness & Magnificence of Cities Professor James W. Jawitz University of Florida; Gainesville, FL TUESDAY, November 7, 2017; 3:30-5:00 pm, Lilly Hall 2-425 Abstract: [earth_lights_4800]This talk describes our group's work studying the relationship between human settlements and water resources, especially along river networks. Urbanization is a powerful force for human development. Cities are centers of innovation and economic opportunity, but cities also concentrate demands and impacts on natural resources. Water is an attractive factor when people choose where to live. Early civilizations and modern cities primarily evolved around rivers. In early settlement periods, humans chose to locate close to rivers to satisfy their direct consumptive use as well as for navigation purposes. However, with increasing population, wealth, and technical sophistication, the direct reliance on proximity to rivers weakens. Yet at the same time, economic agglomeration effects of established settlements grows stronger. Here we examine the tension between the growth of cities and limits to growth imposed by water resources. Short Bio: [James Jawitz]Dr. Jawitz is Professor and Associate Chair in the Soil and Water Sciences Department at the University of Florida. He directs the Landscape Hydrology Laboratory. His research emphasizes human interactions with hydrologic systems at landscape scales. He also works on groundwater quality protection, wetland restoration, catchment-scale water management, and urban water supply. In 2016, he was a Dresden Senior Fellow at Technical University-Dresden (Germany), and taught Renaissance hydraulic engineering at Florence University of the Arts (Italy).
