Promoting Earth Stewardship through urban design experiments

Earth Stewardship requires a repositioning of ecological science in society to promote social-ecological change. This may place ecologists in situations that are largely unfamiliar to them, such as playing a role in the process of urban design. "Designed Experiments" - defined as projects that embed ecological research into urban design to study and shape buildings, landscapes, and the infrastructure of human settlements - are intended to enhance the impact of ecologists working in these new situations. Designed Experiments provide a framework for organizing relationships among ecologists, urban designers, decision makers, and citizens; an opportunity for testing ecological hypotheses; and a platform for experiential learning among multiple participants - all of which have the potential to aid in overcoming barriers to the goals of Earth Stewardship. Here we explore the capacity of Designed Experiments to facilitate progress toward Earth Stewardship through real-world case studies.