GEOLOGIC FIELD WORK IN A CITY…..ARE YOU CRAZY?

Most geologists prefer wild, isolated regions with great outcrops. However, life has changed and our experience is desperately needed within the cities of our planet. At this moment 50% of the Earth’s population is urban and there are 400 cities with populations of over a million. Robert Leggett, the foremost urban geologist of the 20th Century, emphasized that understanding the geological framework of a city is crucial to its long-term health and stability. It has been 31 years since Leggett made that observation and most of us are still in the wilderness.

The traditional application of urban geologic expertise is to mitigating natural hazards, assuring resources, providing geotechnical advice, and addressing health issues. Even these fundamental needs are rarely considered in management of the world’s cities. The most basic geological data for a city include maps at all scales, hazard evaluations, hydrologic studies, and evaluation of environmental indicators. If we accomplish these basic but complex goals for major cities, our profession(s) will make a major contribution to urban safety and sustainability.

We need a more comprehensive understanding of the inter-connectivity between natural systems, urban infrastructures, and human behavior. At present, this is difficult because of compartmentalization in city management, isolation of university departments, and the narrow focus of many professional meetings. The long-term solution is for cities to employ interdisciplinary teams of geologists, geophysicists, civil engineers, atmospheric scientists, GIS experts, risk analysts, urban planners, disaster mitigation specialists, and other disciplines if needed.

We see modest beginnings. Arizona State University and metropolitan Phoenix have "Phoenix 2100." Mexico City has its own geological survey. The ASTER satellite is monitoring environmental change in 100 of the world’s cities. More professional organizations include cities sessions in their conferences and volcanologists host "Cities on Volcanoes" interdisciplinary meetings every 2 years. It will take decades to change the way cities are managed, but a holistic approach to urban management will lead to safe, sustainable cities—and the geosciences are an important part of that process.