Abstract
Urban ecology has emerged as a key interdisciplinary field to understand and address the socio-ecological challenges posed by rapid urbanization, such as the increased pressure on natural resources and ecosystem resilience. However, a comprehensive analysis of the field’s development is still lacking. Here, we address the spatial and temporal patterns of publication in urban ecology using a scientometric approach to understand how the field has developed. We perform a science mapping of the most relevant journals, authors, and research partnerships. We found a low number of core journals in the field and a higher number of articles in urban planning compared to other areas such as human sciences or environmental management. Our results also point to the low level of interaction among authors from different areas within urban ecology, which contrasts with the expectations for an interdisciplinary field. Our findings highlight the need for urban ecology to evolve beyond its core areas of ecology and urban planning and to embrace sociology, anthropology, economics, and political sciences. This would provide a more holistic and systemic approach that considers social and political aspects in the agenda of urban studies.