A comparative ecological research strategy: An analysis of the urban residential structure of Cuyahoga County, Ohio

This research demonstrates the practicality and usefulness of a comparative ecological research strategy for investigating and understanding the residential structure of urban areas. The comparative ecological research strategy, which is carried out in a single case study, begins with three independent empirical analyses. The independent analyses represent three of the major research traditions in the field of urban ecology, namely factorial, population density and segregation approaches. The findings of the three independent analyses reveal that urban residential structure is a complex and pluriform socio-spatial system that cannot be adequately described and explained by any single approach or particular method. More precisely, each approach provides alternative perspectives of the urban residential structure of Cuyahoga County, Ohio.; The comparative ecological research strategy concludes with a fourth and final analysis that integrates the empirical findings of the three independent analyses, as well as the fundamental theoretical concepts manifested in the application of each approach. This analysis is comprised of three analytical phases which are referred to as conceptual, empirical, and macro-micro syntheses. In the conceptual synthesis, the different ecological concepts associated with each approach are interfaced with each other in a systematic fashion. In the empirical synthesis, the quantitative and spatial findings derived from the different ecological approaches are compared to reveal similarities and differences in their explanations of urban residential structure; and also to attain an all-inclusive conception of the residential structure of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The macro-micro synthesis aims at formulating a generalized framework involving fundamental theoretical concepts and methodological criteria for elucidating the residential structure of urban areas.; The key contribution of the dissertation is the comparative ecological research strategy which is used to synthesize the information revealed by a variety of quantitative analyses and computer applications. To a certain extent, this approach can be regarded as a new and comprehensive analytical approach in the field of urban ecology. The unique feature of the aforementioned approach is that it provides a comprehensive assessment of urban residential structure, without undermining the unique features of each ecological approach and analytical method. More precisely, the key advantage of the comparative ecological approach is that it transcends all other approaches by using them in a single case study to provide a multiple perspective of the social and spatial organization of urban population.