This course will be devoted to hands-on discussion and demonstration of major topics related to understanding sprawl and its impacts on the natural environment. It will begin by exploring the political, economic, social, and demographic forces impacting development patterns in metropolitan areas across North America, with specific examples drawn from southern Ontario. With this as background, the course will transition to an investigation of the impact of sprawl on ecological functions and attempt to better understand how science and policy may interface to guide development patterns in a more ecologically sustainable way.