Mainstreaming the Environment: Exploring pathways and narratives to improve policy and decision‐making

Abstract

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Beyond growth management: A review of the wider functions and effects of urban growth management policies

“…Thereby, instead of potentially diluting the primary function of GBs in preventing sprawl, other policies may be better suited to the task of enhancement. However, a key omission to this narrative is that such environmental policies are often stacked along with UGMPs, but work separately in their respective silos, requiring integration of policy domains to benefit society (Scott, Holtby, East, & Lannin, 2021). Instead, we argue that by rethinking and broadening GBs as a space for multifunctionality, the opportunity lies in bringing social and environmental agendas together through dedicated and joined up planning policies, thereby creating a potentially important role in breaking these silos.…”

“…Furthermore, those studies which assessed multiple ES did not study cultural ES alongside provisioning and regulating ES (with only one exception) thereby failing to consider key social elements within socio-ecological systems. It is becoming increasingly accepted that inter and trans-disciplinary approaches are required to tackle key societal challenges due to their ability to break established disciplinary silos and facilitate integration and joined-up planning and delivery (Scott et al, 2021). Therefore, a key research priority for UGMPs is to better understand how ES within them function, interact, deliver and trade-off with each other as part of wider socio-ecological systems, including who may benefit and know may not.…”

Improving strategic planning for nature: Panacea or pandora’s box for the built and natural environment?

“…Mainstreaming nature involves taking key environmental concepts such as natural capital, ecosystem services and nature-based solutions and then translating and/or adapting them so that they become normalised within other policy domains such as housing, economy and transport, where they are not (yet) sufficiently understood and/or accepted by those audiences (Scott et al 2022 ). This requires overcoming resistance or challenge within those policy sectors who may indeed have their own priorities associated with economic growth or viability (Cowling et al 2008 ; Benson et al 2014 ).…”

“…Mainstreaming pathways can be shallow and/or deep. Shallow interventions, such as taxes or incentives, are relatively easy to employ, though they only secure minor system changes, which are vulnerable, whereas deeper interventions involve more upfront investment and are more value-based given their emphasis on collaborative working and co-production, which may result in more transformative behaviour change (Scott et al 2022 ).

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Managing occupational noise from blasts

“…GI is viewed as a powerful tool as part of this drive, due to its wide ranging benefits: from its immense social value, to its ability to cool heavily populated areas . Indeed, Scott et al (2021) argue that there is a desire to mainstream the concept within policy making and planning processes, in part due to climate change, biodiversity loss and other concerns, particularly within urban environments. They argue that progress has been made and, with more interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work, GI can be mainstreamed on a wider level (Scott et al, 2021).…”