Nature-Based Solutions for Cities

Abstract

develop the road, power, transport, water, and telecommunications infrastructure, and notably does not include the cost to build housing, schools, hospitals, and other built-up elements of cities.How cities grow will affect not only global climate; it will also affect local climate. The urban heat island has been well documented, showing that cities are warmer-especially at night-than surrounding regions, due to urban materials, land cover, and activities. Urban expansion also drives changes in local temperature because of changes in land cover, evapotranspiration, and surface albedo-the ability of surfaces to reflect heat from the sun. Research from my group shows that in many regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, urban expansion-driven changes in local temperature will be much greater than climate change-driven changes in local temperatures. Given this, cities need to consider their use of building and infrastructure materials.Cities must therefore achieve four goals: minimize greenhouse gas emissions, foster low and net-zero carbon behaviors, minimize changes in land cover that increase local temperatures and exacerbate the urban heat island effect, and create livable and vibrant communities. How can they possibly do this with limited human and financial resources and given the need for urgent action?Nature-based solutions through natural infrastructure can help cities achieve all of these aims simultaneously. Numerous studies have shown that nature-based solutions can provide cost-effective solutions that have multiple benefits for people and the environment, such as reducing urban heat, providing shade to buildings and thus reducing demand for air conditioning, and absorbing storm surges. Furthermore, there are myriad economic, health, and social benefits of neighborhoods with green spaces and tree cover. Therefore, it is not surprising that nature-based solutions have garnered much attention from the science and practice communities in the past decade.However, with a fast-growing literature on nature-based solutions, it is difficult to parse out what works where, when, and how. McPhearson, Kabisch, and Frantzeskaki have developed an ambitious, comprehensive volume that synthesizes the science and practice of nature-based solutions using real-world examples. This is an exciting and timely volume that will be of interest to researchers and practitioners. It addresses many of the aforementioned challenges and provides clear illustrations of how nature-based solutions offer benefits for people and the environment. Importantly, the book also addresses the governance and design of nature-based solutions, two aspects that are often underexplored. In creating this must-have handbook that should be on the shelf of every urban practitioner (and perhaps every urban resident), McPhearson, Kabisch, and Frantzeskaki have done an enormous service to helping make cities more livable and the planet more sustainable.

Cities in nature

“…B 379: 20220322 Biodiversity conservation and climate change are intricately interlinked and hence, they must be addressed together. In fact, actions to halt biodiversity loss like nature-based solutions [18] generally benefit climate [19], while climate change solutions might, sometimes, have negative impacts on biodiversity.…”