Researchers unveil principles to ‘embed nature in cities’

By 2050, the UN estimates that 2.5 billion more people will live in cities. At the same time, the climate is expected to heat by at least another 0.5C compared to today’s levels, leaving cities vulnerable to droughts and to the so-called ‘urban island heat effect’ – where heatwaves are felt more acutely than in rural areas due to the heat-absorbing nature of roads, pavements and buildings.

The good news is that an international research team, spearheaded by specialists from Stanford University and the University of Washington, have come up with a solution to these problems which could also improve the mental health of city-dwellers. The team has developed a methodology to help city planners, property developers and landscape architects determine how best to conserve nature and to add green spaces to their projects. This methodology adapts itself to consider the size and scale of the development, as well as existing infrastructure and the resident demographic. It additionally takes into account any need for improving public transport infrastructure.

“In all of human history, people have never been so disconnected from nature, and we’re becoming ever more so,” the Stanford Natural Capital Project’s faculty director Gretchen Daily said. “Our work focuses on the connections between these trends and what we can do about them.”