How does nature in cities contribute to the well-being of urban residents? Funded by the Institute on the Environment, Nature Conservancy, and University of Minnesota’s Grand Challenges Research Initiative in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Building Research, we explore the role that green infrastructure can play in enhancing urban ecosystem services, including mitigation against climate impacts. Through interdisciplinary collaborations with designers and planners we explored the intersection of regenerative design and ecosystem services at the scale of neighborhoods or buildings. In collaboration with the Liveable Cities program at the Natural Capital Project, our work in urban systems aims to improve our understanding of how nature and people can thrive together in urban environments.

Relevant publications:

Keeler et al. 2019 Social Ecological and Technical Factors Moderate the Value of Urban Nature, In Nature Sustainability.

Nature in the Urban Century Assessment Report

Lead Investigators: Bonnie Keeler, Richard Graves (CSBR), Perrine Hamel (Stanford University), Eric Lonsdorf (IonE) and Rob McDonald (Nature Conservancy)