Team Members: Lingling Liu (University of Minnesota), Joseph F. Knight (University of Minnesota), Chris W Nootenboom (Natural Capital Insights), Gretchen C. Daily (Stanford University), David Fisher (Stanford University), Anne D Guerry (Stanford University), Douglas Denu (Stanford University), Eric V Lonsdorf (Emory University)
Executive Summary: Those who make decisions affecting equity and the urban environment must manage multiple, interacting challenges such as climate change, air and water pollution, flooding, heat waves, affordable housing, and public health. Investing in urban nature, or “green infrastructure,” can help address many of these challenges, offering nature-based solutions that concurrently deliver multiple benefits that diverse stakeholders want and need. However, leveraging the current data and tools that can best inform these decisions requires knowledge of ecosystem processes and skills in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that are beyond most community stakeholders and planners. In this project, we are developing a green infrastructure planning tool that lowers technological barriers for urban planners and decision-makers to generate insights and inform investments in green infrastructure for sustainable and equitable cities. We are prototyping this tool in San Antonio, Texas, where we have existing relationships with stakeholders in city government and NGOs. Our tool will be scalable to other US cities, using nationally available and regularly updated data inputs that ensure durability and resilience. The objectives of this research are fourfold: