Cities are unique and dynamic environments that are shaped by interacting social, technological, and ecological components. Faced with global climate change and growing urban populations, cities are increasingly turning to nature-based solutions (NBS) to address current and future social and environmental challenges. What opportunities are there to scale NBS in cities in the US and beyond? What challenges and barriers must we overcome to better enable their implementation?

Join us for a discussion on the importance of scaling implementation of urban NBS in the US and Canada, with a particular focus on urban NBS in the Phoenix area. This event will soft launch recommendations from a forthcoming US-Canada regional report of the NATURA (Nature-based solutions for Urban Resilience in the Anthropocene) Network’s Global Roadmap Initiative. We will feature a panel discussion of the importance of urban NBS in Phoenix as we face social and environmental challenges in the years ahead, including increasingly severe heat waves, droughts and water shortages, and food insecurity.

Featured Speakers & Panelists

Tricia Baluff, Environmental Program Manager, City of Phoenix

Jennifer Clifton, Assistant Director, Rob & Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service, Arizona State University

Nancy Grimm, Regents Professor, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University; Co-PI, NATURA Network

Amy Scoville-Weaver, Healthy Cities Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy

Sowan Thai, Operations & Program Manager, Spaces of Opportunity

Rebecca Tiernan, PhD Candidate, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University