One important way for urban leaders to rise to today’s challenges is to bring biodiversity and nature into urban design through urban ecological planning. Such planning recognizes that cities depend on biodiversity and that biodiversity depends on cities. Ecological planning not only illuminates the linkages between urbanization and biodiversity, but also helps integrate this understanding into urban planning, strategy, and investment. 

We have the knowledge, data, tools, and approaches to direct investment in nature to solve many different types of urban problems. Using these approaches today will help cities of the future become more sustainable, livable, resilient, and equitable.