GPSC Events
Technical Training: Valuating Ecosystem Services by Urban Natural Assets
13 May 2020
,
08:30
EDT /
Online
Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash
The Natural Capital Project team that consists of Stanford University, University of Minnesota and Chinese Science of Academy, has developed a free and open-source Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs mode – InVest. The InVest model has been used for some Chinese cities to assess the economic value of the ecosystem services provided by urban “green” and “blue” assets (i.e. urban parks, green corridor, wetland, water, etc). Please see content description below and the bios of the presenters.
An introduction to Urban InVEST: modelling ecosystem services in cities
The Natural Capital Project aims to improve the well-being of people and our planet by motivating targeted investments in nature. Our Livable Cities program brings nature into urban design to create cities where both people and nature thrive. The program applies NatCap’s proven approach to urban (re)design, using rigorous, scientific analyses to motivate targeted investment in nature. The work focuses on three interconnected fronts: 1) creating Urban InVEST models & software, 2) engaging decision-makers in individual cities and through networks of cities, and 3) advancing research frontiers on urban ecosystem services at local to global scales.
In this webinar the urban models in the free and open-source Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) software will be presented. These models map measure and value the benefits of incorporating nature into urban design as we strive for sustainable and livable cities. We will explain what Urban InVEST can be used, present the available models and explore one model, the Urban Cooling model, in more detail.
Roy Remme is a postdoctoral scholar with the Natural Capital Project at Stanford University with a focus on urban ecosystem services. He helps develop spatial models and applications for Urban InVEST, with a current focus on recreation and health-related ecosystem services. Roy obtained his Ph.D. at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, developing spatial models for ecosystem services and biodiversity and ecosystem accounting methods. After his research at Wageningen University worked as an ecosystem service researcher at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and Environment where he developed spatial modelling tools for (urban) ecosystem services and at Statistics Netherlands to develop national ecosystem accounts. Roy holds an MSc diploma in Climate Studies from Wageningen University and a BSc diploma in Environmental Sciences from Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Chris Nootenboom is a researcher with the Natural Capital Project team at the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment, where he works on modeling urban ecosystem services and habitat restoration. His primary research interests are minimizing trade-offs between ecosystem services and existing economic pressures through spatial optimization and leveraging results from these analyses into actionable policy. Prior to his work with NatCap, Chris used urban analytical models to improve building design at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates in London and New York. Specifically, he worked to minimize the impact of new buildings on light access and view quality for the surrounding urban context. Chris received his B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Carleton College.
