It is widely recognised that urban green infrastructure (UGI) delivers multiple social, environmental and economic benefits contributing to urban sustainability. However, policy- and decision-makers locally, nationally, and globally lack reliable data and tools for assessing and understanding the full costs and benefits of UGI. This impedes triple-bottom-line comparisons of nature-based (or integrated) solutions with conventional “grey” or other solutions, understanding effectiveness, efficiency as well as the asset value of urban green infrastructure. Altogether the status quo stalls uptake and limits access to funding for UGI development in cities. Life-cycle thinking (LCT) methods have been suggested as a viable methodological basis for assessing the holistic value of UGI, accounting for the ecosystem services provided as well as costs and impacts generated throughout its lifetime. However, being a novel field of LCT application, the evidence base on methodological developments and practical applications is sparse, limited in scope and scattered among diverse disciplines. An overview of the state-of-the-art has so far been lacking. A large systematic scoping study carried out by the author at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia mapped the current landscape of peer-reviewed literature on LCT method development and application for holistic UGI assessments. The talk will focus on the insights regarding the existing and potential use of the LCT approaches, coverage of UGI types, the range of benefits and costs/disbenefits being assessed, as well as the UGI life-cycle stages considered. Major limitations and gaps as well as the proposed improvements and ways forward will likewise be presented and discussed.

Speakers

Linda Romanovska - UNSW