This new, open-source software helps design sustainable cities

Developed by researchers at the Stanford Natural Capital Project, the new open-source software "Urban InVEST" allows for combining the environmental data - such as temperature patterns - with social demographics and economic data like income levels to design cities that are better for both people and nature.

Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind software for city planners and developers to visualize where investments in nature, such as parks and marshlands, can maximize benefits to people.

Developed by researchers at the Stanford Natural Capital Project, the new open-source software "Urban InVEST" allows for combining the environmental data - such as temperature patterns - with social demographics and economic data like income levels to design cities that are better for both people and nature.

"We're answering three crucial questions with this software - where in a city is nature providing what benefits to people, how much of each benefit is it providing and who is receiving those benefits," said Perrine Hamel, lead author on a new paper about the software published in Urban Sustainability, and Livable Cities Program Lead at the Stanford Natural Capital Project at the time of research.

By 2050, nearly 70 percent of the world's population is projected to be urban. As the world continues to urbanize rapidly, Urban InVEST could help city planners and developers design more sustainable and resilient cities whilst mitigating risks from climate change and unplanned development.

Applications

The researchers applied the software in multiple cities around the world including Paris, Lausanne, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, San Francisco and Minneapolis.

For instance,

• In the Chinese city of Shenzhen, the researchers used Urban InVEST to calculate how natural infrastructure like parks, grassland and forest would reduce damages in the event of a severe, once-in-one-hundred years storm. The software showed that during hot summer days, natural infrastructure was reducing the daily air temperature in Shenzhen by 3-degrees Celsius while the city's nature would help avoid USD25 billion in damages by soaking up rain and diverting floodwaters.
• In Minneapolis, United States, Urban InVEST showed how new parks, compared to golf courses, could increase urban cooling, keep river waters clean, support bee pollinators and sustain dwindling pockets of biodiversity while building a new neighborhood would increase temperatures, pollute freshwater and decrease habitat for bees and other biodiversity.

"With Urban InVEST, city governments can bring all of nature's benefits to residents and visitors. They can address inequities and build more resilient cities, resulting in better long-term outcomes for people and nature," said Anne Guerry, an author on the paper.

To know more about the Urban InVEST software, head over to the Natural Capital Project website.