Cities face many challenges such as climate change and pandemics, more so as they get denser. Nature-based solutions can help address many of these challenges and are therefore both a cost and space-effective solution. Urban nature not only provides biodiversity but also contributes to climate objectives, health (and healthy behaviour), social cohesion and water management. And not the least it can create green jobs.
But who will pay for urban nature? The benefits of nature are scattered among different public and private stakeholders, they are difficult to measure and maintenance costs create a barrier.
In this livecast, Utrecht University’s Sustainable Finance Lab launches the results of a major European study into the financing of nature in the city. Lead researcher Helen Toxopeus will discuss the feasibility of different strategies to realise the financing of urban nature in smart ways, with an insurance company, a bank and two municipalities.
