Building a Climate-Resilient City: Urban ecosystems

The document examines how urban ecosystems and green infrastructure provide critical environmental, social, and economic services that protect cities from climate shocks. It highlights projected temperature increases in Alberta and advocates for a resilience framework based on robustness, redundancy, and resourcefulness. The brief provides recommendations for municipal governments to integrate biodiversity into planning, use asset management for natural spaces, and engage citizens in environmental stewardship.

• Alberta's climate is projected to warm significantly, with mean annual temperatures expected to rise by 2°C by the 2030s and 4°C by the 2060s compared to the 1990s, assuming current global greenhouse gas emission rates continue.
• Urban ecosystems provide substantial economic value; one analysis of 25 urban regions estimated that ecosystem services provided between USD 3,212 and USD 17,772 in benefits per hectare of urban green areas annually.
• Green infrastructure can be more cost-effective than traditional 'grey' infrastructure and offers simultaneous mitigation and adaptation benefits, such as reducing the urban heat island effect and managing stormwater.
• Toronto's green roof program, consisting of a Bylaw and an Incentive Program, resulted in annual electricity savings of CAD 135,462, the diversion of 10.5 million litres of stormwater from sewers, and the avoidance of approximately 200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions between 2009 and 2016.
• Building city resilience requires enhancing three specific qualities: robustness (integrating uncertainty into management and protecting biodiversity), redundancy (incorporating green infrastructure alongside grey infrastructure), and resourcefulness (promoting civic engagement and stewardship).
• The document recommends that cities treat urban ecosystems as assets by integrating them into municipal asset management systems and operating budgets to ensure regular maintenance and support.

APA

Terton, A. (2017). Building a Climate-Resilient City: Urban ecosystems. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pcc-brief-climate-resilient-city-urban-ecosystems.pdf

Chicago

Terton, Anika. Building a Climate-Resilient City: Urban ecosystems. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pcc-brief-climate-resilient-city-urban-ecosystems.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Terton |first1=Anika |title=Building a Climate-Resilient City: Urban ecosystems |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pcc-brief-climate-resilient-city-urban-ecosystems.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{terton2017building, author = {Terton, Anika}, title = {{Building a Climate-Resilient City: Urban ecosystems}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pcc-brief-climate-resilient-city-urban-ecosystems.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }