ISCN Global Mixer: Trees-as-infrastructure: from Location-based Scoring to Urban Nature Financing

Recent extreme weather events in Spain have once again highlighted the vulnerability of cities and their inhabitants to the consequences of climate change. Heat waves, floods and droughts are putting urban infrastructures to the test and calling for a rethink in urban planning. This presentation highlights ways of revaluing urban nature and its inherent ecosystem services as crucial building blocks for the resilience of densely populated areas.

For smart city concepts to develop from technologically savvy to holistic approaches, new human-nature relationships are crucial. City administrations can use data and technology to act as catalysts for social learning processes. This means using crises to design urban spaces in such a way that they can withstand future extreme weather events and thus destroy fewer lives.

Caroline Paulick-Thiel and Sebastian Klemm illustrate how cities can become more resilient by investing in environmental services and promoting participatory approaches. Using concrete examples of scope for action, they explain how a reorientation towards more cooperation and sustainable planning is possible.

The event is part of the ISCN Global Mixer, a series of events organized by the International Smart Cities Network. The presentations cover a wide range of topics related to international smart city approaches and provide exciting insights into urban digitalization worldwide - in just 30 minutes.