cornell urban sustainability initiative: developing a milliontreesnyc research agenda situation...

Cornell Urban Sustainability Initiative:Developing a MillionTreesNYC Research Agenda

Situation

Theory

Paradox

Action

To create a coupled-systems research program that leads to better understanding and practice related to urban tree planting

and related sustainability efforts in cities.

Coupled Human-Natural Systems

A coupled systems approach to urban sustainability implies integrating:

human outcomes… people’s attachment to the city (sense of place), stewardship behaviors, social connectedness, and physical and mental health;

and

ecological outcomes… ecosystem services, biodiversity.

Outcomes and Next Steps

Image Credits: Alex Kudryavtsev, Daylife.com, International Monetary Fund, Millenium Ecosystem Assessment

It’s the responsibility of  our city’s

corporations and foundations,

developers, block associations,

policymakers, home owners and

renters – all New Yorkers – to create a

million living, growing legacies that will

enhance our beloved city and sustain

the world for generations to come.

New York City has always been a

place of big dreams and big ideas –

and our Administration has never

been afraid to embrace them. Over

the next decade, with our friends at

the New York Restoration Project,

we are going to plant an

unprecedented one million new trees

across the City.

Big Question

Given claims about urban trees “sustaining the world for generations to come,” how can we gather evidence of social, economic, and ecological outcomes of urban tree planting?

Research Questions

Do urban trees contribute to ecosystem services and human well-being?

Does engagement in tree planting lead to greater tree survival and to positive stewardship attitudes and behaviors in cities?

air quality

nutrient cycling

carbon sequestration

stewardship behaviors

social cohesion education

sense of place

recreation

human health water

retention

Cornell Collaborators

Marianne Krasny and Keith Tidball (Natural Resources): PIsNina Bassuk (Horticulture), Shorna Broussard Allred (Natural Resources), Janis Dickinson (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology), Gretchen Ferenz (Cornell Cooperative Extension-NYC), Stephan Schmidt (City & Regional Planning), Richard Stedman (Natural Resources), David Weinstein (Natural Resources), Nancy Wells (Design & Environmental Analysis), Thomas Whitlow (Horticulture), Ke “Max” Zhang (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering)

NYC Partners

Christine Alfsen (UNESCO), Lindsay Campbell (US Forest Service), Cristiana Fragola (MillionTreesNYC, PlaNYC), Susan Gooberman (Trees NY), Jacqueline Lu (Parks & Recreation), Megan Shane (NY Restoration Project), Erika Svendsen (US Forest Service)

MillionTrees-NYC Research Areas• Ecosystem Services: Local Air Quality and Urban Heat Island*• Ecosystem Services: Water Quality, Stormwater Management• Economic Impacts: Quantifying Return on Investment• Education*• Effective Stewardship*• Human Health and Well-Being*• Reforestation Dynamics and Forest Health*• Green Jobs & Social Justice• Biodiversity and Ecological Communities• Green Infrastructure*• Implications of Scale*

At the March 2009 MillionTreesNYC workshop, over 120 researchers and practitioners developed an urban sustainability research agenda. Cornell faculty provided leadership in planning the workshop and are involved in research areas marked by asterisk.

Larger Vision

Cornell has expanded its presence in NYC, through developing ongoing collaborations with MillionTreesNYC government and non-profit partners..

Current efforts: •Participation on planning team of the March 2010 MillionTreesNYC Research Symposium.•Participation on Advisory Committee for NYC Urban Long-term Research Area Exploratory project (NSF and USDA funded).•Leadership for Stockholm Resilience Centre NYC Urban Node•Cornell as lead organization for UNESCO NYC Urban Biosphere •Cornell Urban Sustainability Working Group

Future efforts:•Develop partnerships with private sector•Develop additional funding proposals to carry out research agenda•Grow and sustain the Cornell Urban Sustainability Working Group

From a sustainability point of view, cities are viewed negatively because of their huge environmental footprints. Yet city mayors are becoming leaders in sustainability. Witness Mayor Bloomberg’s MillionTreesNYC initiative …