Urban resilience through ecosystem services in Edmonton, Canada: an assessment of gaps and recommendations

Climate change is predicted to cause severe economic, social, and environmental impacts to cities across the globe. As such, it is paramount for cities to implement cost-effective and functional adaptation policies that reduce these negative impacts. One such approach is the incorporation of ecosystems services into the built environment as a form of green infrastructure. This approach leverages the provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services of ecosystems to build urban resilience that persists with ongoing climate uncertainty. To connect concepts in literature to planning policy and contribute a Canadian example to global discourse, this paper has two overarching objectives: (1) to assess the extent to which the City of Edmonton’s policy approach to build urban resilience includes ecosystem services; and, (2) to identify gaps in this approach and provide recommendations for improvement. Findings highlight that ecosystem services are associated with the key themes of climate resilience, public health benefits, biodiversity preservation and economic savings. This research also identifies key gaps in Edmonton’s resilience-building endeavor which include the frequent separation of human and non-human systems, limited consideration for social accessibility, and an underdeveloped approach to ecosystem service evaluation. Recommendations are provided to address these gaps.