Time, justice, and urban nature: procedural barriers to multi-species flourishing
Abstract This paper explores the ways in which urban green and blue spaces are beset by problematic governing processes that reinforce an unrepresentative and unjust environmental narrative. In efforts to operationalise Nature Based Solutions this is problematic for, ultimately, law may act to ‘free...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | npj Urban Sustainability |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-025-00207-x |
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| author | Josephine Gillespie Dan Penny Rebecca Hamilton |
| author_facet | Josephine Gillespie Dan Penny Rebecca Hamilton |
| author_sort | Josephine Gillespie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This paper explores the ways in which urban green and blue spaces are beset by problematic governing processes that reinforce an unrepresentative and unjust environmental narrative. In efforts to operationalise Nature Based Solutions this is problematic for, ultimately, law may act to ‘freeze’ the environmental narratives that shape our urban ecosystems. In many cases the results will not adequately recognise multiple species or provide an adequate basis to learn from the self-organised resilience of ecosystems with a long history in place. In this paper we use an Australian case study to demonstrate that a once extensive plant community that was extirpated over the past 150 years is now unknown and unrepresented in environmental law and policy, despite its value for Nature Based Solutions. We suggest that modest regulatory change can act as a vehicle for more-than-human representation within existing decision-making processes. Improved representation of disrupted and marginalised ecologies may achieve the functionality needed for effective Nature Based Solutions and allow urban ecologies to flourish. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-504d57ef08cf4c9c9261a112a94b093f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2661-8001 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Urban Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj-art-504d57ef08cf4c9c9261a112a94b093f2025-08-20T02:30:23ZengNature Portfolionpj Urban Sustainability2661-80012025-04-01511810.1038/s42949-025-00207-xTime, justice, and urban nature: procedural barriers to multi-species flourishingJosephine Gillespie0Dan Penny1Rebecca Hamilton2The University of Sydney, School of GeosciencesThe University of Sydney, School of GeosciencesThe University of Sydney, School of GeosciencesAbstract This paper explores the ways in which urban green and blue spaces are beset by problematic governing processes that reinforce an unrepresentative and unjust environmental narrative. In efforts to operationalise Nature Based Solutions this is problematic for, ultimately, law may act to ‘freeze’ the environmental narratives that shape our urban ecosystems. In many cases the results will not adequately recognise multiple species or provide an adequate basis to learn from the self-organised resilience of ecosystems with a long history in place. In this paper we use an Australian case study to demonstrate that a once extensive plant community that was extirpated over the past 150 years is now unknown and unrepresented in environmental law and policy, despite its value for Nature Based Solutions. We suggest that modest regulatory change can act as a vehicle for more-than-human representation within existing decision-making processes. Improved representation of disrupted and marginalised ecologies may achieve the functionality needed for effective Nature Based Solutions and allow urban ecologies to flourish.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-025-00207-x |
| spellingShingle | Josephine Gillespie Dan Penny Rebecca Hamilton Time, justice, and urban nature: procedural barriers to multi-species flourishing npj Urban Sustainability |
| title | Time, justice, and urban nature: procedural barriers to multi-species flourishing |
| title_full | Time, justice, and urban nature: procedural barriers to multi-species flourishing |
| title_fullStr | Time, justice, and urban nature: procedural barriers to multi-species flourishing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Time, justice, and urban nature: procedural barriers to multi-species flourishing |
| title_short | Time, justice, and urban nature: procedural barriers to multi-species flourishing |
| title_sort | time justice and urban nature procedural barriers to multi species flourishing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-025-00207-x |
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