Stay informed with our June Liveable Cities Newsletter! Dive into the latest news on urban nature and biodiversity, discover upcoming conferences, and explore innovative developments shaping our cities. Read now for a comprehensive update on creating more liveable urban environments.

Liveable Cities Newsletter - June 2025

Written by
Dr Jenni Garden, Principal Consultant - Ecology and Liveable Cities Lead

Our Liveable Cities newsletter is your go-to source for stories, ideas, and strategies that help shape urban environments into thriving, resilient, and nature-positive spaces.

The content below is just an extract from the full newsletter. 

To access the full version,  subscribe to our newsletter today.

This year’s International Day for Biological Diversity (22 May) and World Environment Day (5 June) were powerful reminders that cities must be champions for environmental action - not just by cutting waste, but by actively restoring and regenerating nature in our urban spaces.

As Australia’s cities continue to expand, the message is clear: weaving green infrastructure and nature-positive thinking into every layer of urban planning is essential for climate resilience, biodiversity, and community wellbeing.

With more than 67% of the world’s population now calling cities home, urban areas are at the cutting edge of environmental, social, and economic innovation. Cities have a unique opportunity to lead the charge toward a sustainable future - embracing green infrastructure, sustainable transport, circular economy solutions, and smart technologies.

The future depends on accelerating local action to embed biodiversity in urban planning, policy, and community life - ensuring our cities thrive for generations to come.

We love sharing the latest liveable cities stories with our growing community! If you have news, projects, or successes to celebrate, please get in touch. And if you know someone who’d enjoy a dose of Liveable Cities inspiration, feel free to pass this newsletter along to your urban sustainability-loving colleagues.

Principal – Ecology and Sustainable Cities Lead 

Australia is at a turning point. With the National Urban Policy, the GBCA Nature Roadmap, the National Urban Green Infrastructure Round Table, and the IPWEA’s asset management project all converging in 2025, the foundations are being laid for cities that not only sustain but regenerate nature.

The challenge now is to embed these principles into every decision, ensuring that green infrastructure is valued, funded, and maintained as essential urban assets.

National Urban Policy: A Framework for Sustainable Growth

Released in late 2024, Australia’s new National Urban Policy sets a transformative vision for sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient cities; prioritising green infrastructure to address challenges like housing affordability, urban heat, biodiversity loss, and equitable access to green space. 

GBCA Nature Roadmap: Raising the Bar for Nature in the Built Environmen

The Green Building Council of Australia is set to release its much-anticipated Nature Roadmap this month, establishing ambitious benchmarks for nature regeneration and biodiversity in urban development, and calling for the integration of Indigenous knowledge and Western science.

National Urban Green Infrastructure Round Table: Sector-Wide Action
Twelve peak industry bodies have united to form the National Urban Green Infrastructure Round Table, releasing Australia’s first industry-supported position statement on urban green infrastructure.

Their recommendations include formal asset classification, national standards, long-term funding, and embedding green infrastructure as a “must have” in urban planning.

Resilient Sydney: Resilient Sydney Strategy 2025 - 2030

Sydney has launched its second-generation resilience strategy, building on the foundation of the original 2018 plan, marking a major step forward in preparing the city for future challenges. 

It provides a clear roadmap for collaborative action through to 2030, with a strong focus on implementation. Access the Strategy here.

Bradfield City Centre: Leading with Nature-Positive Urbanism

One of Australia’s largest urban developments and the first new major city in over 100 years, Bradfield City Centre (BCC) in Western Sydney is setting a new standard for nature-positive and climate-resilient urban development. 

Guided by its Sustainability and Resilience Strategy 2024-2028, Bradfield will dedicate over 30% of its area to open space and target an average 40% tree canopy cover, integrating green infrastructure such as green roofs, rain gardens, and swales throughout the precinct.

Learn more about BCC here or watch the webinar below where Christian Keel Edge Impact's Head of Circular Economy and Karen Shaw from the Bradfield Development Authority (BDA) provide insights into the world of recycled content certification.

Transform the built environment with our integrated sustainability services. From planning to deconstruction, we collaborate with clients for positive change.

Cities around the world are also demonstrating the transformative power of integrating nature into urban infrastructure:

The Singapore Green Plan 2030 is a whole-of-nation strategy to accelerate sustainable development and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement. Key targets include planting one million trees, quadrupling solar energy by 2025, reducing landfill waste by 30% by 2030, and requiring all new cars to be cleaner-energy models from 2030.

After five years of collaboration, The Nature Conservancy’s Europe Urban Greening Team released its final program report, capturing key insights from efforts to enhance urban environments across Germany.

The report highlights lessons learned and identifies opportunities to scale nature-based solutions (NBS), supporting cities and communities across Europe in adapting to a changing climate. Access the report here.

Read more in the newsletter itself. Subscribe today.

The Biodiversity Conference 2025 
28–30 October 2025, Perth, Australia
Theme: Nature Positive 
This conference brings together experts and practitioners to showcase biodiversity achievements and share knowledge on nature-positive solutions for Australia’s urban and regional environments.

TreeNet Symposium 2025
September 2025, Adelaide, Australia

The annual TreeNet Symposium convenes urban forestry professionals, researchers, and local governments to share research, case studies, and best practices in green infrastructure, water- sensitive urban design, and sustainable urban tree management.

International Conference on Smart City and Green Energy
9–12 December 2025, Melbourne, Australia
Focuses on innovative technologies and policies for smart, green urban environments.

World Climate and Biodiversity Summit 2025
25 September 2025, New York City, USA

Theme: Uniting for Impact: Innovative Solutions for Climate and Nature

A global summit advancing biodiversity restoration and nature-based solutions, held alongside Climate Week NYC.

SSPCR 2025 – Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions
9–12 December 2025, Bolzano, Italy
An international forum for sharing solutions on resilient, equitable, and environmentally responsible urban planning.

This issue’s A-Tree-Citation is provided by our Marketing Manager, Rachael.

I’ve chosen to dedicate this A-Tree-Citation to the humble, all-too familiar Australian Gum Tree (Eucalyptus sp.).

Well known to those who have been lucky enough to pass through this beautiful Country, the Gum Tree really forms part of the Australian landscape and for me, provides a sense of strong familiarity and sense of comfort, knowing – ah yes, I am home!

Heavily inspired by my dad’s love for them, through our camping trips in what felt like the middle of nowhere, he always taught us to stop, pause, listen, and observe the wonder that is the Australian bush. A big part of that was always the incredible Gum trees. Their durability, adaptability and timelessness.

There’s something special about walking through them, scrunching up fallen leaves and smelling them, and many of them seemingly look like they touch the sky. Upon doing a quick google search, some species of Eucalyptus can grow over 90 metres tall!

Having found the photos below, I asked my dad, “What has drawn you to these trees and what made you want to rest your hand upon it?”

“This particular tree stood out to me, I wanted to feel it’s power, its timelessness, it’s age. Who knows, it’s probably three generations older than me.”

Photo credits: Kevin De Costa captured in The Blue Mountains.

If you'd like to share your news, projects, and successes feel free to get in touch with Jenni Garden directly or contact us here.

As experts in the full spectrum of sustainability topics, we are here to guide you through the complexity. Our team includes specialists from across the globe; from strategists to economists, engineers to creatives. Since 2008, we have been helping businesses, organisations, industries and societies make transformation happen.

Our areas of expertise are focused around the following areas:

Leadership and Transformation
ESG and Strategy
Decarbonisation and Climate Resilience
Circular Economy and Lifecycle Thinking
Procurement and Supply Chain
Nature and Biodiversity
Brand, Communications and Creative

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Liveable Cities News & Highlights - June 2024

In this issue of our Liveable Cities Newsletter we celebrate some of the tangible changes we are starting to see within Australia and overseas around nature protection and restoration, and a shift away from nature as a part of cities and towards cities as a part of nature.

We're also excited to celebrate and introduce Edge Impact’s new CEO, Alison Rowe, and delighted that Alison has shared some of her personal connection with nature by telling us about her favourite tree in our A-Tree-Ciation.

Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Nature Roadmap

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) is developing a Nature Roadmap. This Roadmap will redefine how development is done, and the role of the built environment in biodiversity enhancement and nature regeneration. The Roadmap aims to ensure the built environment sector proactively creates spaces that directly and actively contribute to enhancing nature and biodiversity within our cities and towns.

It is being built around the following five principles that seek to address goals at the site, surrounding environment, and supply chains levels: (1) protects nature; (2) connects nature; (3) uses low-impact materials; (4) renews nature over time; and (5) brings nature and communities together. In this sense, the Roadmap advocates for net biodiversity gain within sites, protecting sensitive areas, encouraging development on previously developed land, understanding and improving supply chains, and integrating First Nations’ approach to Designing with Country.

A discussion paper about the Roadmap is currently out for public consultation (until 30 June) – and provides an opportunity for industry to help co-design how the built environment will respond to nature, and shape how this will impact legislation and supply chains.

Green Adelaide has released its draft Urban Greening Strategy for metro Adelaide– the first of its kind for South Australia. The strategy outlines the city’s ambitious vision with supporting tangible actions to create ‘…a resilient and liveable Adelaide for all: cooler, leafier and more biodiverse.”

The strategy leverages evidence-based insights to educate and excite people about the importance of urban greening and promotes practical greening actions to enhance the liveability of Adelaide.

If you’re based in SA, now is the time to have your say! Green Adelaide is encouraging all community members and organisations to provide feedback that will help inform the final Strategy. The public consultation period is open until 28 June, 2024.

Edge is excited to have delivered another Tree Tags Trail project, this time with the development of Willoughby City Council’s Hallstrom Park and Willoughby South Tree Trails.

The trails were developed as part of Council’s "Love Your Trees" campaign, an initiative aimed at raising awareness about the importance of urban trees in creating liveable neighbourhoods and promoting community health and well-being.

With a range of native and exotic tree species on both trails, visitors and residents can pick up a brochure from the Incinerator Café or the Council's Customer Service Centre, or can download a digital copy to print off themselves.

The brochure will allow people to follow the trails and discover  the local nature, learn about just some of the benefits offered by urban trees, and even crack a secret coded message!.

Government Architect NSW: Biodiversity in Place

The Department has done it again! It has released another great framework called "Biodiversity in Place" produced by the NSW Government Architect.

This document provides guidance on reintroducing nature and biodiversity into urban environments by incorporating ecology-rich plantings across various urban elements like streets, backyards, public spaces, and infrastructure corridors.

It aims to reconnect people with natural systems, create cooler and more liveable cities, provide habitat for wildlife, support biodiversity, improve mental health, and beautify urban spaces.

The Playbook for Urban Biodiversity was developed by the Melbourne Centre for Cities (University of Melbourne) as a key output from the Urban Nature: Urban Myths Symposium held in May 2023.

The Playbook  aims to guide practices and policies that promote biodiversity within Australian cities. Through a series of actionable steps, it addresses barriers that hinder the implementation of urban nature initiatives.

It offers strategies applicable across global, state and national, and local scales with scalable solutions. The Playbook for Urban Biodiversity is a great resource for decision-makers, practitioners, and communities to embrace and enhance biodiversity within urban areas.

Learn more about our Built Environment Services.

The UK’s new legislative requirement for biodiversity net gain (BNG) is now active! The requirement became mandatory as of February 2024 for all new major urban developments, and as of April 2024 for smaller developments.

As a result, developers must now demonstrate as part of the application process that their project will deliver a minimum 10% net gain in biodiversity, measured using the statutory biodiversity metric, and in accordance with biodiversity gain hierarchy; meaning gains must first be achieved on-site, then supplementary gains can be achieved through off-site habitat creation/enhancement on their own land, and as a last resort, by purchasing statutory biodiversity credits from the government.

In February 2024, the European Parliament passed the landmark Nature Restoration Law – on 17 June 2024, the first-of-its-kind legislation was approved by the Council of the European Union, meaning it is now a fully enforceable law! This legislation is a historic win for EU nature and makes a significant contribution to the KMGBF targets by requiring the European Union to restore at least 20% of its lands and seas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.

One of the key provisions of the Nature Restoration Law is the creation of 15,000 hectares of urban green spaces by 2030 to improve air quality, biodiversity, and the well-being of city dwellers.

World Green Infrastructure Congress - 3-5 September, Auckland, NZ

25th National Tree Net Symposium - 12-13 September, Adelaide, Australia

Future City Green World Congress - 23-26 September, The Netherlands, EU

Global Nature Positive Summit - 8-10 October 2024, Sydney, Australia

A huge thank you to Edge’s new CEO, Alison Rowe, for providing this issue’s A-tree-ciation. Alison’s selected tree is definitely one that is also close to my heart, having grown up not too far from this tree and it’s more well known relative, the Curtain Fig Tree. Here’s Alison’s story:

This ‘Cathedral Fig Tree’ is a strangler fig (Ficus virens) growing in the Danbulla National Park and State Forest, part of the Wet Tropics World Hertiage Area on the central part of the Atherton Tablelands, 70km (1.5hr) south-west of Cairns, in Far North Queensland. The tree is spectacular and breathtaking and is over 500 years old. The crown is as big as two swimming pools and towers nearly 50m in height!

In 2022 I had the extraordinary opportunity to be here at sunrise and the Gambi Yidinji people welcomed me with a traditional smoking ceremony. I heard the stories from the First Nations peoples about the importance of this tree and Country. I heard the singing of the whip birds and I felt such an inner peace and respect for nature in all that is provides us.

If you'd like to share your news, projects, and successes feel free to get in touch with Jenni Garden directly at jenni.garden@edgeimpact.global or contact us here.

As experts in the full spectrum of sustainability topics, we are here to guide you through the complexity. Our team includes specialists from across the globe; from strategists to economists, engineers to creatives. Since 2008, we have been helping businesses, organisations, industries and societies make transformation happen.

Our areas of expertise are focussed around the following areas:

Leadership and Transformation
ESG and Strategy
Decarbonisation and Climate Resilience
Circular Economy and Lifecycle Thinking
Procurement and Supply Chain
Nature and Biodiversity
Brand, Communications and Creative

Stay informed with our October Liveable Cities Newsletter! Explore the latest developments in sustainable urban planning and nature-positive initiatives. 

Liveable Cities News & Highlights - October  2024

In this issue of our Liveable Cities Newsletter, we celebrate exciting new developments and innovations in the liveable cities space in Australia and overseas.

We're also excited to announce our sponsorship of SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities at the upcoming UNiting Business LIVE Australia event.

Edge Sponsors SDG 11 at UNiting Business LIVE Australia

We're proud to announce our sponsorship of SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities at the upcoming UNiting Business LIVE Australia event. This aligns perfectly with our mission to create value through tackling sustainability challenges.

SDG 11 aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable - goals that resonate deeply with our work in urban sustainability.

Cool Suburbs (CS) is Australia’s first heat resilience rating and assessment tool. Developed by Edge Impact together with WSROC and as part of the Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce program initiatives, CS aims to strengthen action on cooling urban areas by guiding evidence-based planning and development decisions at multiple scales across development typologies.

The tool was created through extensive stakeholder engagement, integrating urban heat science expertise, research, and best practices.

The outcome is a voluntary, industry-based performance (rating) tool that assesses place-based urban heat resilience.

It provides a synthesis of urban heat science and practices in an easy-to-use and interpret platform with the goal of supporting improved resilience outcomes.

Read the Science Rationale document or explore the tool here.

The inaugural Global Nature Positive Summit was held in Sydney, Australia from October 8-10, 2024, bringing together over 900 delegates from government, business, research, environmental organisations, civil society, and Indigenous groups.

Co-hosted by the Australian federal and New South Wales State governments, the summit aimed to accelerate collective action to drive investment in nature and strengthen efforts to protect and repair the environment.

Key themes included: realising commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; exploring ways to unlock private sector investment in nature; and, developing metrics to measure progress towards nature positive goals.

While the summit showcased some government initiatives and innovative solutions, it also faced criticism from environmental groups who argued that current policies remain largely "nature negative" despite the rhetoric. The event was seen as an important step in elevating nature and biodiversity alongside climate change as critical global challenges requiring urgent action.

Edge’s very own Alison Rowe (Global CEO) and Sarah Day (Nature Advisory lead) were invited to attend the summit.

Sarah’s five key takeaways from the Global Nature Positive Summit:

1. Engagement isn’t a metric
Engagement isn't something that can be ticked off, it must be collaborative, must inform the way we characterise the problem in the first instance, and must work towards outcomes that support the objectives of all engaged.

2. A nature positive economy isn’t an option, it’s our only option

To achieve the outcomes needed at the scale required, we're talking about a systemic change to how we operate as an economy, a society, as businesses - and to achieve this we need strong leadership and governance, from Government, businesses, and demand from society. This is about shifting what we value - we currently primarily value nature when it's dead - a piece of wood, a piece of meat - rather than the role of the tree in the forest, or the fish in the sea.

3. We need to change our relationship with nature
We need to change our relationship with nature and recognise how inextricable our relationship is. Starting by asking 'What kind of ancestors do we want to be?' and 'If Mother Nature was at the Board table, what would she say?'

4. Local impact, local issue, local solutions - global awareness and problem solving
While nature is hyper regional and we need to look locally when crafting solutions, there's a lot for us to learn from experiences nationally and globally. 

5. Disclose, and…
Disclosure is an element of this nature journey, but cannot be the only focus. Action must be prioritised if we have any chance of achieving the scale of change required. 

Paris Unplugged: From Car Capital to People’s Paradise

Paris, the City of Light, is now a beacon of sustainable urban living under Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s bold vision, transforming streets and reclaiming space from cars.

Here are 7 surprising ways Paris is unplugging from the car:

1. Pedal Power: Over 1,000km of cycling routes, including 350km of protected cycleways, have led to a 71% increase in cycling traffic since 2019.

2. Seine Transformation: Highways along the Seine are now vibrant pedestrian areas and bike paths, creating a stunning public space.

3. Slow and Safe: A 30km/h speed limit prioritizes pedestrian and cyclist safety.

4. Parking Reduction: Paris is removing 72% of on-street parking, reclaiming over 65 hectares for people-friendly spaces.

5. School Streets: 205 “school streets” restrict car access around elementary schools, enhancing safety and walkability.

6. SUV Surcharge: A recent referendum tripled parking charges for large vehicles, making it costly to bring SUVs into the city center.

7. 15-Minute City: Paris is creating self-sufficient neighborhoods where essentials are within a 15-minute walk or bike ride, reducing car travel.

These radical changes haven't been without controversy, but the results speak for themselves. Car ownership in Paris has fallen from 60% to 35%, and carbon emissions have been cut by about 20%.

The City of Light is truly becoming the City of Life, showing the world that fewer cars can mean a brighter future for everyone.

Green Lungs of the City: Yiwu's Innovative Urban Ecological Project 

In 2019, the municipal government of Yiwu, China, launched the Green Lungs of the City Project (GLCP), an ambitious nature-based initiative to expand green spaces, reduce environmental strain, and strengthen climate resilience. At its core is a central forest-wetland park, featuring green corridors, wetland restoration, urban parks, and blue infrastructure. Together, these elements enhance biodiversity, water management, and public health.

The GLCP improves air and water quality, manages stormwater, connects ecosystems, and reduces urban heat, while also creating green jobs and recreational spaces. This collaborative effort—uniting local government, NGOs, community groups, and researchers—serves as a model for integrating nature-based solutions in urban planning, demonstrating how cities can balance growth with environmental and social sustainability.

AdaptNSW Forum - 29-30 October, Sydney Australia - Edge’s own Emma Rolls (Manager, Sustainable Infrastructure) will be presenting the Cool Suburbs tool at this event.

UNiting Business LIVE Australia - 30-31 October, Sydney Australia - Edge are a proud sponsor of SDG 11 at this event.

EIANZ Annual Conference - 6-8 November, Sydney, Australia - Edge’s own Dr Jenni Garden (Principal, Ecology and Sustainable Cities Lead) will be presenting our Urban Ecological Value method at this event.

This issue’s a-tree-ciation is inspired by Dr Jenni Garden's travels to the US which occurred one year ago this month.

During this trip I visited California where I was treated to a tour of Big Basin Redwoods State Park (BBRSP). This park is home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) south of San Francisco – the tallest tree species in the world, and among the longest lived, with some trees living more than 2,000 years!

The Coast Redwood's ability to create its own ecosystem, supporting diverse wildlife and even other plants growing on its massive branches, symbolizes nature's interconnectedness and reminds me of the profound impact a single organism can have on its surroundings.

Sadly, the BBRSP was devastated by the August 2020 Lightning Complex Fire which burned more than 97% of the 7,366ha forest. When I visited in October 2023, these ancient trees were covered in regrowth showing their remarkable resilience in the face of environmental challenges.

Liveable Cities News & Highlights - October 2024

Discover how urban forest strategies are transforming concrete jungles into green havens. Learn the what, where, why, and how of urban forest strategies, exploring their significance and the process behind their development. 

Nurturing Nature in Cities: The Role of Urban Forest Strategies

Dr Jenni Garden, Principal Consultant, Ecology and Liveable Cities Lead

Nurturing Nature in Cities: The Role of Urban Forest Strategies 

In the concrete jungle of modern cities, it's easy to forget the vital role nature plays in our lives. However, urban forests are bringing back the critical green touch to metropolitan landscapes, offering a multitude of benefits for people and the environment.

Urban forest strategies are essential tools for creating liveable, resilient, and environmentally sustainable cities.

Through careful planning, community engagement, and proactive management, cities can harness the myriad benefits of urban forests, enhancing the quality of life for all residents. Let's delve into the what, where, why, and how of urban forest strategies, exploring their significance and the process behind their development.

Urban forest strategies are comprehensive plans designed to manage, maintain, and enhance tree cover and green spaces within urban areas.

They often follow a similar format, which usually starts with defining what is meant by the “urban forest” (e.g. may be all vegetation, or sometimes is just focussed on urban trees), setting the scene relating to the historical and current urban forest, as well as outlining why the urban forest is important, and the key challenges and opportunities for protecting and growing the urban forest.

Next is clearly defining the future vision for the urban forest, and finally, establishing a set of Aims/objectives and actions, required to achieve the future vision.

These strategies often involve collaboration between local governments, community groups, environmental organisations, and urban planners. 

We integrate key sustainability services across Buildings and Precincts, Infrastructure and Liveable Cities to tackle the built environment’s biggest challenges. Learn more about our Built Environment services here.

Urban forests offer a huge range of benefits to society, the environment, and local economies. For example, such benefits may include, though are not limited to: 

Social benefits: Easy and equitable access to urban trees and urban green spaces has been linked to improved mental health, reduced stress levels, increased physical activity, and greater community connectedness. Urban forests offer residents opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and connection with nature. 

Environmental benefits: Urban forests act as natural air purifiers, absorbing carbon dioxide and other pollutants while releasing oxygen. They also help mitigate the urban heat island effect by providing shade and cooling the surrounding areas. Furthermore, Trees and green spaces in urban areas provide habitats for various plant and animal species, contributing to urban biodiversity and ecological balance. Well-managed urban forests can enhance a city's resilience to climate change by reducing the risk of flooding, soil erosion, and extreme temperatures. 

Economic benefits:  Urban forests help to boost property values through aesthetic appeal and enhanced desirability of neighbourhoods. They also reduce infrastructure maintenance costs by mitigating stormwater runoff and providing natural cooling, thereby lowering expenses for cities. Furthermore, cool and green cities attract increased tourism and can stimulate consumer spending as at businesses in areas with abundant greenery. 


When seeking to develop an Urban Forest Strategy, a number of elements should be considered.  

Assessment and Inventory: The old adage that “you can’t manage what you don’t understand” holds true for planning and managing urban forests. An important step then for developing a clear vision and targets, is establishing a solid evidence-based baseline. This should include, as a minimum, understanding: land (and canopy) cover and drivers of land cover change; urban heat islands and their drivers; social vulnerability patterns; distribution of trees and green spaces; and, existing trees and green spaces, including their location, health, species diversity, and useful life expectancy. 

Community Engagement: Involve residents, businesses, and community groups in the planning process. Gather feedback, suggestions, and concerns to ensure the strategy reflects the needs and priorities of the community. As well as building stewardship for the urban forest amongst the community, this is also a wonderful way to raise awareness and understanding about the urban forest and its benefits.  

Setting Goals and Targets: Establish clear goals and evidence-based targets for tree canopy cover, tree planting, and maintenance. These goals should be realistic, measurable, and aligned with broader environmental and sustainability objectives. Developing goals and targets should be based on the outputs from the previous two steps (i.e. assessment and inventory, and community engagement), and should be prioritised to by those actions able to provide the most immediate or greatest benefits.  

The following elements are important to develop to support implementation of the Urban Forest Strategy.

They are separated out here, as they sometimes will form part of the Urban Forest Strategy, though often will be developed as stand-along supporting documents to the Urban Forest Strategy,  

Implementation Plan: Develop a detailed implementation plan outlining specific actions, timelines, responsibilities, and resources required to achieve the goals set forth in the strategy. This is important for ensuring accountability and for being able to track progress. 

Monitoring and Evaluation: Regularly monitor progress towards the goals and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented actions. Adapt the strategy as needed based on monitoring results and changing circumstances.

Case study: City of Ryde's Urban Forest Strategy 

The City of Ryde, located in New South Wales, Australia, has embarked on an ambitious journey to enhance its urban forest. 

Edge Impact helped the City of Ryde to develop their first Urban Forest Strategy, which was formally adopted in April 2023.

The Strategy outlines the City’s understanding of their urban forest, establishes their vision for the future, and defines their approach to managing and expanding their tree canopy cover. 

Importantly, Ryde’s Urban Forest Strategy is based on a transparent and sound evidence-base, including application of two Edge tools the Tree Planting Predictor® and the Street Tree Prioritiser. This evidence-base builds confidence and support within Council and their community for the objectives and actions outlined in the Strategy, and is also critical for successful advocation for increased resourcing as may be required to realise the Strategy’s Vision. 

By implementing the Urban Forest Strategy, the City of Ryde aims to create a greener, healthier, and more sustainable urban environment for current and future generations.

Ryde’s Urban Forest Strategy is also an award-winning Strategy, having been awarded a "Highly Commended" in the “Innovation in Planning, Policies, and Decision Making” category of the 2023 Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards.

The Strategy is again nominated as a finalist in this year's 2024 Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards, this time under the 'Environmental Leadership' category.

For assistance with your urban greening journey, generating technical evidence, or crafting your own Urban Greening/Forest Strategy, contact Dr. Jenni Garden, Edge's Ecology and Liveable Cities Lead, at jenni.garden@edgeimpact.global

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Jenni is a Principal Consultant at Edge, leading the Ecology and Sustainable Cities team. With over 18 years’ experience, she has worked across research, private, and State government sectors.

Specialising in urban cooling, greening, biodiversity-sensitive design, and community engagement Jenni  combines evidence-based knowledge with practical solutions to deliver sustainable cities projects across Australia.

Jenni’s work has been internationally recognised through invitations to present in Europe, the UK, and the US, as well as publishing multiple peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Jenni is a Principal Consultant at Edge, leading Edge’s Ecology and Sustainable Cities team. With over 18 years' experience, she is a highly motivated, enthusiastic, and innovative urban ecologist with experience working in research, private, and State government sectors.

Articles by Dr. Jenni Garden