Jen Ventrella explores the complex justice trade-offs in transmission infrastructure—where reducing urban pollution can create new burdens for environmental justice communities.

I began to be interested in managed retreat, also called planned relocation, in 2015 when I was in the city of Cali in Colombia. I learned about how the city was forcibly removing a community of thousands of people who had settled on a dike protecting the city from flooding from the river Cauca.

In Southwest Yonkers, where storm drains routinely overflow and residents brace for every heavy rain, a unique partnership is offering a new way forward. The recently completed Southwest Yonkers Green Infrastructure Feasibility Study, a collaboration between Groundwork Hudson Valley and the Urban Systems Lab (USL), is more than just a technical report…

My journey to studying urban wild spaces began with a crucial realization during my undergraduate studies in Environmental and Geographical Sciences: while we have extensive scientific knowledge about ecological systems, achieving change requires genuine community engagement.

As cities around the world continue to grow, urban heat island (UHI) effects have become a critical issue, exacerbated by climate change. These effects lead to elevated temperatures in urban areas compared to their rural surroundings, increasing heat stress on vulnerable populations. Urban green spaces, such as parks, trees, and green roofs, are known to mitigate these heat islands by providing cooling benefits through shade, evapotranspiration, and overall reduction in ambient temperatures. However, the cooling effects of urban green spaces and their potential to improve human health are not uniform across cities or even within a city. This research investigates how the cooling efficiency of urban green spaces varies across different urban contexts and examines the resulting health benefits, with particular focus on how these impacts can reduce heat-related morbidity and mortality.

My path to climate tech began with a deep-rooted passion for environmental advocacy. During my time at the University of Waterloo studying Systems Design Engineering, I focused on understanding the societal and environmental impacts of technology. This culminated in my final year project - developing a climate risk assessment tool for health centers in Malawi, which validated my belief in technology's role in addressing the climate crisis.

How do social and ecological factors shape the distribution of trees in our cities? This question drove my doctoral research, which aimed to unravel the complex relationships between urban biodiversity, social systems, and ecosystem services. Through a multi-scale analysis of Lisbon's urban forest, we discovered patterns that challenge conventional wisdom about urban ecosystems.

My journey to this research began during my PhD, where I studied both the planning of nature-based solutions and the design of information systems to support urban decision-making. What fascinated me was understanding how co-creation processes work at a psychological level — what elements enable genuine collaboration between people and nature in urban settings?

When I reflect on my path from environmental and forestry engineering to urban systems research, it feels like a winding yet purposeful journey. My fascination with applying ecological concepts to urban environments began during my master’s in urban environmental management at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

In my research, I investigate archetypal developments of settlements on the Swiss Plateau (Figure 1). My arrival to New York City prompted me to think about the potential applicability of my research in the American context. 

NYC is one of the most densely populated cities in the U.S., and its geography makes it particularly prone to the effects of flooding. As these events become more frequent and severe, millions of residents could be affected, and the failure of critical infrastructure systems (CIS) could have cascading effects, spreading the impact beyond the initial flood zones.

As cities grapple with the dual challenges of urbanization and biodiversity loss, my PhD research explores an innovative approach to urban green spaces that could benefit both nature and city dwellers. My project, "Connecting Nature and People: A Collaborative Approach to Designing Urban Wild Spaces," investigates how we can reimagine urban ecosystems through the lens of "urban wilding" and collaborative design.

My doctoral research investigates the inclusive governance of urban nature-based solutions (NbS), with a particular emphasis on trade-offs and dilemmas in their planning and governance, as well as the justice implications of these trade-offs throughout the planning cycle.

I recently attended the Nature of Cities Festival (TNOC Festival) in Berlin, Germany, where I hosted a session with colleagues on the Global Roadmap for the Nature-based solutions for Urban Resilience in the Anthropocene (NATURA), a National Science Foundation research initiative co-led by the Urban Systems Lab.

This winter and spring, the Urban Systems Lab was lucky to host three talented visiting scholars, who have contributed valuable insights and energy to the community. 

The ClimateIQ team is abuzz with activity as it prepares for the highly anticipated launch of a proof of concept prototype during Climate Week in September 2024 in New York City. 

As the Nature-based solutions for Urban Resilience in the Anthropocene (NATURA) initiative enters its fifth year, the excitement is palpable.

At the Urban Systems Lab, summer officially begins when the Spring semester concludes, just before Memorial Day, rather than on the June 20th solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.