Economic Benefits of Nature-based Solutions

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) have released a joint report: Strengthening the Economic Case for Nature-based Solutions: Ideas for Cross-Sector Collaboration. The report is the summary of findings from a roundtable of 21 leaders from multiple sectors hosted by ASLA and LAF in March 2026. The report was authored by Jennifer Egan, Ph.D, University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center and a team at ASLA and LAF.
 

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The members of the roundtable identified three challenge areas in making the economic case for nature-based approaches to policymakers and public and private funders: 

• Challenges in measuring economic benefits and translating them into investment decisions
• Gaps in the scale of analysis and data availability
• Challenges in making the policy and funding case 

The roundtable also identified three opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to address these challenges: 

• Standardize measurement and improve data availability
• Better leverage policy and leadership to make the case
• Tell a more complete story of the economic benefits of nature-based solutions

And the roundtable honed in on 10 key cross-sector ideas to consider over the next few years, organized into three goals: 

Build a New Coalition

• Support development of a cross-sector community of practice and co-creation workshops.
• Develop shared language on economic benefits across sectors.
• Further explore the complexities of shared incentives.

Make Economic Benefits Evaluation More Accessible to Landscape Architects and Development Partners

• Co-develop standard, accessible approaches for measuring the economic benefits of nature-based solutions, including a new pre-project measurement framework.
• Establish a case study framework for sharing economic lessons learned.
• Provide education to landscape architects and allies on how to measure economic benefits.

Enable Cross-Sector Research

• Develop a research grant program to advance cross-sector economic research.
• Co-develop a new research agenda with healthcare and public health organizations.
• Research effective advocacy strategies for shifting city policymakers towards nature-based solutions. 
• Partner with civil engineers on nature-based solutions.

The ASLA-LAF Roundtable on the Economic Benefits of Nature-based Solutions includes 21 leaders from 3 countries and 11 U.S. states, representing multiple sectors: 

• Landscape architecture educators
• Landscape architecture practitioners
• Developers
• Environmental economists
• Health and healthcare leaders
• Insurance leaders
• International organization leaders
• Municipal agency leaders
• Non-profit organization leaders
• Real estate and economic development advisors
• Water management leaders

If you are interested in joining on-going cross-sector roundtable discussions, please let us know. Send us a note introducing yourself and your work on the economic benefits of nature-based solutions to [email protected].