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CDE2503: Cities in Nature

website·Indexed 29 days ago

https://xiaoganghe.github.io/InVEST-Cities-in-Nature/

Course materials and documentation for CDE2503, focusing on the use of InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) models. The site includes tutorials for QGIS, studio schedules, and detailed guides on InVEST models for Urban Cooling, Carbon Storage and Sequestration, Flood Risk Mitigation, and Coastal Vulnerability.

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What's inside Cities in Nature

  2. Overview of InVEST

    InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) is a family of open-source tools developed by Stanford's Natural Capital Project. It is used to quantify and forecast the values of natural capital, allowing decision-makers to assess tradeoffs between conservation and human development.

  3. Overview of CDE2503 - Cities in Nature

    CDE2503 focuses on the 'Sustainable Environment' outcome of the Singapore Liveability Framework (LF). The course explores sustainability's impact on liveability and how cities address complex urban issues through two primary themes: Climate Resilience and the Use of Limited Resources. Key topics include water, green spaces, waste, food, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and energy resilience.

  4. Overview of the Cities in Nature course (NUS CDE2503)

    The 'Cities in Nature' course at the National University of Singapore (NUS) for Spring 2025 focuses on the 'Sustainable Environment' outcome of the Singapore Liveability Framework (LF) developed by the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC). The curriculum addresses sustainability, liveability, and how cities manage complex urban issues, specifically focusing on Climate Resilience and the Use of Limited Resources. Key topics include water, green spaces, waste, food, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and energy resilience.

  5. Overview of the InVEST Coastal Vulnerability Model

    The InVEST Coastal Vulnerability Model provides a qualitative estimate of coastal exposure by producing a vulnerability index. This index differentiates areas with relatively high or low exposure to erosion and inundation during storms. It is primarily used to map coastal vulnerability and analyze how sea level rise (SLR) and natural habitats influence relative exposure to coastal hazards, particularly in urban coastal ecosystems.

  6. Overview of the InVEST Urban Cooling model

    The InVEST urban cooling model calculates a heat mitigation index (HMI) based on shade, evapotranspiration, and albedo, as well as the distance from cooling islands (such as parks). This index is used to estimate temperature reduction provided by vegetation. Additionally, the model can optionally estimate the value of heat mitigation services through two valuation methods: energy consumption and work productivity.

  8. Study Districts Overview

    The studio focuses on the following geographic areas:

    • Central Area: A cultural core with diverse heritage areas and ethnic enclaves (e.g., Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Little India). It is Singapore's largest district with four sub-districts.
    • Queenstown: Singapore's first satellite town, developed in the 1950s/60s by the Singapore Investment Trust (SIT) and the Housing and Development Board (HDB).
    • City of Jakarta: Included as a comparative urban context.

  9. Studio Objectives for Sustainable Environment Analysis

    The studio aims to achieve the following learning objectives:

    • Analyze Singapore's current approaches to sustainable environments.
    • Understand how national/urban agendas influence district-level organization.
    • Recognize that urban problems involve multiple stakeholders and complex urban systems.
    • Develop urban solutions based on a robust understanding of problem nature and stakeholder trade-offs.
    • Utilize evaluation tools, specifically InVEST models, to measure solution effectiveness.
    • Identify the limitations of translating urban approaches across different city contexts.

  10. Analyze the Jakarta case study for urban solutions

    The presentation must include a comparative analysis of Jakarta and Singapore regarding a chosen seminar topic, covering:

    1. Current approaches adopted by Jakarta to address the issues.
    2. The strengths and limitations of Jakarta's approaches.
    3. A comparison (similarities and differences) between Singapore's and Jakarta's approaches.
    4. Mutual learning opportunities between the two cities and an identification of where expertise transfer is impossible due to unique local contexts.

  11. Install InVEST and Mapping Software

    InVEST is available as open-source software for Windows and Mac. Because InVEST models use maps as both inputs and outputs, users must also install mapping software to prepare data and visualize results. QGIS (open source) is recommended, though ArcGIS is also supported.
    # Windows Installer: https://storage.googleapis.com/releases.naturalcapitalproject.org/invest/3.12.1/workbench/invest%5F3.12.1%5Fworkbench%5Fwin32%5Fx64.exe
# Mac Installer: https://storage.googleapis.com/releases.naturalcapitalproject.org/invest/3.12.1/workbench/invest%5F3.12.1%5Fworkbench%5Fdarwin%5Fx64.dmg

  12. Complete the Problem Identification studio presentation

    The Problem Identification studio requires teams to present a clear understanding of their allocated district, highlighting specific problems and the key concerns of various stakeholders. The final output is a 10-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of feedback.