Water Wheel Jan/Feb 2024: Natural Capital

Abstract

Greening the city: A framework for integrating natural capital into urban asset management systems Through extensive literature review, natural capital, such as wetlands, rivers and forests, have been recognised as having the potential to complement grey infrastructure while reducing the adverse effects of economic practices on societies and the environment. Several case studies have proved that a drop in property value follows degradation of the natural capital. Much like grey infrastructure, natural capital can be seen as an asset and delivery of ecosystem services can be described as the annual rent received from the asset. The presence or condition of ecosystems is similarly linked to the economics of associated built infrastructure. These conceptual similarities and linkages between natural capital and built infrastructure provide a valuable opportunity for exploring the integration of these natural assets into existing urban asset management.

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