What does it really mean to put nature first in urban planning, not as an ambition, but as a guiding principle for how we use land, densify and develop our cities?

Throughout history, nature has played shifting roles in urban planning: from ideal, ornament and recreation to a technical solution for stormwater management, climate adaptation and blue-green infrastructure. But is nature still primarily treated as a means of meeting human needs, or can it become a genuine guiding principle for how we plan and build?

The event opens with a presentation by Eirik Stokke Mikalsen from AHO on nature’s changing role in planning. This is followed by a live podcast recording with an audience, featuring Gro Sandkjær Hanssen from NIBR and Erlend Hanssen Sjåvikfrom Grindaker Landskapsarkitekter, moderated by Magnus Stokke from Heptic.

The conversation looks at what happens when nature’s needs meet today’s planning practices, development pressures, economic systems and political priorities. What stops nature from guiding how we plan? Who pays when protecting nature conflicts with goals for growth and denser cities? And what needs to change if nature is truly to come first?

Contributors

• Eirik Stokke Mikalsen (AHO)
• Gro Sandkjær Hanssen (NIBR)
• Erlend Hanssen Sjåvik (Grindaker Landskapsarkitekter)
• Magnus Stokke (Heptic)