# Book Review

Cam Brewer, Herb Hammond & Sean Markey.

**Nature-First Cities: Restoring Relationships with Ecosystems and with Each Other.** Available at University of British Columbia Press, 2024; 258 pp., paperback and online; $39.95 (paperback). ISBN 9780774868648.

**Reviewed by:** Brendon Samuels, School of Urban and Regional Planning, Toronto Metropolitan University, email: brendon@torontomu.ca

In *Nature-First Cities*, authors Cam Brewer, Herb Hammond and Sean Markey present an impassioned case for why people should use nature as their guide to transform urban environments. The book posits that cities are filled with opportunities to restore nature and chances to reconsider human-centric built systems as both coexisting with and fundamentally dependent on natural ecosystems.

The premise of this book is that humans are not separate from nature or each other. The authors examine how our most essential relationships with the natural world are undermined by conventional urban design and land use planning. They show us how earlier decisions to modify the landscape, including ecosystems and movement of water, precipitated and continue to exacerbate many of the environmental, social and economic challenges that cities face today. As it melds together ideas from across time periods, disciplines, and knowledge systems related to the design of the built form and consideration of nature, the book embodies the sort of knowledge transference it advocates for.

*Nature-First Cities* contains seven chapters that expand on its premise with theory and practice relevant to Canadian jurisdictions. Beginning with a historical account of the ways in which nature was expunged from urban environments, the authors revisit earlier trends in city planning while considering sociological and philosophical frames. The authors paint a harrowing picture of Western society imperiling the conditions required to sustain life on Earth, especially in the cities where most

humans now reside, despite understanding the linkages between human health and nature. Their perspective is supported by a compendium of references to studies, statistics and initiatives from Canada and around the world.

Brewer, Hammond and Markey argue that in alignment with planetary targets, at least half of the

land in cities should afford space for nature to thrive and remain connected at multiple scales. They explain that to describe the original natural character that existed before cities, we must look to Indigenous peoples, scientists, elders, and to the land and water under our feet, and imagine our cities with humans living alongside and in support of that character being restored. The authors touch on some of the historical origins of this approach, yet they mostly omit references to advocacy from participants in contemporary movements such as the Biophilic Cities Network, New Urbanism and Ecological Urbanism that have led to these ideas becoming established in urban planning and design.

*Nature-First Cities* presents case studies from select global leaders - Melbourne in Australia, Portland in the United States, Wellington in New Zealand and Durban in South Africa - in which

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Canadian Planning and Policy /
Aménagement et politique au Canada,
Volume 2025
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License
ISSN 2562-122X
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elements of an ecosystem-based approach were applied successfully. These stories inspire me, and I appreciate where the authors elaborate on the social considerations that informed the project designs. The detail is richest in the chapter focusing on the authors' study of a watershed in East Vancouver where they apply their respective expertise in ecological planning and community organizing to conceive a tangible plan to bring nature back. However, I was puzzled by the book's exclusion of North America's largest green infrastructure project at the Toronto Waterfront, which consisted of $1.9 billion of nature-based flood protection focused on ecohydrological design through six new parks and wetlands. I found myself desiring more details about the challenges that this sort of work faces along the way. What is involved in bringing nature back to cities in messy political and economic real-world contexts? The book reviews the processes, merits and successes of its case studies at a high level, but it has relatively little to say about the hurdles or actual trajectory of concrete, local progress. Fortunately, the authors provide references throughout to allow curious readers to research further.

The case studies lead into a careful explanation of the principles underpinning the authors' nature-directed stewardship framework. As the title implies, a recurring theme in the book is the imperative to apply “nature-first” thinking. The authors advocate for a radical shift in planning approaches. Instead of starting with the default consideration of what humans will extract from nature, the authors explain why city planners must first decide what nature (and room for nature) to prioritize for preservation. Nature-directed stewardship can be applied iteratively across spatial scales ranging from individual backyards to entire territories. In considering actions at multiple scales, the authors also illuminate the human connections between the small and the large by shining light on strategies that practitioners use to engage interested parties.

The book concludes with a three-part planning process that the authors recommend for “*inviting nature home*”, a phrase which reminded me of Doug Tallamy’s books that taught me how planting native species, even at small scales, has a big cumulative impact. This is a fitting reference; whereas Tallamy focused on individual actions to support nature through landscaping choices, the authors of *Nature-First Cities* take this a step further by showing how to situate fragments and anchors on private and public land within the complex mosaics of cities and encouraging us to restore and protect networks that transcend property boundaries. Inviting nature home begins with describing and protecting existing fragments of natural or near-natural ecosystem character, followed by adding new fragments and anchors, and restoring the natural water movement network. Over time and with care, the restoration network matures into a protected network of ecological reserves.

The notion of integrating nature into the design and planning of cities has been discussed and practiced for many decades. I began reading this book with a background in ecology and was already in full agreement with its premise. If humanity aims to escalate ecosystem restoration in cities to an unprecedented, massive extent, I think *Nature-First Cities* is an invaluable practical guide that shows us how to get started. However, this is a big “if” – the authors acknowledge that nature-directed stewardship has not yet been embraced at the scale of entire cities. I finished reading the book and wondered, what would it take?

Implementing the vision outlined in this book will require people at all levels of society to practice the ideas behind nature-directed stewardship more widely and to socialize its principles within their respective spheres. Bringing nature back to cities will involve shifting public expectations of where nature does or does not belong and ultimately motivating
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governments and communities to mobilize resources. This is where the disciplines of design and humanities, and collaborations between disciplinary approaches, should come into play; *Nature-First Cities* provides few references to these respective bodies of literature.

Brewer, Hammond and Markey remind us of what is possible in a democracy when enough people demand it. Across Canada, we can already see the start of a shift in cultural attitudes towards nature in cities. Change is sprouting in the habitat patches and pollinator gardens cropping up in more residential settings, legitimized by efforts to reform municipal bylaws that historically regulated property standards to favor turfgrass monoculture and exclude natural vegetation. Public feedback is increasingly urging municipalities to prioritize healthy nature in parkland and calling for the Government of Canada to fulfill its commitment to halt biodiversity loss by protecting at least 30 percent of its land by 2030.

*Nature-First Cities* delivers a vital message at a critical time. It reaffirms the roles of nature in our daily lives and shows us how to heal the ecological fabric of our cities. I am confident its pages hold potential to change minds and hearts, and I expect various audiences will find different parts of the book most relevant and useful. I would recommend this book to professional planners and planning students in Canada, to urban ecologists, landscape architects, stormwater engineers and to elected officials interested in climate change planning, public health, urbanism and biodiversity conservation. Although it is missing references to leading professional guides and handbooks written about nature-based solutions, the bibliography provided by this book would be a boon to all those who lend their voices and hands to the restoration and preservation of urban green spaces. *Nature-First Cities* can inform the questions that academic researchers pursue, especially social scientists studying topics in planetary health, and help

them to contextualize outcomes in the life-affirming movement to bring nature back into the places where people live and need it most.