Valuing Ecosystem Services to Inform Conservation and Development Decisions
PAS Memo — January-February 2013
By Megan Lewis, AICP
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Costs to provide essential public services, such as drinking water, wastewater treatment, and stormwater management, often strain municipal budgets. In response, communities are increasingly looking for alternative ways — beyond traditional infrastructure investment — to provide these services. One cost-effective option is to rely on the resources and processes that natural resources can supply. These functions, often called ecosystem services, can complement — or even offset — traditional infrastructure.
This PAS Memo article outlines an ecosystem services planning and implementation process; three case studies show how planners can use this approach for regional redevelopment, water resource conservation, and private engagement in stormwater management.
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About the Author
Megan Lewis, AICP
<p>Megan Lewis, AICP, has more than 30 years of experience in the planning field, with a focus on applied research, strategic planning, relationship building, and project concepting. At Arts Alliance Illinois she oversees the Public Funding Navigator program, which conducts research and provides technical support to Illinois’s creative sector. Prior to joining Arts Alliance, Megan held various positions with private sector firms, including Cardno/Stantec and WRT LLC, within nonprofit organizations including the American Planning Association, where she was part of the research team for over a decade, and as an independent consultant to the Chicago Park District, Metropolitan Planning Council, and OAI Inc. She has also been an adjunct instructor at Illinois Tech, co-teaching a course on site planning for architects. Megan is the incoming Vice Chair for the Arts and Planning Division, where she will work to give planners across the country the information and tools they need to articulate the important connection arts and culture have to community health and vitality. She has a BA in economics from Indiana University and master’s degree in regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania.</p>