American Society of Landscape Architects and Landscape Architecture Foundation Release Report: Strengthening the Economic Case for Nature-based Solutions

A roundtable of 21 experts identified 10 key cross-sector actions to build a stronger economic argument for nature-based solutions to climate change, biodiversity loss, and public health challenges

ASLA 2023 Professional General Design Honor Award. Grand Junction Park and Plaza. Westfield, Indiana. DAVID RUBIN Land Collective / Alan Karchmer

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) have released a joint report: Strengthening the Economic Case for Nature-based Solutions: Ideas for Cross-Sector Collaboration

The report is the summary of findings from a roundtable of 21 leaders from multiple sectors hosted by ASLA and LAF in March 2026. The report was authored by Jennifer Egan, Ph.D, University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center, and a team from ASLA and LAF.

Despite increasing evidence of their effectiveness in addressing climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity loss, and public health challenges, nature-based solutions continue to receive a very small share of global public and private finance. For example, the UN Environment Program found that in 2023, $7.3 trillion in public and private finance enabled investments that are harmful to nature, while only $220 billion - or 30 times less - went to nature-based solutions that support climate and biodiversity action. The lack of standard methods across sectors for measuring the economic benefits of nature-based projects is understood as a key obstacle preventing greater global investment.

Roundtable participants were charged with identifying the primary challenges in making an economic case for nature-based solutions in the U.S. and worldwide. The participants then outlined 10 cross-sector actions that will help build a stronger, more standardized approach for measuring the economic benefits of these solutions and more effectively communicate their value to policymakers and public and private investors.

"Nature-based solutions do not attract the funding or priority that is needed today. By working together across sectors, we can develop shared language and methods to increase understanding of the benefits of these solutions and encourage their implementation. We can make this kind of analysis more accessible for local decision-makers. And we can help designers tell a more complete story of the economic impact of these projects," said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen, Hon. ASLA.

"This exceptional group of leaders from across sectors explored how to better quantify and communicate the economic value of landscape approaches to planning, design, development, and stewardship. The findings in this report will inform an agenda to strengthen collaboration, inform policy decisions, and increase resources for landscape-led solutions that will achieve the future we all envision: where people and planet thrive together by design," said Landscape Architecture Foundation CEO Barbara Deutsch, FASLA.

The roundtable identified three challenge areas in making the economic case for nature-based approaches to policymakers and public and private funders:

• Challenges in measuring economic benefits and translating them into investment decisions
• Gaps in the scale of analysis and data availability
• Challenges in making the policy and funding case

The roundtable also identified three opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to address these challenges:

• Standardize measurement and improve data availability
• Better leverage policy and leadership to make the case
• Tell a more complete story of the economic benefits of nature-based solutions

And the roundtable honed in on 10 key cross-sector ideas to advance over the next few years, organized into three goals:

Build a New Coalition

• Support development of a cross-sector community of practice and co-creation workshops.
• Develop shared language on economic benefits across sectors.
• Further explore the complexities of shared incentives.

Make Economic Benefits Evaluation More Accessible to Landscape Architects and Development Partners

• Co-develop standard, accessible approaches for measuring the economic benefits of nature-based solutions, including a new pre-project measurement framework.
• Establish a case study framework for sharing economic lessons learned.
• Provide education to landscape architects and allies on how to measure economic benefits.

Enable Cross-Sector Research

• Develop a research grant program to advance cross-sector economic research.
• Co-develop a new research agenda with healthcare and public health organizations.
• Research effective advocacy strategies for shifting city policymakers towards nature-based solutions.
• Partner with civil engineers on nature-based solutions.

The ASLA-LAF Roundtable on the Economic Benefits of Nature-based Solutions includes 21 leaders from 3 countries and 11 U.S. states, representing a range of sectors:

• Landscape architecture educators
• Landscape architecture practitioners
• Developers
• Environmental economists
• Health and healthcare leaders
• Insurance leaders
• International organization leaders
• Municipal agency leaders
• Non-profit organization leaders
• Real estate and economic development advisors
• Water management leaders