Nature belongs in cities, but how do we put nature first without pushing people aside? Nature-First Cities reveals the false dichotomy of that question by recognizing that people and nature are indivisible. Western urbanization has meant the ongoing expulsion of nature, which is engendering biodiversity loss and inequality, thwarting economic potential, and affecting health. This volume instead applies the science and practice of nature-directed stewardship to cities. Tested through case studies, this methodology for urban ecosystem restoration is uniquely effective at revitalizing our strained cities. Nature is woven into networks, distributed equitably across neighbourhoods, and partnered with the urban density that is essential for addressing the climate crisis. Nature-First Cities offers a practical framework for urban planning that reinforces our place in nature both physically, by ensuring that cities are replete with biodiversity and intact ecosystems, and conceptually, by rebalancing our relationships with the planet and with one another

"In Nature-First Cities, Cam Brewer, Herb Hammond, and Sean Markey… propose nature-directed stewardship as a way to repair ecosystems obliterated by urbanization."

"This book is valuable for anyone, including policy makers, seeking ideas for making nature a more prominent part of everyday life."

Cam Brewer is a lawyer and an adjunct professor with the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. He was executive director of Smart Growth BC, ran eco-certification programs at the Canada Green Building Council and the Silva Forest Foundation, and founded a co-op that manufactured and distributed sustainable wood products. He has also served as controller for Greenpeace Canada, co-chair of the VanCity Community Foundation, and principal of an urban sustainability consulting firm.

Herb Hammond is a forest ecologist and nature-directed stewardship planner. He is a co-founder of the Silva Forest Foundation, a charitable society dedicated to research and education in ecosystem-based conservation planning. Hammond is the project lead for more than 25 ecosystem-based conservation plans across Canada and elsewhere in the world. He is also the author of the award-winning Seeing the Forest among the Trees: The Case for Wholistic Forest Use and Maintaining Whole Systems on Earth's Crown: Ecosystem-based Conservation Planning for the Boreal Forest. Hammond was the recipient of the 2003 Gold Award for Sustainable Living at the Canadian Environmental Awards.

Sean Markey is a certified planner and professor with the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. His research addresses issues of sustainable planning and infrastructure, nature-based solutions, local and regional economic development, and rural and small-town planning. He has published widely in academic journals and has co-authored/edited several books. He works with municipalities, non-profit organizations, Indigenous communities, and the business community to promote and develop sustainable forms of community and regional development.