Climate-Resilient Pollinator Gardens
PAS QuickNotes 96
By Sagar Shah, PhD, AICP
This edition of PAS QuickNotes is made possible by a grant from Wildlife Conservation Society through the Climate Adaptation Fund. Support for the Climate Adaptation Fund was provided through a grant to Wildlife Conservation Society from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Climate is changing at a faster pace than expected and many species are at risk of becoming extinct. At the same time, communities around the country have unused, unkept open spaces. Planners can address all of these issues by incorporating pollinator gardens in open space planning and design, especially when working on community greening and green infrastructure (GI) projects.
Planners across the country are using GI strategies to manage floods, prepare for drought, reduce the urban heat island effect, lower energy demands, and protect the natural environment. The use of native pollinator gardens in this work would enable them to provide a safe habitat for wildlife species, two-thirds of which reside in metropolitan areas.
This edition of PAS QuickNotes explains how planners can use pollinator gardens with native plants to enhance their communities, increase climate resiliency by reducing extreme heat and flooding risks, and achieve the GI goals of protecting natural ecosystems and conserving biodiversity.
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About the Author
Sagar Shah, PhD, AICP
Dr. Sagar Shah, AICP, is the Planning and Community Health Manager at the American Planning Association in Washington DC. In this role, he creates tools, training, and educational materials to help local planning practitioners integrate health and equity into their planning practice. In his academic and professional career, he has worked on multiple applied research, community-based research, and basic research projects. Sagar’s research interest includes investigating the role planners play in creating healthy communities with an emphasis on health equity. Sagar holds a PhD in Regional Development Planning from the University of Cincinnati and a Master’s degree in Planning from the University of Southern California.