Socioecological informed comparative modeling to promote sustainable urban policy transitions: Case study in Chicago and Stockholm

Adapting successes of policy transition from one city to another has been more difficult than single case of successful sustainability-driven projects and developments. A thorough understanding of local biophysical and socio-economic conditions is essential in formulating effective development plans and policies. Here, we propose the use of a social-ecological model as a comparative tool to help understand these critical components in order to inform sustainability-driven strategic interventions and best practice learning. We use the cities of Chicago and Stockholm as our comparison cases, and explore the spatial relationships between development patterns and accessibility attractors such as employment, transportation, and recreational opportunities. Potential environmental impacts are evaluated for comparison using ecosystem service value and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The results indicate that although each city exhibits distinctive patterns of development, there are commonalities to build on for potential adaption strategies. For example, to mitigate the high ecosystem service and NDVI losses of Chicago from urban development, what can be learned from Stockholm are: 1) promoting infill for future residential development; and 2) stronger restrictions on both commercial and residential developments on buffer zones of valuable ecosystem services, especially waterways. These findings help us to understand the driving forces of different patterns of urban growth and to give suggestions on city-specific sustainability policies.