Natural Resources & Sustainability Archives

Emergent properties of urban landscapes shape urban eco-evolutionary dynamics

Alberti, M., Allhoff, K. T., Barbour, M. A., Govaert, L., Malesis-Dahm, A. N., Matthews, B., Palmer, M., & Pantel, J. H. (2026). Emergent properties of urban landscapes shape urban eco-evolutionary dynamics. Landscape Ecology, 41(10), Article 173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-026-02450-8

View Publication

Abstract

Context
Urbanization transforms natural ecosystems into heterogeneous and fragmented landscapes, creating novel selective pressures that can drive eco-evolutionary dynamics. However, the specific role of urban spatial structure in shaping these dynamics remains poorly understood in landscape ecology.
Objectives
We test two hypotheses: (1) urban landscapes differ systematically from non-urban landscapes, exhibiting lower landscape heterogeneity, lower forest aggregation, and higher developed-land aggregation across U.S. metropolitan regions and (2) these spatial properties influence eco-evolutionary feedbacks in interacting metacommunities by shaping trait evolution, species interactions, and dispersal.
Methods
Using data from 100 U.S. metropolitan areas, we first empirically quantify how urbanization reshapes landscape heterogeneity and connectivity. We then develop a proof-of-concept spatially explicit eco-evolutionary metacommunity model in which heterogeneity is represented as variation in patch quality and connectivity as dispersal coupling. We evaluate the model using a plant–pollinator system to examine how these spatial properties influence extinction timing and mutualistic feedbacks under scenarios with and without plant trait evolution.
Results
Urban landscapes exhibit distinct spatial signatures with high variability in patch connectivity that can alter eco-evolutionary dynamics by modifying trait convergence, dispersal flows, and the persistence of mutualistic interactions. Our eco-evolutionary model shows that plant evolution accelerates pollinator extinction by reinforcing feedback loops that reduce mutualistic investment, consistent with prior non-spatial models. Without evolution, increased heterogeneity and connectivity delay extinction through source–sink dynamics. When evolutionary disinvestment is active, these spatial benefits are substantially reduced—especially those conferred by heterogeneity. The combined influence of spatial structure, trait change, and interaction strength generates nonlinear outcomes not captured by models that omit any of these components.
Conclusions
Our findings demonstrate that urban spatial structure critically modifies eco-evolutionary feedbacks in urban systems. Accounting for these interactions is essential for anticipating biodiversity responses and guiding urban design strategies that enhance ecological resilience.

Material use and embodied carbon from new construction buildings in North America: Analysis and projection to 2050

Ashtiani, M., Benke, B., Shen, Y., Jungclaus, M., Lewis, M., Rempher, A., Esau, R., & Simonen, K. (2026). Material use and embodied carbon from new construction buildings in North America: Analysis and projection to 2050. Journal of Building Engineering, 130, Article 116959. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2026.116959

View Publication

Abstract

Buildings are a major consumer of raw materials and emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), yet data on their resource use and embodied environmental impacts remain limited. This study investigates the material use intensity (MUI) and embodied carbon intensity (ECI) of new construction commercial and multifamily residential buildings in North America using data from 239 building life cycle assessment (LCA) models. This study develops a benchmark data analysis framework to provide MUI and ECI values, defined in units of mass and embodied carbon per building floor area, across different building typologies, structural systems, and material categorizations. Results show a wide variability in building-level MUI (269-2860 kg/m2) and ECI (115-1030 kgCO2e/m2) within A1-A3 LCA modules. The study also establishes material-level MUIs and ECIs, highlighting that concrete, steel, gypsum, masonry, and wood and composites account for more than 96% of the mean MUI, while concrete, steel, insulation, aluminum, and applied fireproofing account for more than 80% of the mean ECI across all buildings. Using a bottom-up approach, future material consumption and embodied carbon emissions for new construction buildings in the US from 2020 to 2050 were projected to establish a business-as-usual (status quo) baseline under constant-intensity assumptions. Concrete and steel remain the largest contributors to embodied carbon of buildings in 2050, accounting for 38% and 24% of total emissions, respectively. Findings indicate that effective building decarbonization requires concurrent accounting of material use and embodied carbon at both building and material levels. The study calls for standardized material-level analysis methods to improve comparability across studies and support data-driven decarbonization policies and practices. Methods and results are shared as open-access code and an interactive visualization dashboard to support reuse and transparency.

Keywords

Embodied carbon; Material use; Life cycle assessment; Building; Projection; Benchmark

Tool Requirements for Life Cycle Assessment in the Innovation of Novel Carbon-Storing Construction Materials

Huang, M., Ellingboe, E., Lin, M.-Y., Echenagucia, T. M., & Simonen, K. (2026). Tool Requirements for Life Cycle Assessment in the Innovation of Novel Carbon-Storing Construction Materials. Applied Sciences, 16(8), 4040. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16084040

View Publication

Abstract

Novel carbon-storing construction materials have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in long-lived building products. In order to understand the full benefits and shortcomings of carbon-storing materials, life cycle assessments (LCAs) must be performed. However, material innovators who are looking to perform LCAs of their products during early-stage research and development (R&D) face many challenges. While these challenges have been reported in the literature, this information has been fragmented and required a more comprehensive investigation. We explored these LCA challenges by holding an in-person workshop with sixteen R&D teams who were developing carbon-storing materials and building designs. From the data collected in this workshop, we found that the R&D teams struggled with data availability, biogenic carbon, and uncertainty, which confirmed our findings from the literature. They also struggled with various other LCA topics. Since current LCA tools lack functions that would be useful for this user group, we also proposed a list of tool ideas that could address their LCA needs, which can inform future LCA tool development.

Keywords

LCA; sustainability; early-stage; low-carbon; R&D; workshop

BRE-X Emissions Database for End-of-Life Scenarios of Selective Building Construction Materials to Enable Circular Economy in Construction

Muthumanickam, N. K., Atnoorkar, S., Goetsch, H., Deru, M., Palmeri, J., Ashtiani, M., Hasik, V., & Farnetani, M. (2025). BRE‐X Emissions Database for End‐of‐Life Scenarios of Selective Building Construction Materials to Enable Circular Economy in Construction. Journal of Advanced Manufacturing and Processing, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/amp2.70018

View Publication

Abstract

In the United States, construction and demolition debris predominately end up in landfills with minimal end-of-life Re-X (recover, recycle, reuse, etc.) scenarios, resulting in large environmental impacts and lost opportunities for material recovery. Except for concrete and metals, which seem to have a few well-defined end-of-life pathways, there seems to be a lack of well-documented end-of-life scenarios for other construction materials, let alone their emissions data. Hence, there is a need for documented end-of-life Re-X scenarios and end-of-life data of more building materials to motivate widespread use of Re-X strategies in building design. This paper outlines the efforts of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Carbon Leadership Forum, Building Transparency, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to (a) create an open-access BRE-X (Building Re-X) end-of-life emissions database consisting of greenhouse gas emissions data associated with various end-of-life scenarios for a select list of high-impact building construction materials, and (b) integrate the BRE-X end-of-life emissions database with CAD/BIM/LCA tools for evaluating various end-of-life scenarios. The paper also presents a few existing life cycle inventory databases that contain sparse amounts of end-of-life data for a few construction materials and their limitations in terms of scaling and data consolidation. Finally, a sample of how the collected data can be ingested into whole-building LCA tools using open data formats and a public access link to the BRE-X end-of-life emissions database is also included.

A Harmonized Dataset of High-Resolution Embodied Life Cycle Assessment Results for Buildings in North America

Benke, B., Chafart, M., Shen, Y., Ashtiani, M., Carlisle, S., & Simonen, K. (2025). A Harmonized Dataset of High-Resolution Embodied Life Cycle Assessment Results for Buildings in North America. Scientific Data, 12(1), Article 1085. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05216-0

View Publication

Abstract

Building design practitioners are increasingly using life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental impacts of their buildings. However, industry-generated LCA results are rarely compiled into comparable datasets and rarely made public. Thus, harmonized and open-access datasets of building LCA results are limited, particularly in North America. Here we present a novel high-resolution dataset of building design characteristics, life cycle inventories, and environmental impact assessment results for 292 building projects in the United States and Canada. The dataset contains harmonized and non-aggregated LCA model results across life cycle stages, building elements, and building materials to enable detailed analysis, comparisons, and data reuse. It includes over 90 building design and LCA features to assess distributions and trends of material use and environmental impacts. Uniquely, the data were crowd-sourced from designers conducting LCAs of real-world building projects. This dataset fills critical gaps for the building industry, research, and policy communities, enabling them to analyze and compare the impacts of buildings, test or set performance targets, and motivate sustainable design and construction practices.

A novel whole-life carbon assessment of thirty buildings in California

Shen, Y., Benke, B., Roberts, M., Carlisle, S., Chafart, M., & Simonen, K. (2025). A novel whole-life carbon assessment of thirty buildings in California. Journal of Building Engineering, 110, Article 113074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2025.113074

View Publication

Abstract

Reducing whole-life carbon emissions from buildings is essential to achieving global climate targets. While many studies exist, few focuses on whole-life carbon assessment at the U.S. state level, such as California, which has strict decarbonization goals and a rapidly evolving policy landscape. To address this gap, we introduce a novel framework encompassing data collection, preparation, carbon calculation, whole-life assessment, and methodological variation analysis—based on data from industry professionals for thirty real buildings in California. To address inconsistency issues among data, a structured data entry template and user guide were developed and data preprocessing and alignment methods were proposed. Finally, the whole-life carbon and temporal relationship of embodied and operational carbon were quantified. Whole-life carbon intensity (WLCI) ranged from 232-2230 kg CO2e/m2, with embodied carbon intensity (ECI) between 192 and 685 kg CO2e/m2 and operational carbon intensity (OCI) from 13 to 1710 kg CO2e/m2. Median values for ECI, OCI, and WLCI were 385, 228, and 734 kg CO2e/m2, respectively. This highlights that embodied carbon constituted a substantial share of total emissions, often exceeding operational carbon, which varied more due to energy sources. The analysis showed modules A1-A3, structural systems, and concrete/metals as major contributors to embodied carbon, with interiors also adding significant emissions. Methodological variations in whole-life carbon assessment were noted, particularly concerning grid decarbonization scenarios, floor area normalization, and energy data sources. Although developed for California, the methods and framework for whole-life carbon assessment are broadly applicable to global contexts.

Keywords

Whole-life carbon assessment; Operational carbon; Embodied carbon; Building life cycle assessment; Data collection; Decarbonization

What matters the most in designing low-carbon buildings in Canada? Exploring the tradeoff between embodied and operational carbon in early stage design

Torabi, M., Simonen, K., & Evins, R. (2025). What matters the most in designing low-carbon buildings in Canada? Exploring the tradeoff between embodied and operational carbon in early stage design. Energy and Buildings, 334, Article 115482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.115482

View Publication

Abstract

Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions is a crucial sustainability objective around the world. The ambitious sustainability targets that have been defined for the building sector can only be achieved through carbon-sensitive design from the beginning. Multiple design parameters, their impacts on building performance, along with embodied and operational carbon tradeoffs makes it difficult for architects to compare design alternatives in the uncertain context of early-stage design. Tools and methods often focus more on either operating efficiency or material selection rather than assisting architects in making holistic carbon-sensitive design decisions.
In this research, a design-compatible methodology for low-carbon buildings was developed by using design exploration methods and parametric calculations of whole-life carbon emissions. The model was run for seven Canadian cities, resulting in over 20,000 design scenarios to capture a broad range of potential solutions. The study investigates the most influential design parameters in relation to the varying carbon intensity of local grid electricity. The results show that despite the significant impact of climate, local grid carbon emission intensity plays the most crucial role in defining building design priorities in order to optimize for total life carbon impacts. The results also indicate that mechanical and structural systems play a significant role in building carbon footprint. The results also show that in cities with high grid carbon factors, optimizing window-to-wall ratio, level of insulation and geometry can contribute the most to reducing carbon footprint. Conversely, in cities with low local grid carbon emission intensity, structural material and mechanical systems selection are highly impactful and all other factors play a marginal role.

Keywords

Life Cycle Assessment; Embodied Carbon; Operational Carbon; Building Carbon Footprint; Early-Stage LCA; Design parameters; Design Space Exploration; Sensitivity Analysis

Cities for a Shared Planet

Alberti, M. (2026). Cities for a Shared Planet. The MIT Press.

View Publication

Abstract

A powerful new vision of cities as engines of planetary evolution and multispecies cooperation.

Evolution, once associated with remote places and deep time, is unfolding in real time, much closer to home. Cities have become a new ecological stage on which evolution is taking place. Humans are now active participants shaping the trajectory of life on Earth. How can we use this knowledge to build more resilient and just futures for humans and other species?

In Cities for a Shared Planet, Marina Alberti envisions evolving urban ecosystems in which humans and other species shape their shared futures through new forms of cooperation. She argues that the convergence of rapid urbanization and accelerating environmental change may mark the onset of a major evolutionary transition—one that redefines the role of cities in planetary evolution. At the heart of this transformation is the emergence of bio-cooperative cities: adaptive, multispecies systems designed to sustain the evolutionary potential of urban life.

Drawing on urban ecology, evolutionary biology, design theory, and environmental justice, Alberti develops the foundations of bio-cooperation, advancing ecological interdependence and eco-evolutionary dynamics as core principles of urban design. Through imaginative scenarios and real-world case studies—from Singapore, Seattle, New York City, Ho Chi Minh City, and Cape Town—the book shows how multispecies interactions are transforming infrastructure, reshaping urban space, and redefining how urban environments are inhabited and evolve.

Engaging and eye-opening, Cities for a Shared Planet reimagines cities as active participants in a shared planetary future.

Ori Borjigin

My research is deeply rooted in the intersection of advanced technology and the construction industry. I am particularly interested in the exploration and application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC). Beyond these technological frontiers, sustainable engineering holds a special place in my academic pursuits. I am dedicated to merging innovative technology with sustainable methods, aiming for a construction industry that is both advanced and environmentally responsible.

Marina Alberti featured in UW News: How evolution influences nature-based infrastructure

Professor of Urban Design and Planning Marina Alberti has recently published a paper in Science, and been featured in a UW News story highlighting her work along with a large team of collaborative researchers. UDP PhD Student Anna Malesis-Dahm is another member of this research team who supported the the writing and conceptualization of the article published in Science. UW News featured Professor Alberti’s work in a Q&A piece, available here. The paper, “Evolving nature-based solutions for urban resilience” can…