Lorien Nesbitt

Lorien Nesbitt serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Resources Management at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Forestry. Her interdisciplinary scholarship bridges urban forestry, environmental justice, and climate resilience through participatory and justice-oriented approaches. She leads the Urban Natures Lab, fostering collaborations with community organizations, municipal governments, and interdisciplinary scholars to co-create equitable urban environments.

Her research examines recognitional justice, green gentrification, and urban nature's role in human health within complex social-ecological systems. She investigates how civic stewardship and plural knowledge systems inform inclusive greening while analyzing power dynamics shaping urban nature access. A growing emphasis explores climate justice and nature-based solutions' potential for just urban adaptation, advancing methodologies that connect lived experiences to technical solutions to avoid top-down planning pitfalls.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a critical focus on equity in urban greening, with systematic reviews and empirical studies addressing green gentrification, governance, and spatial access patterns. Her work increasingly integrates participatory methods and emerging technologies to assess green space benefits across demographic groups in multicultural contexts, highlighting distributional and recognitional justice dimensions.

Dr. Nesbitt's contributions have been recognized with:

• Green College Leading Scholar (UBC) 2019
• GIS Scholarship (Esri Canada) 2017
• Gold Award for Excellence in Planning Practice (PIBC) 2014

Through the Urban Natures Lab, she develops community-engaged projects that translate research into actionable strategies for equitable urban futures. Her work emphasizes co-creation with marginalized communities to ensure urban greening initiatives advance social justice rather than displacement, particularly in densifying cities facing climate pressures.