The relationships among biodiversity, material cycling and ecosystem services are not static. One of the factors affecting their interaction is the degree of alteration in the system, so the urban-to-rural gradient provides an interesting framework for examining the possibilities for stacked benefits. As practioners who have put hundreds of projects in the ground, we are constantly parsing project goals for clients, regulators, and other stakeholders in terms of uplift to biodiversity, material cycling, and ecosystem services. Whether driven by water quality regulation, an interest in on-site water treatment, salmonid habitat or user experience, the examples in these talks are all designed for multiple benefits, with the necessary consequence that some objectives are better met than others. In this session, we draw on our combined experience along the urbanization gradient to link the theoretical relationships among these elements to practical design and planning tools. Working on short timelines with practical imperatives, we constantly refer to emerging science to support our designs, yet we are forced to make decisions and design choices in the face of uncertainty. The examples examined will vary from ultra-urban post-industrial brownfield environments to forested streams with comparatively few disruptions. The speakers, drawn from municipal governments, academia, and restoration and design firms, will compare the opportunities and outcomes among the examples in a review of the effect of urbanization on potential ecological uplift.