Global synthesis and regional insights for mainstreaming urban nature-based solutions
Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NbS) have emerged as a key strategy for sustainably addressing multiple urban challenges, with rapidly increasing knowledge production requiring synthesis to better understand whether and how NbS work in different social, ecological, economic, or governance contexts. Insights in this Perspective are drawn from a thematic review of 61 NbS review articles supported by an expert assessment of NbS knowledge in seven global regions to examine key challenges, fill gaps in Global South assessment, and provide insights for scaling up NbS for impact in cities. Eight NbS challenges emerged from our review of NbS reviews including conceptual, thematic, geographic, ecological, inclusivity, health, governance, and systems challenges. An additional expert assessment reviewing literature and cases in seven global regions further revealed the following: 1) Local context-based ecological knowledge is essential for NbS success; 2) Improved technical knowledge is required for planning and designing NbS; 3) NbS need to be included in all levels of planning and governance; 4) Putting justice and equity at the center of urban NbS approaches is critical, and 5) Inclusive and participatory governance processes will be key to long-term success of NbS. We synthesized findings from the NbS review results and regional expert assessments to offer four critical pathways for scaling up NbS: 1) foster new NbS research, technological innovation, and learning, 2) build a global NbS alliance for sharing knowledge, 3) ensure a systems approach to NbS planning and implementation, and 4) increase financing and political will for diverse NbS implementation.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (24)
Timon McPhearson
Urban Systems Lab, The New School
Niki Frantzeskaki
Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University
Alessandro Ossola
Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis
Loan Diep
Urban Systems Lab, The New School
Pippin M. L. Anderson
Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, University of Cape Town
Timothy Blatch
ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability, Africa Secretariat
Marcus J. Collier
Discipline of Botany, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College
Elizabeth M. Cook
Department of Environmental Science, Barnard College
Christina Culwick Fatti
Gauteng City Region Observatory, a partnership between the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng Provincial Government and organized local government in Gauteng
Zbigniew J. Grabowski
Urban Systems Lab, The New School
Nancy B. Grimm
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
Dagmar Haase
Department of Geography, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
Pablo Herreros-Cantis
Urban Systems Lab, The New School
Jessica Kavonic
ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability, Africa Secretariat
Brenda B. Lin
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Land & Water Business Unit
Duván H. Lopez Meneses
Recycling the City Network, Polytechnic University of Catalonia
A. Marissa Matsler
Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland
Magnus Moglia
Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology
Jordi Morató
UNESCO-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Chair on Sustainability, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Patrick O’Farrell
Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape
Parama Roy
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras
Chandni Singh
School of Environment and Sustainability, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore City Campus
Jing Wang
Hunan Cancer Hospital Changsha China
Weiqi Zhou
State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences