Themed workshops and seminars

Abstracts available below

Governance, politics and planning

  • Unpacking Community Initiatives: Alternative Discourses on Urban Nature in Santiago, Bogotá, and Buenos Aires

    Co-authors: Cynnamon Dobbs, Mariana Giusti, Diana Ruiz, Verónica Fabio, Elizabeth Galdámez, Miguel Kanai, Paola Velásquez

    The global peril of biotic homogenization, characterized by the dominance of a few species across diverse biomes, extends beyond the natural realm, impacting social and cultural dimensions. Rozzi et al. (2019) introduced the concept of biocultural homogenization, emphasizing the multidirectional relationship between the standardization of concepts, ideas, and habits and that of habitats, ecosystems, and landscapes—a phenomenon particularly relevant in urban ecosystems.

    In contrast to this homogenizing trend, specific community initiatives in Latin American capital cities appear to resist, asserting distinctive local urban identities. This study delves into the alternative discourses of these initiatives, aiming to preserve diverse worldviews, knowledge, values, and practices linked to 'living with nature' and 'living as nature' (IPBES, 2022). We hypothesize that community initiatives in Latin America play a crucial role in preserving local values, myths, and traditional knowledge and practices.

    This research investigates three selected urban nature initiatives through in-depth interviews and participant observation in Santiago, Bogotá, and Buenos Aires. Results indicate that these initiatives redefine ancestral values and perceptions about nature, aligning closely with traditional practices associated with alternative visions such as 'buen vivir,' 'candomblé,' and notions of 'pachamama,' intricately linked with traditional practices like 'minga' and the protection of native, medicinal, and sacred plants. In summary, they offer alternative perspectives to the global community and promote the inclusive integration of nature in urban development in Latin America.

  • Beyond experimentation: are urban NBS Living Labs in Europe and Latin America designed for transformative change?

    Co-authors: Elizabeth Galdamez, Alexis Vasquez, Fabio Salbitano, Geovana Mercado, Tom Wild and Stephan Pauleit

    Amid the world’s growing socio-environmental challenges, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have emerged as a potential multifunctional global response. Nevertheless, their incorporation into city planning still needs to be accelerated. Despite NbS co-benefits they continue to struggle to compete with conventional approaches that dominate urban landscapes. Living Labs (LL), have been promoted to initiate transformation of socio-technical systems through the introduction of innovations such as NbS. However, there is limited knowledge regarding their contribution to transformative change. Living Labs are often reported to be isolated small projects, and to not always hold intentions to generate impact beyond their boundaries, which questions their capability. There is a need to better understand how LLs can support NbS adoption and foster social-technical transitions in Europe and in particular, in regions where both concepts are less developed, such as Latin America (LA). This study analyzes NBS Living Labs to explore their potential to contribute to transformative change, within EU and LA. Drawing on six urban Living Labs in Barcelona, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Turin and Lisbon, part of the H2020 project CONEXUS “urban nature connects us”, this study aims to identify what type of actions NbS Living Labs are developing; understand what are the motivations behind their design and actions; and investigate how LL actions can impact NbS adoption in a wider context. This research carries out a review of Living Labs’ documents to take stock of the LLs activities and objectives formally reported; semi-structured qualitative interviews to gather insights from participants' perspectives. The results are expected to support more effective design of LL as mechanisms of change. This research will further allow a reflection on the role of Living Labs in the adoption of NbS and bring evidence from Latin American context, contributing to closing the informational gap in the region.

  • Towards adaptive governance and planning of NBS in Latin America

    The concept and application of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) in Latin América (LA) is currently an emerging process, reflecting a transition in the rol of social-ecological dynamics in urban governance and planning. Literature indicates that adaptive governance plays a strategic role in the development and decision-making of NBS development. Furthermore, there is a large call for collaborative, polycentric, and interdisciplinary governance and planning of NBS. However, its application in LA urban policies and practice still limited, and it is yet not clear how to operationalize said governance processes for NBS. This study aims to explore and analyze the operationalization of NBS adaptive governance in LA through four case studies: Bogota, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, and São Paulo, part of the project EU-H2020, CONEXUS. The objectives are to (i) understand how the governance context and process of NBS is taking place in LA (ii) identify the main factors that influence NBS adaptive governance in LA and analyze challenges and opportunities that NBS face towards adaptive governance within LA, and (iii) understand factors and relationships that identify common aspects that can hinder or drive forward adaptive governance for NBS in LA. The methods used were (i)the collection of primary data through participatory workshops, focus groups, and expert interviews coupled with a SWOT analysis, to identify the internal and external factors driving NBS adaptive governance, and (ii) a prospective analysis to identify and classify key variables and identify the influential and dependent relationships crucial to the evolution of the system. Results found sixteen factors, eight of which are common priorities indicating an initially shared pathway but also context-specificities. Findings can support cities to draw plans and actions towards a more efficient enabling of NBS implementation and governance through adaptive governance.

  • Co-creation processes as strategy for NbS governance in the city of Bogota, Colombia

    Co-authors: "Sandra Caquimbo, Isabel Melo, Anny Merlo, Lilia Roa

    Co-creation of solutions in urban territories allows for knowledge articulation, strengthening its governance and appropriation. Involving the different social actors that participate in territorial structuring in the creation of future visions and in making decisions necessary to achieve long-term goals, allows not only to increase the probability of success of such solutions but also to strengthen social ties and fair governance strategies.
    However, co-creation processes imply consensus among actors that usually have different perspectives and goals, which is time and resource demanding, and may hinder the process. This can be more salient in urban territories where values of nature and territorial management are highly diverse and where the usual decision-making may limit the opportunity to discover new ideas and practices.
    Here, we present the Life-lab experience in the CONEXUS project, in which different participatory and co-creation methodologies were implemented to: (i) jointly identify territorial challenges that could potentially be addressed through NBS, (ii) prioritize the areas and actions to be implemented, (iii) define relevant topics for capacity strengthening, (iv) implement NBS related actions, and (v) monitor such actions to evaluate their impact.
    The life-lab experience made possible to highlight the challenges and opportunities in the processes of co-creation of Nature-based Solutions in urban contexts, including the need to develop innovative methodologies for the integration of diverse actors such as women and youth, the lack of formal mechanisms that effectively integrate the results of these processes into planning, and the inclusion of actors from other sectors such as companies or NGOs, among others. Key elements were recognized to improve co-creation processes in the future and thus strengthen the governance of NbS in the city.

  • Co-producing Nature-based Solutions in Low-Income Communities in Santiago: The case of the Quiero Mi Barrio Program

    Co-author: Rodrigo Caimanque

    Santiago, characterized by scarcity, inequity, and low-quality of urban green spaces, faces challenges, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Institutional efforts on green spaces often lack citizen participation and resources for maintenance. On the other hand, grassroots initiatives have emerged to protect and manage green spaces, but they struggle due to a lack of recognition and funding. This work introduces a pilot experience of strengthening the inclusion of Nature based Solutions within the Urban Regeneration Program (Programa Quiero Mi Barrio, PQMB) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. This program has more than 15 years of existence and has intervened in more than 500 vulnerable neighborhoods in the country using a co-production approach. The pilot case shows the collaboration between the urban recovery program Quiero Mi Barrio (PQMB), the University of Chile, and neighbors to bring more nature to the Remodelación Panamericana Norte neighborhood. SbN activities were incorporated into the work plan defined by the PQMB, encompassing environmental education workshops, visits to NbS initiatives, the creation of a community garden for green space recovery, installation of insect hotels, and the development of a household greywater recycling system. Results highlight the transformative potential of co-production initiatives, despite challenges related to resource constraints hindering collaborative efforts. Moving forward, the objective is to scale up this initiative into other vulnerable neighborhoods in Santiago and across the country. This research sheds light on the importance of integrating nature into urban regeneration efforts, emphasizing the need for sustained collaboration and resource mobilization to address the persistent challenges faced by disadvantaged communities.

  • Guiding Principles for Co-learning – a practical framework for guiding multidirectional learning and co-production of knowledge in the creation of urban nature-based solutions.

    Co-author: Vanessa Duarte

    "Co-production of knowledge within nature-based solutions (NBS) can create resilient governance and context-based solutions to climate adaptation if based on academic and non-academic collaborative knowledge exchanges. In CONEXUS, we developed a practical framework to guide co-production of knowledge in NBS, applying theoretical concepts to practice in a living lab environment.
    The Conexus project brings together Latin American and European partners. Learning across various ontologies and epistemologies can be challenging and demand additional tools than those offered by mainstream research work cultures and methods. Through the implementation of tools that are applicable to transdisciplinary research and grounded in praxis, we aimed at equalising directions of learning and avoiding typical patriarchal and neocolonising science approaches such as north->south, men->women, academia->practice, government->citizens, and other kinds of single-directional knowledge transfer, also known as “banking models of education” (Freire, 1970).
    In order to foster such a learning process, we created and applied a methodology named Co-Learning Forum (CLF) to support the establishment of a common arena to tackle three challenges identified by Pohl et al (2010): (a) power relations; (b) interrelating different perspectives; and (c) promoting a previously negotiated orientation towards sustainable development.
    The CLF provided a practical framework - Conexus Guiding Principles for Co-learning – which concretise five principles for transdisciplinary learning within NBS: (i) Mutual learning, (ii) Context-based learning (local knowledge), (iii) Citizen involvement/ownership, (iv) Gender equality, and (v) Openness and inclusiveness. The framework has been tested in six Conexus CLFs and proved to successfully strengthen collaboration across scientific disciplines, between researchers and practitioners and across geographies and working cultures using active reflexivity in the learning process"

  • Monitoring and Assessment in the Context of Governance of Nature-based Solutions in Latin American and European cities.

    Co-authors: Cynnamon Dobbs, Camila Flores, Alexander van der Jagt, Andrea Skiba, Giuliano Maselli Locoselli, Denise Duarte, Arjen Buijs, Aude Zingraff-Hamed, Stephan Pauleit

    The concept of nature-based solutions (NbS) has gained interest as an approach to make significant contributions to the transformation towards more liveable, sustainable, and climate-resilient cities. However, the uptake of NbS into urban development practice is hindered by governance and knowledge barriers. Knowledge plays an essential role in evidence-based decision-making processes and to build capacity to co-design innovative actions. In turn, governance structures can greatly support the acquisition, dissemination and application of knowledge. However, little is known about how these interrelationships between governance and knowledge play out in practice. Therefore, we aim to understand the monitoring & assessment (M&A) and its interaction within its wider governance context of NbS implementation in European and Latin American cities. Considering different socio-economic and cultural contexts, allows us to draw from a wider range of practitioners’ experiences in different governance settings. We conducted a qualitative content analysis on ten semi-structured expert interviews with thirteen city experts from local governments and academia based in seven cities: Bogota (CO), Buenos Aires (AR), Santiago (CL), São Paulo (BR), Barcelona (ES), Lisbon (PT) and Turin (IT). Our findings show that M&A provides agency for individual institutional actors to steer political commitment and can support integrated working. The potential of collaborative M&A with non-governmental actors is still largely untapped, which requires acknowledgement of the capacities of non-governmental actors to contribute to M&A and raising awareness of the value of M&A to civil society. We recommend integrating more reflective learning opportunities in the M&A process, attention for data sharing and application, flexibility in indicator frameworks, and consideration of more feasible M&A processes.

  • Good governance of Nature-based Solutions: Results from a global survey

    Co-authors: Beatriz Kauark-Fontes, Ixtah Daniela Castillo, Alina Hossu, Andrea Skiba, Camila Flores, Alexis Vasquéz, Alexander van der Jagt, Arjen Buijs, Tom Wild, Stephan Pauleit

    To support developing healthy, climate-responsive and just cities, nature-based solutions (NBS) have been promoted. Successful implementation of NBS is inextricably linked to urban governance. However, governance is seen as a major barrier to NBS uptake in the practice, while our understanding of governance processes is insufficient. Despite the proliferate development of assessment frameworks for NBS, frameworks address governance processes only to a limited extent or with a narrow scope. To address this knowledge gap, van der Jagt et al. (2023) conducted a systematic review and developed a framework for assessment of governance, including five themes, encompassing nine governance dimensions. These dimensions formed the basis for a survey, including open and Likert-scale questions, to assess NBS urban governance. We further developed this survey by adding three additional topics, which were not included in the review, namely: acceptance and uptake, strategic and incremental planning process, and community-based knowledge. The survey aimed to build a better picture of possible bottlenecks and enablers for NBS uptake in cities across Europe, Latin America and beyond. To reach key actors in NBS urban governance and planning, the survey was made available in four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. From 17 March to 20 June 2023, we received 100 legible responses. 58% from the respondents were from Latin America, 31% from Europe, 6% from Asia, and 4% from Africa. Almost each dimension, except for NBS acceptance & uptake, scored below the moderate, indicating urban governance can be improved for these dimensions, while particular attention needs to be paid to the least addressed dimensions: community-based knowledge, integrated working, and monitoring & assessment. Based on the qualitative responses, we were able to provide for each dimension further insights into the current state and opportunities for improvement of decision-making processes.

  • Bridging the Urban Governance Gap: Insights from the Urban Governance Atlas

    Co-author: Natalia Burgos Cuevas

    The Urban Governance Atlas (UGA) is a groundbreaking resource for addressing questions around the governance of NbS and ecosystem restoration, particularly in the European and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) contexts. In the quest for effective NbS (co-)governance and increased mainstreaming, the UGA delves deeply into a diverse range of bottom-up and top-down policy instruments and their associated governance frameworks. Encompassing over 250 good practice legislative, economic, agreement-based/cooperative, and knowledge-based policy instruments, this comprehensive catalogue provides invaluable insights into the enabling of NbS through policy and the evolving dynamics of governance. Rooted in real-world examples, the UGA outlines the pragmatic workings of NbS governance to effectively bridge the often elusive gap between theory and practice. The UGA also explores the participatory landscape of NbS governance and how different voices and perspectives are invited to participate or inadvertently excluded. Building on these aspects, we will extract lessons learned and share actionable insights from the UGA in fostering inclusive policy and governance for enhanced decision-making processes and the mainstreaming of just, sustainable, and multifunctional NbS. We will utilise inspiring examples from the EU and CELAC regions to explore these topics across geographical boundaries, sectors, and hierarchical structures and highlight good practices transcending traditional silos and hierarchies to help pave the path towards a more sustainable, resilient, and just urban future.
    Building on previous discussions with CONEXUS’ TUM colleagues and Tom Wild, we would ideally like to explore a joint session linking the CONEXUS governance survey results and the INTERLACE Urban Governance Atlas findings (and potentially case study representatives), as both are in a unique position to deliver novel governance insights relevant for EU and CELAC audiences.

  • Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions in urban development: Progress, challenges and personal reflections.

  • Assessing the potentialities of the INTERLACE assessment framework for nature-based solutions in promoting transformative governance in cities

    Co-authors: Johannes Langemeyer, Isabel Melo, Nicolas Salmon

    Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly promoted to address climate change adaptation and mitigation, improve citizens’ well-being and simultaneously contribute to biodiversity conservation in cities. To ensure that NBS are designed, implemented and monitored in ways that foster socio-environmental justice, enhance the multifunctional potential of NBS and promote a coherent urban planning, transformative governance approaches are needed. We understand transformative governance as the simultaneous combination of integrative, inclusive, adaptive and pluralist approaches to governance. Within the Horizon 2020 project INTERLACE, we have developed a NBS assessment framework that supports cities in creating tailor-made assessment systems based on their needs regarding NBS: i) to spatially prioritize the places to implement NBS based on a vulnerability analysis; ii) to design NBS and iii) to monitor already existing NBS. This assessment framework has been implemented in six cities belonging to the INTERLACE project in a co-created manner: Chemnitz (Germany), Interurban Biological Corridor of María Aguilar (CBIMA, Costa Rica), Envigado (Colombia), Granollers (Spain), Metropolia Krakovska (Poland), and Portoviejo (Ecuador). In this session, we will present results of a systematic evaluation of the implementation of the assessment framework in the six cities conducted through semi-structured interviews and the analysis of tailored protocols. We will further highlight the lessons learned on the contribution of the assessment framework to promote transformative governance. In addition, we will shed light on the types of social resistance and political lock-in processes that need to be overcome when promoting transformative governance and its principles.

  • Going large scale with NBS in latin american cities: first results from the ENSLAC project carried out in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia

    The growing number of studies about the benefits of urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions has led to a marked interest from urban construction stakeholders, including in Latin America since 2018. While most projects are still small-scale or experimental in nature, it is essential to be able to evolve in the short term towards large-scale projects with the capacity to generate substantial impacts. This is particularly relevant for NBS based on systemic approaches, such as sustainable urban drainage solutions, whose effect is multiplied insofar as the systems implemented are numerous and act in a coordinated or even complementary way. A number of projects in the region are already on a large scale. These are initiatives based on the ecosystemic contributions that nature can make to towns and cities, which have been able to establish themselves successfully over a large area, over a long period of time or even reach a very large number of beneficiaries. Although most of these solutions were not initially developed as NbS, they now have all the characteristics of NbS. The ENSLAC project, supported by the Agence Française de Développement in the framework of the Ecopronat programme, seeks to understand what are the levers of success for these projects in the regional context, in order to facilitate the replication of this type of initiative. To this end, 15 case studies of large-scale NBS, located in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, are analysed in terms of model, impact, governance, financing, process and relationship to their geographical, technical, social and regulatory context. We will present the common points observed between these case studies, which help to explain their success in the Latin American context.

  • Supportive governance for fostering nature-based solutions application in urban water management

    Co-authors: Ida Meyenberg, Gregory Fuchs

    Cities globally face increasing climate-related risks, including frequent Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) incidents due to intense rainfall. The NICHES project (2022-2025) explores nature-based solutions (NBS) to mitigate CSO events in five cities: Berlin, Barcelona, Boston, Rotterdam, and Sheffield. This study (which represents one task in the project) assesses the incorporation of restorative NBS into urban water Socio-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) and specifically focusing on the governance and institutional frameworks.
    Utilizing a mix of literature analysis and key stakeholder interviews, we identify and examine effective governance models, policy instruments, and the hurdles to NBS adoption across three NBS phases impacting CSO management. Our analysis encompasses regulatory frameworks, bureaucratic processes, conflicting interests, stakeholder priorities, and power dynamics.
    Key findings include nuances of institutions and processes in NBS governance, mechanisms facilitating coordination among actors across governance levels, and the adaptability of these structures to change. For instance, while some cities adeptly integrate NBS into urban planning, they often encounter challenges related to policy coherence, implementation consistency, stakeholder alignment, and funding availability.
    The research extends to stakeholder and citizen participation, exploring collaborations across scales and sectors. We scrutinize policies, identifying challenges and best practices for transitioning to enhanced CSO management. Our objective is to discern instances of seamless NBS integration and the hurdles faced across regions, evaluating these practices' scalability.
    Our insights contribute to developing transition pathways for addressing CSO through NBS, underscoring the need for cohesive policies and co-production processes. The findings have potential global applications, offering robust guidance for future sustainable urban sewage water management strategies.

Social, cultural and educational priorities

  • Leveraging action for urban nature through city networks

    City networks have emerged as powerful conduits for leveraging action amongst municipalities in the realm of urban nature and climate justice. By facilitating knowledge sharing and collective efforts, they provide a platform for cities to exchange, build expertise and collaborate. This is particularly crucial in the context of nature-based solutions requiring innovative, participatory and locally-adapted approaches.

    In INTERLACE, a project that seeks to empower and equip European and CELAC cities to effectively restore and rehabilitate urban ecosystems, city networks including Climate Alliance, UCLG and FLACMA play a unique role in activating municipalities both within and outside of the project. Focusing particularly on cities in Latin America and Europe, they have demonstrated their capacity to unite cities across regions and continents, leverage action in line with European and international biodiversity and climate agendas and empower cities to amplify their impact through the mainstreaming of socially inclusive nature-based solutions.

    Building upon these experiences, we will present a draft city network impulse paper summarizing the learnings from the city to city network cooperation in INTERLACE. The aim is to share key takeaways relevant for both cities and city networks, and validate or expand on these based on the CONEXUS experience and the insights of other attendees. We examine how city networks can support cities to enhance NbS integration in city planning (including e.g. methods, strategies, resources) and identify potential limits, as well as good governance practices enabled by collaborating with city networks promoting improved NbS action (e.g. scalability, participation, innovation). The paper will be revised accordingly and published as a public resource. The discussion will benefit a diverse audience, from city network members seeking recommendations to cities considering network participation.

  • Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation across different scales: looking closer to Sao Paulo, a densely built latin-american megacity

    Co-authors: Denise Duarte, Luiza Muñoz, Daniel Yoshida, Bruna Sousa, Daniela Werneck, Ulisses Castro, Bárbara Ferreira, Leticia Crevatin, Paula Shinzato

    Cities are currently facing climate change under unprecedented extremes. Nature-based solutions within the urban fabric are essential to promote climate adaptation and, therefore, must be integrated into urban planning processes and regulatory instruments designed for the local context, considering inequalities in the territory. In São Paulo, it is possible to observe, through remote sensing mapping over the city scale, an uneven pattern of green distribution, as well as those related to land surface temperature differences, which tends to be higher in arid areas, mainly in the densely built horizontal ones, in the periphery and parts of downtown, showing a very clear link between socioeconomic vulnerabilities and the arid heat. From this, two main questions arise: (i) considering that, at the same time there is a lack of green, there is also a lack of public urban spaces to increase vegetation within the dense urban fabric, how to address this gap for urban planning and regulation purposes? (ii) to what extent extreme temperatures affect plants’ health and their microclimate benefits in a densely built urban environment in different urban morphologies? Thus, the main goal of this work is to explore what we have learnt with remote sensing informed by socioeconomic data, and also with microclimate measurements and numerical simulations in the city, local and plant scales, aiming to foster urban redesign proposals raising nature-based solutions, especially the tree-based ones, within consolidated areas in São Paulo. From the outputs, it has been possible to better understand the link between people and pixels in a territory plenty of environmental and socioeconomic contrasts, to narrow it down to the local scale informing urban planning and regulations fostering nature-based solutions, also considering the climate resilience of green, assessing the impacts of the built environment and extreme temperatures on plants’ microclimate benefits.

  • Integrating gender equality, and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into NBS research & innovation


    Co-authors:
    Mariana Baptista, Beatriz Kauark Fontes, Olivia Bina, Taícia Marques, Cynnamon Dobbs, Vanessa Duarte, Tom Wild, Geovana Mercado

    Gender equality in research teams, leadership, and content is prescribed as a necessary element of Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation (R&I) projects. However, focusing solely on gender as a dimension of inequality can be reductionist. In today’s diverse societies, deprivation and privilege sit at the complex intersections of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and other life circumstances. Our identity markers do not exist in isolation and often converge into multidimensional systems of inequality. Critical conversations in the H2020 CONEXUS project evidence that an intersectionality approach is more relevant to address compounding inequalities that often manifest in research contexts and communities. As a R&I project bringing together Latin American and European partners to strengthen international cooperation on nature-based solutions (NBS) in cities, CONEXUS spans numerous countries in the global north and south as well as different post-colonial settings. For research not to (re-)activate extractive or exclusionary processes of knowledge exchange and production, it is essential to recognise, visibilise, and tackle potential existing systems of inequality both within research teams and with external stakeholders. This responsibility is ever more critical in the case of modifications to the built-environment usually involved in NBS, which could otherwise exacerbate existing inequalities or negatively impact local socio-ecological fabrics. Given the intersection of gender with other loci of discrimination (both systemic and individual), CONEXUS has investigated gender equality in combination with broader concerns of equity, diversity and inclusion (G&EDI). Through the creation of a Committee and the use of a participatory, reflexive methodology, gaps and opportunities for the integration of G&EDI into NBS research and innovation have been explored. The results of this research bring together practical lessons for future NBS projects and agendas.

  • Nature-based Thinking - an inclusive, integrated and long-sighted approach to tackle societal challenges

    Co-authors: Thomas Randrup, Åsa Ode Sang

    Nature-Based Solutions concepts and practices are being used worldwide as part of attempts to address societal challenges but have also been criticised for not dealing with deeper transformations needed to face urgent issues including biodiversity loss, climate change and inclusion. We will present Nature-based Thinking (NBT): an inclusive, integrated and long-sighted approach, emphasising a more radical integration of nature within cities, based on a holistic perspective.
    We draw on theoretical and empirical reflection processes that engaged both research and practice communities through a symposium and a series of futures workshops that explored the potential of NBT to develop future nature-cities relations in Europe and Latin America. The results suggest that notions of nature with people—not for people— new organisational structures, and the intention and capacity to apply long-term perspectives, are needed when planning for NBS interventions aimed at sustainable urban development. This includes developing a cultural-structural change based on new and inclusive understandings of human–nature relations, and novel governance paradigms that allow cross- sectoral coordination and engagement of local stakeholders beyond formal organisational structures.


    References
    Randrup, T.B., A. Buijs, C. Konijnendijk & T. Wild (2020) Moving beyond the Nature-based Solutions discourse: Introducing Nature-based Thinking. Urban Ecosystems. https://doi:org/10.1007/s11252-020-00964-w

    Mercado, G., T. Wild, J.H. Garcia, M.D. Baptista , M. van Lierop, O. Bina, A. Inch, Å. Ode Sang, A. Buijs, C. Dobbs, A. Vásquez, A. van der Jagt, F. Salbitano, R. Falanga, J.D. Amaya-Espinel, M. Pereira & T.B. Randrup (2023) Supporting Nature-based Solutions via Nature-based thinking, across European and Latin American cities. Ambio. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-023-01920-6"

  • The role of environmental education and youth empowerment in implementing and maintaining urban NbS


    Co-authors
    : Diana Ruiz, Anny Merlo, Paul Mahony, Ivan Gajos, Johana Tabares


    Learning about Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), in formal settings such as schools and universities or informal settings such as workshops and living classrooms, is an opportunity to disseminate knowledge and improve the social appropriation of nature. Since knowledge and behavior are often related, ecological literacy can translate into a positive relationship between citizens and nature. Our work highlights the role that environmental education can have in Nature-based Solutions appropriation, consistent with the context of each territory, its appropriation, co-management, and sustainability over time.
    Here, we present NBS learning experiences aimed at school students and local communities in Colombia. Within the framework of the CONEXUS project, we focus on the implementation of ecological restoration actions in two educational institutions located on the urban periphery and the co-design of a living classroom aimed at people from the community of the North and South edges of Bogotá city. Within the framework of the INTERLACE project, we present the experience of working with school students in Envigado city using the video game Minecraft to improve the daily environment through NBS, and the development of activities that integrate environmental education with art and literature. We argue that prioritizing environmental education and strengthening capacities aimed at different social groups, especially young people, in addition to being essential to improve the appropriation and care of nature, is a key strategy to ensure the sustainability of actions and its governance over time.

  • The role of learner assessment in NBS education

    Co-authors: Eleonora Lekavičiūtė and Neil Coles

    This session contributes to answering the question of how educators can be supported in using new pedagogies, tools and materials to strengthen the development of NBS. One key answer is through the advancement of learner assessment methods and tools that can help educators measure learners’ progression in understanding and application of NBS. To ensure that NBS is mainstreamed in educational offers, there is a need to showcase how skills for NBS can be assessed. By providing appropriate or targeted learner assessment methodologies, one can ensure that NBS is taught, given that assessment often provides a clear direction for what topics should be prioritised in education and training. This session therefore focuses on learner assessment tools for NBS, an area often overlooked in education research around NBS.
    We present novel empirical work from our research into the learner assessment methods currently used in NBS education in the European region. The session is based on a published report and ongoing mapping exercise of assessment tools conducted in the context of the NBS EduWORLD project (funded by the Horizon Europe programme of the EU under GA number 101060525). Based on mapping, desk research and interviews, the session provides an overview of the most common learner assessment methods, gaps and challenges across education levels, and what approaches hold the most value for fostering an in-depth understanding of NBS and their complexities. The analysis also provides food for thought about the skills and competences that are developed in the context of NBS education, linking to ongoing and topical debates about sustainability competences. This novel research is as the first attempt to map learner assessment tools and approaches in this field. This session will help to further initiate discussions concerning learner assessment in NBS education and support educators across formal, non-formal and informal learning contexts.

  • Re-designing tropical cities from a new academic environment in Colombia

    In Latin America, especially in Colombia, there are very few academic programs that combine the relevance of living in the tropics, one of the places with the greatest biodiversity, and, at the same time, with serious problems due to informal settlements and poverty. The few programs that exist are at the master's level, but there are very few professions (bachelor's or undergraduate) capable of combining the greatest number of disciplines and talents to redesign the world and the ways in which we relate to our species and live with other forms of life.

    The future of our society and the planet is at stake, and cities seem to be the places where the most relevant decisions in this regard are being made. Cities represent a great opportunity to understand our close relationship with nature and its relevance in building more just and sustainable environments. For this reason, given the urgency of building this new image of the world, we created a new academic program thinking about training the new professionals who need to counteract the planet in urbanization: Urban Design.

    It is a titanic task to create a curriculum that fuses design, architecture, planning, and urbanism with other disciplines such as ecology, anthropology, geography, economics, and sociology through a passion for urban nature and social equity. That is why this race assumes the call to action in the face of these challenges, with the hope of promoting the well-being and sustainability of territories and cities through collaborative work, harmony with nature, new technologies, and commitment to designing and influencing a better world.

  • Nature-based Play

    Co-author: Dr Daša Moschonas

    Play is essential for well-being and happiness. Play amongst nature is especially powerful in supporting the development of cognitive, emotional, and social skills for both children and adults. At the same time, increased urbanization places immense pressure on ecosystems, contributing to the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. In turn, it is increasingly difficult for children and others to develop and maintain meaningful contact with nature, and to play freely and safely. In fact, play is being edged out of the modern city, and it is the most disadvantaged groups who are disproportionately affected. Therefore play, just like climate change, is a social justice matter. The interrelationships between play, nature and climate resilience are powerful. By integrating them, we can chart a course to healthier, more playful, and more resilient urban environments. Yet, nature-based solutions (NbS) practitioners are not necessarily considering play in their design, nor are policymakers entirely aware of how NbS can be playful. On the other hand, play designers and placemakers and not always considering the environmental benefits of urban regeneration proposals. Our research bridges these two perspectives, highlighting the benefits of nature-based play for people and the planet. We undertook a cross-sectional, descriptive study of 12 design projects worldwide that combine nature-based solutions and playful design, and represent diverse geographies, actors, and scales, including examples in Europe and Latin America. We analysed project drawings and images and conducted remote interviews with implementers to identify key drivers and impacts, to support actors to make informed, context-relevant decisions when delivering nature-based play solutions for wellbeing and climate resilience. The study characterises specific design approaches and engagement activities that lead to benefits from nature-based play projects, for communities, nature, and the climate.

  • Designing for inclusive innovation through climate adaptation strategies and nature.

    Co-author: Roberta Ingaramo

    The climate transition represents an opportunity to redesign urban spaces to be more equitable, inclusive, socially cohesive, and resilient. The European Union, primarily through the European Green Deal (EGD) and initiatives like the New European Bauhaus, has sent a strong political and economic signal to activate regeneration processes based on beauty, sustainability, and inclusion. These three aspects should be pursued not only in climate policies and plans but also in the procedures, including educational ones, and the tools used for their co-design, implementation, and maintenance.
    In this context, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) play a fundamental role at the local level in redesigning architectures and urban spaces that can convey the values of ecology, sustainability, and, above all, reduce inequality by making citizens an integral part of urban spaces, involving them in every transformation process.

    Analyzing the case studies of climate planning in Barcelona and Copenhagen, the progressive implementation of site-specific governance and participatory tools is assessed. Explicitly emphasizing the importance of collaboration and partnership with local stakeholders and citizens to promote engagement, over the past 20 years, these two European cities have developed various participatory and deliberative democracy processes. This culminated in the publication of transition tools, such as Barcelona's Climate Plan in 2018 and its subsequent revision in the Climate Emergency Action Plan in 2021, or Copenhagen's Climate Adaptation Plan (2011) and subsequent tools, becoming transferable best practices for effectively and inclusively addressing climate change.
    The research aims to particularly investigate (i) the potentials and limitations of different participatory and deliberative processes in achieving climate justice in the short and long term; (ii) the possibilities of institutionalization, scalability, and replicability of democratic innovations in other contexts

  • Fostering the sense of attachment for urban green space: Opportunities for environmental education

    Environmental education is about the environment, for the environment and conducted in the environment. Thus, opportunities for environmental education in urban green spaces are abundant due to the availability of natural resources, which is otherwise scarce in urban areas.
    Accessible to the city populations, urban green spaces are sites for social interactions and are often ready with infrastructure suitable for outdoor learning. Some areas may also hold special cultural values that contribute to nature appreciating contents in environmental education programmes.
    Conversion of urban green spaces into other land use are still taking place, thus, champions are needed to help defend green areas from unsustainable development. Environmental education enhances sensitivities for nature and through the right programming, fosters attachment to a place. This will lead to a better chance of garnering support for conservation of the green space.
    This presentation will show examples of educational activities conducted in green spaces in various parts of the world. Environmental interpretation is promoted as an effective tool to create the sense of attachment. In conclusion, it is proposed that the design and management of urban green space be integrated with environmental education programmes.

  • Growing Nature with school communities: comparative experiences and mutual learning from Buenos Aires and Torino

    Co-authors: Mariangela Pastorello, Alessandro Tempia, Miguel Kanai

    The aim is to illustrate and reflect upon the issues, strategies, benefits and challenges experienced at the CONEXUS Life Labs of Turin and Buenos Aires that engaged school communities to foster learning communities around Nature-based Solutions (NbS) while educating on climate, biodiversity and wellbeing.
    Comparative lessons and pitfalls from both experiences will be shared as an essential part of the network’s added value.
    Ways forward and practical tools to further mutual learning, will be proposed.
    The discussion will start from the different understanding of the concept of NBS in Latin America and Europe, moving to the different participatory approaches adopted by the Buenos Aires and Turin living labs. In fact, both experiences prove that it is crucial to take into account local peculiarities and to embrace flexibility in such processes, particularly with school communities. By building ownership and adapting to the local context, it is possible to stimulate awareness and long-term sustainability, as education and exploration of the concept NbS continue after the project ends.
    The different engagement strategies and methodologies used in Torino and Buenos Aires will be analysed and compared in order to highlight the benefits, especially in terms of cultural ecosystem services generated through the engagement of school communities.The different communication and practical activities carried out in Turin, as well as the co-design and participatory construction of Buenos Aires are valuable contributions to the open question of how to ensure impact in local activities related to NBS projects.
    Moreover, the relation between each case and its “educational community” will be explored to understand what elements of sustainability, replicability and scalability can be found. In conclusion, some tools and ideas will be shared, inviting to continue such exploration and the engagement of school communities to keep the NBS alive in each city, beyond CONEXUS.

  • ParkLIV – a new green space management approach to inclusion

    Co-authors: H. Fors, Å.O. Sang, B. Persson, J. Björstad, E. Shepherdson, H. Nolmark

    Urban green spaces (UGS) are important for human health and well-being, and all have the right to feel welcome, safe and to use these without fear, anxiety or stress. However, accessibility to UGS is still primarily seen in relation to technical requirements, and methods and tools for a broader perspective to universal design is needed, especially when these departs from different peoples perceived experiences, and in which both users and potential users participate as own experts.
    In Sweden, the public is not sufficiently engaged in the development of UGS. Local governments have the will, but lack resources and appropriate methods in order to do so. As a part of this project, further engagement of users was described as an unleashed potential in relation to planning and management of UGS (Fors et al., 2021).
    This 4-year project had three dimensions; (1) A theoretical dimension to deepen the steering knowledge about actors, resources, rules of the game and discourses (governance aspects). (2) The development dimension which suggested a prototype process model (and a toolbox) for inclusion of non-users into local governments existing management routines, and (3) An experimental dimension, in which the model and tools were tested in practice.
    Based on three cases we suggest a model for longsighted, and inclusive development of UGS with users. The model balances what is theoretical optimal and what is practical durable: A pragmatic model which can form the basis for future planning, design and management, as well as being usable even with limited management resources. The model consist of three phases (analysis, design, and implementation), seen as a cyclic process, rather than as a project. Between each phase is an evaluation to keep the process on track.
    This presentation will present the model, the results of the actual tests, and discuss its further potential development.

Economics, values and work

  • How to assess the benefits of Nature-Based Solutions? Building Evidence from Cost Benefit Analyses in Latin America and Europe

    Co-authors: Daniel Kozak, Mariana Giusti, Hayley Henderson

    This paper aims to contribute to the debate on the advantages of implementing Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) to solve urban problems. For this purpose, three assessments for pilot projects built in cities in Latin America and Europe are presented were Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) was used. The studied projects used NbS as a central design strategy, which represented an innovation regarding the standard solutions used in these cities, based on traditional engineering (commonly known as grey infrastructure).The selection of pilot projects was made among the participants of the CONEXUS research project (EU Horizon 2020 programme). A multidimensional evaluation of all Life-lab pilots was carried out, based on criteria of territorial distribution, NBS types, ecosystem services provided, proposed indicators to measure performance and the capacity of the main pilot actors to participate in a CBA process. On these bases, three pilot projects were selected for an in-depth analysis: the construction of rain gardens in the Medrano stream basin (San Martín, Argentina), the incorporation of green spaces in the Livable Valddoco project (Turin, Italy) and the implementation of the Urban Allotments programme (Barcelona, Spain).
    In order to carry out the CBAs, the cost of production of the NbS implemented was calculated and compared to the benefits they generate, based on the monitoring and measurement of the different ecosystem services they provide. The limitations of this methodology are clear: not all ecosystem services can be parameterised and quantified through indicators; secondly, not all of them can be monetised. However, it is worth discussing the productivity of this approach in order to compare the benefits of NbS with regard to their implementation costs; with regard to other traditional (grey) methods or solutions to solve the same problems; and to facilitate the decision-making process.

  • Socioeconomic impact of urban gardens in Barcelona

    Co-authors: Marc Montlleo, Adrián Cabezas, Arnau Lluch, Ismael Pérez-Franco

    The objective of the work is to present an initial assessment of the socioeconomic impact of urban gardens in the city of Barcelona. The city of Barcelona has 47 urban gardens, covering 75,826 square meters and involving 1,294 direct users. The core of the assessment focuses on the following points, selected based on economic impact and availability of information: subjective benefit to users, carbon capture, and direct production. The total estimated socioeconomic value generated by these three variables in the 47 gardens of Barcelona amounts to €2,880,629 annually. This represents an average annual benefit of €2,261 per user or €61,290 per garden. However, two dimensions with high impact could not be assessed: the impact on human health and urban biodiversity. The assessment was carried out within the framework of the CONEXUS project with the support of Barcelona Regional, and fieldwork was conducted in March 2023.

  • Nature based solutions and ecosystem services in Latin American and European cities: insights from a Citizen’s perception of value

    Co-authors: Geovana Mercado, Tom Wild, Thomas Randrup, Alexis Vasquez, Jaime Hernandez-Garcia, Riccardo Saracco, Paulo Pellegrino, Giuliano Locosselli, Teresa Verellen, Iar Mek, Paula Nicolau, Marc Montlleo and Corina Basnou.

    Urban centers across Latin America and Europe, despite their geographic and cultural disparities, are being confronted with similar environmental and societal concerns. Issues such as increasing temperatures, reduced air and water quality, and a general vulnerability to extreme weather events are compelling cities on both continents to explore the potential of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) and Ecosystem Services (ESS) to address these challenges. Nature-Based Solutions and the provision of ESS have emerged as central strategies to mitigate environmental risks while enhancing the quality of life for urban residents.
    However, the motivations, strategies, and outcomes associated with implementing NBS may differ significantly between the two regions, reflecting variations in historical, cultural, economic, and political context. Also, citizens’ aspirations and needs in terms of greenspaces is place-specific and dependent on socio-economic contexts. This research aims to identify and study the citizens values associated with NBS and ESS within the different contexts of five Latin American and European cities, (Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Santiago de Chile, Lisbon and Sao Paulo). These cities are all implementing NBS and share a broader goal of implementing re-greening processes across their territories. They also exhibit different socio economical traits and natural conditions though face similar environmental dilemmas.
    We apply a PPGIS approach to survey the experiences, preferences, and perceptions of residents to elucidate the environmental and social values attributed to these nature-driven interventions. We aim to respond the following research question:
    How do citizens value Nature based Solutions and Ecosystem Services in Latin American and European cities?
    By answering this question, we expect to contribute to a more holistic understanding of how cities can leverage the inherent value of nature to build sustainable, resilient, and thriving urban environments.

  • Economic and Social Impacts of Nature Based Solutions in Informal Settlements

    Co-author: Ingrid Novoa

    Latin America is the most urbanised region in the world, with almost 80% of the population living in urban conglomerates (UN, 2018). This urbanisation has largely occurred through informal urbanisation, with limited access to goods and services and severe spatial, environmental and socio-economic inequalities (Escobedo et al., 2015). Informal settlements, usually located in periurban areas, are a characteristic feature of Colombian cities, where in Bogotá, for example, more than 50 % of the city has grown from some informal pattern (urban and/or housing), and about 30 % of the city is considered informal (Hernández-García, 2016).Nature-Based Solutions as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore restored or modified ecosystems have emerged to effectively address societal challenges, while adaptively and simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits (IUCN, 2016). They, thus, make a considerable contribution to the challenges cities face around the consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss, and particularly to informal settlements where the consequences of socio-ecological conflicts are most acute. But little is known about the economic and social impacts that these solutions actually bring to vulnerable communities in terms of their livelihoods.
    This presentation, taking as a case study the Bogota Life Lab of the CONEXUS project, and the NBS pilot interventions that have been co-created with communities in the peri-urban areas of the north and south of the city, explores the economic and social impacts of these interventions and discusses their valuation in broader terms. The paper seeks to highlight the value of NBS in sectors of informal urbanisation, in order to contribute to thinking about other more sustainable forms of urban expansion and the role that NBS can play.

  • Stormwater management in cities to cope with multiple extreme events: Socio-economic evaluation of nature-based solutions to support climate-resilient urban planning

    Co-authors: Ulf Stein, Flora Dicke, Hannes Schritt

    Urban areas are particularly affected by extreme weather events such as flooding and heat waves. High levels of land sealing and building density exacerbate the flood risk, the heat islands effect and droughts impacts in the summer months. Modern stormwater management and nature based solutions (NBS) are considered highly relevant components of water-sensitive urban planning to mitigate the climate impacts. NBS shape urban space in the spirit of the ""sponge city"" idea. They can have multiple positive effects on environmental, social and economic challenges, including health, biodiversity, recreational opportunities, or job creation.

    Due to the multiple effects of NBS, an assessment of costs and benefits of NBS is an important decision-making tool at the local level. The integration of social and environmental dimensions and an overall societal perspective is essential to ensure a broader overview of NBS effects. The challenge is often that private investors do not include these additional benefits in their considerations because it is not representing a direct benefit. Often, however, it is the overall consideration of all effects that changes the relationship between costs and benefits and argues for the realization of the NBS investment project.

    Based on literature review and a stakeholder engagement process with cities in Germany, a socio-economic assessment for NBS at the district level is designed and implemented. It had to deal with the challenges of measure’s local effectiveness and data availability at district level. The approach includes a multi-criteria analysis to cover costs and benefits and other implementation aspects in a broader way. Furthermore, methods for the monetization of benefit components on local level are developed. The use of monetized benefits for urban planning, the additional value e.g. for communication or funding possibilities, and the approach’s robustness is discussed critically with local stakeholders.

  • Methodology framework for NbS location and selection according to biophysical and economic benefit values

    Co-authors: Juan Pablo Rodríguez Sánchez

    Cities increasingly recognize the potential of NbS to tackle urban challenges and contribute to global goals. However, gaps remain in the tools and knowledge needed for effective decision-making on deploying NbS in urban areas. One key challenge is understanding the role and value of the ecosystem services that NbS generate for cities. Lack of information on NbS makes it difficult for urban planners to identify where and how these solutions could effectively address specific challenges. As such, there is increasing demand for access to resources, guidance and tools to help support the design, implementation and funding of NbS. This presentation outlines a project and a tool that help meet this demand:

    NetworkNature is a ‘network of networks’ and one-stop resources for everyone interested in NbS, including local and regional authorities, policy makers, civil society, businesses and investors. The project aims to raise awareness, share knowledge and build capacity about NbS to accelerate their uptake in business, science, policy and practice along the policy priorities of the European Green Deal.

    Urban Ecosystem Accounting (Urban EA) is a tool that can help city planners identify where their ecosystem assets are, the ecosystem services they provide and who benefits from them. Urban EA can help identify which municipal budgets could support NbS implementation. For instance, demonstrating that NbS can enhance the resilience of transport routes while offering recreational opportunities for local communities could build the case for using both infrastructure and social budgets for NbS implementation and maintenance.

    UNEP-WCMC will introduce both the NetworkNature project and a four-step guide for performing urban EA using the SEEA-EA framework. The presentation will emphasize how these two different types of resource can help urban planners integrate NbS into decision-making, understand public area values, and promote equitable access to ecosystem services.

  • Accounting for nature in planning: Urban Ecosystem Accounting for integrating Nature-based Solutions in cities.

    Cities increasingly recognize the potential of NbS to tackle urban challenges and contribute to global goals. However, gaps remain in the tools and knowledge needed for effective decision-making on deploying NbS in urban areas. One key challenge is understanding the role and value of the ecosystem services that NbS generate for cities. Lack of information on NbS makes it difficult for urban planners to identify where and how these solutions could effectively address specific challenges. As such, there is increasing demand for access to resources, guidance and tools to help support the design, implementation and funding of NbS. This presentation outlines a project and a tool that help meet this demand:
    NetworkNature is a ‘network of networks’ and one-stop resources for everyone interested in NbS, including local and regional authorities, policy makers, civil society, businesses and investors. The project aims to raise awareness, share knowledge and build capacity about NbS to accelerate their uptake in business, science, policy and practice along the policy priorities of the European Green Deal.
    Urban Ecosystem Accounting (Urban EA) is a tool that can help city planners identify where their ecosystem assets are, the ecosystem services they provide and who benefits from them. Urban EA can help identify which municipal budgets could support NbS implementation. For instance, demonstrating that NbS can enhance the resilience of transport routes while offering recreational opportunities for local communities could build the case for using both infrastructure and social budgets for NbS implementation and maintenance.
    UNEP-WCMC will introduce both the NetworkNature project and a four-step guide for performing urban EA using the SEEA-EA framework. The presentation will emphasize how these two different types of resource can help urban planners integrate NbS into decision-making, understand public area values, and promote equitable access to ecosystem services.

  • Blue Economy in Coastal Cities

    Co-author: Kieran Birtill, Dr Sara Candiracci

    Oceans are spaces of complex socio-economic and environmental interactions, processes, challenges and opportunities. They are key to the economic development of coastal countries, the direct provision of livelihoods for coastal populations and indirect livelihoods of many others. Oceans are in fact key to all life on earth, absorbing approximately 25 percent of all CO2 emissions. However, insufficient consideration for environmental and social sustainability are putting the ocean’s resources at risk, hampering the socioeconomic benefits that the ocean might deliver for future generations. The blue economy - a concept concerning sustainable use of ocean resources – is of upmost importance. According to estimates by the Global Ocean Commission, ocean resources contribute to the livelihoods of 350 million people. However, climate change, pollution and insufficient consideration for environmental and social sustainability are putting the ocean’s resources at risk, hampering the socio-economic benefits that the ocean could deliver for future generations.
    The term ‘blue economy’ seeks to promote economic growth, responsible production and consumption, social inclusion, and the preservation or improvement of livelihoods from ocean resources, while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability of oceans, coastal areas, and other waterfront spaces.
    This study presents global best practice case studies to help blue economy stakeholders in future planning and project implementation, promoting nature-based solutions across blue economy sectors, as applicable, such as coastal tourism, operational environment, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
    The blue economy is a concept gaining growing attention and awareness in both academic and policy circles. This study is therefore timely, and these case studies are intended to inform and inspire blue economy stakeholders involved with planning and implementation locally, nationally, and globally.

  • Financing NbS in urban areas: where are we at in the LAC region

  • Transforming policy into action: linking and coordinating international financing for the design of public policy on urban NbS and its implementation in Chile

    Chile is developing a coordinated strategy to design a Green Infrastructure and NbS Roadmap for urban and peri-urban areas, thanks to the linked financing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and the technical support of the FAO.

    Through the GCF's Readiness Program, the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment, has requested a grant for the design of this Roadmap. This involves the creation and strengthening of a multilevel and multi-actor governance mechanism for the design and implementation of the Roadmap, the generation of evidence for decision-making and definition of the Roadmap, and a technical-participatory work process and financial analysis to draft the proposal.

    Concurrently, this initiative will unfold alongside the formulation of a GEF-funded project within the framework of the Sustainable Cities Integrated Program. The primary objective of this project is to enhance Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure networks, fostering biodiversity conservation while addressing climate change in urban and peri-urban areas throughout Chile. By tackling institutional, regulatory, and market-level barriers, the project aims to propel cities towards the integration of NbS and green infrastructure in urban planning and development. Through pilot activities in four cities spanning diverse climatic ecoregions across the country, the project's implementation will commence sequentially upon the conclusion of the Roadmap.

    This strategic alignment of multilateral efforts and financing is designed to advance the promotion and implementation of an innovative public policy, securing fresh resources for its swift execution.

  • Network of regional infrastructures for the Federal District: opportunities for sustainable economic development

    Co-authors: Maria do Carmo de Lima Bezerra, Juliana Machado Coelho, Tatiana Reinehr de Oliveira

    Assertive forms of landscape planning leading to socio-ecological well-being promotion has become notorious in discussions towards climate adaptation plans, operationalization of Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs and pressing creation of a regulated Brazilian carbon market. Within the Federal District (FD), public and private agents have developed plans and projects aimed at increasing territorial resilience, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonizing agriculture and expanding tree planting. This research proposes the spatialization of an assertive multi-scale planning and design strategy, in the context of the Brazilian Cerrado Biome. As an alternative to the traditional model based on gray infrastructure, it suggests the structuring of a multi-scale network and multifunctional green infrastructures based on the mapping of carbon and water flows in the territory. This allows to reach different demands and efforts for environmental recovery based on landscape ecology analyzes. Through Geodesign application, connected with other layers of information from official databases, the proposal was discussed with stakeholders in a co-designed process leading to defining the general contours of a regional green infrastructures network for FD territory. Both environmentally protected and new potentially increasing carbon sequestration areas were considered through pragmatic interventions in the São Bartolomeu Hydrographic Basin. In the end, it was possible, not only to increase the territorial canopy, but also to get a mosaic composed of hotspots, ecological corridors, and ecological support patches, traced by structural and functional metrics using an Ecology Restoration approach. The results support climate adaptation and sustainable development policies, generating an exponential increase in the biodiversity flow throughout the proposed mosaic and beyond Federal District borders. There are, therefore, new opportunities for sustainable economic development based on the operationalization of the proposed mosaic for territorial planning and socio-ecological development.

  • Valorisation of Nature-based Solutions – A step-by-step guide

    Co-authors: Federica Di Cagno, Cecil Konijnendijk, Tom Wild

    Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly recognized worldwide for their effectiveness in addressing urban challenges while promoting environmental sustainability and community well-being. However, decision-making regarding NBS funding and implementation tends to be centralized within public authorities and government bodies, often overlooking input from key stakeholders such as local communities, NGOs, and small to medium enterprises. This limited engagement, coupled with a narrow focus on economic returns and insufficient awareness of their broader benefits, often hinders the realization of the full potential of NBS. In response to these challenges, this guide aims to inform urban stakeholders on the knowledge needed to develop compelling business cases for NBS implementation. The guide adopts a seven-step valorization approach, aiming to expand traditional economic perspectives and leverage NBS values across environmental, economic, social, and health dimensions. Drawing upon research findings and experiences from the Horizon Europe CONEXUS project, the guide offers practical tools and methodologies for building a compelling business case for NBS, having a clear vision of the urban challenges to be addressed, the value the NBS will bring, and how to create and capture this value. Tested in real-world scenarios across five Life Labs, part of the CONEXUS project, the methodologies outlined in the guide have been adapted to diverse socio-economic and political contexts. This adaptation accounts for challenges related to data availability and stakeholder involvement inherent in the co-creation of NBS. Central to the methodology is the imperative to promote a continuous stakeholder’s engagement throughout the entire valorization process, recognizing and leveraging the multidimensional values of NBS and securing long-lasting social and financial support.

Ecological and environmental qualities

  • Developing and classifying urban biomes as a basis for nature-based solutions

    Co-authors: Tom Wild, Adriana Afonso Sandre, Paulo Renato Mesquita Pellegrino, Carlos Alberto da Silva Filho, Marcos Silveira Buckeridge, Giuliano Maselli Locosselli

    Urbanization is a major driver of environmental change, which calls for multifunctional and comprehensive actions such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS). They are “inspired and supported by nature… and must benefit biodiversity and support the delivery of a range of ecosystem services”. But what nature should one aim for? We tested the hypothesis that local vegetation may not always be the best source of inspiration, as environmental changes impact both extant conditions and species suitability for restored ecosystems. We analyzed the megacity of Sao ˜ Paulo, where laws promote the use of species from the local Atlantic Forest biome. We trained a Linear Discriminant Analysis to classify the Brazilian biomes and predicted the biomes’ correspondence considering city’s vegetation cover and climate. With 80% accuracy, the model predicted correspondence with the Atlantic Forest in 57% of the city, while 43% is better represented by the Cerrado, a dense Tropical Savanna biome. Cerrado species are naturally adapted to higher insolation, temperature and more seasonal precipitation, and they can parallel the ecosystem services of the Atlantic Forest. To help guide NbS implementation, we consider four “urban biomes”: Atlantic Forest, Seasonally Flooded Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and the Seasonally Flooded
    Cerrado, whose dynamics seem to depend mainly on changes in the proportion of dense vegetation cover. We then discuss possible examples of NbS in the city. The urban ecosystem restoration could benefit from such natural and dynamic processes in which the Cerrado could act as a transient urban biome in the way of restoring the urban forests through soil horizon development and species succession followed by the densification of the vegetation whenever this planting scheme is possible.

  • Citizen Stewardship of Street Tree Pits Promotes Urban Biodiversity and Public Health

    Co-authors: Dr. Rita Sousa Silva; Dr. Ashby Lavelle Sachs; Prof. Dr. Harmut Fünfgeld

    Nature-based solutions (NBS) are one approach that may offset some of the environmental challenges associated with urban living and climate change; the urban forest is a NBS found in cities around the world. Street trees are an essential component of the urban forest and provide a wide range of ecosystem services for human health and the environment. Citizen stewardship–the act of an individual taking care of the local environment–can not only play a significant role in street tree maintenance and longevity, but can also foster volunteer engagement and community cohesion. This transdisciplinary project involving two University of Freiburg departments (Geobotany and Geography of Global Change), the University Clinic of Freiburg Institute of General Medicine, the city of Freiburg, and the Freiburg Eco-station, aims to understand: (1) To what extent stewarding a street tree via street tree pit gardening affects urban biodiversity, specifically plant diversity and species richness. (Method: Measuring and comparing plant diversity in “pairs” of gardened and non-gardened (wild) tree pits.) and (2) To what extent street tree pit gardening affects wellbeing, sense of place, and nature-connectedness of citizen stewards. (Methods: Survey and Qualitative Interviews: 5 questions assessing wellbeing; 6 questions assessing nature-connectedness; 9 questions assessing sense of place; 3 questions assessing perceived biodiversity.) Results: We measured plant diversity in c. 300 street tree pits gardened by citizen stewards and found significantly more plant diversity and species richness in gardened tree pits compared to non-gardened tree pits. Through surveys and interviews we found that the process of gardening a tree pit has a positive impact on the wellbeing, nature-connectedness, sense of place, and community cohesion of citizen stewards. This study suggests that tree pit citizen stewardship is an important NBS that promotes urban biodiversity and public health.

  • Biodiverse, attractive and sustainable? Public Perception of and Preference for Designed Naturalistic Urban Planting in China

    Co-authors: Dr. Helen Hoyle; Dr. Nicola Dempsey, Prof. James Hitchmough

    Naturalistic urban planting, characterized by the mimicry of natural structures and well-adapted plants, is a Nature-Based Solution (NBS) with the potential to enhance biodiversity, mitigate climate change, and improve human well-being. Gaining prominence in Europe and North America, this approach to urban plantingis increasingly recognized by China, a major carbon emitter, as a means to achieve carbon neutrality and foster sustainable environmental improvement at a cost-effective rate.. Yet if the human wellbeing effect of this form urban planting is to be optimised, it must be accepted and enjoyedby diverse urban publics. This study aimed to explore public perception and preferencefor designed naturalistic planting in China to inform future urban landscape design and management. A questionnaire was distributed to 1,400 visitors of urban parks and EXPO show gardens in Beijing and was complemented by semi-structured interviews with 35 participants. The results show a favourable reception of naturalistic plantings in larger parks, where they are valued for their ecological and aesthetic qualities, and their alignment with environmental policies. However, perceptions of disorder were noted in smaller show gardens, highlighting the challenges of adapting these designs to different urban contexts. Furthermore, the study revealed that demographic factors including gender, age, education level, income, and professional background significantly influence preferences. This finding emphasizes the necessity of adopting inclusive and diverse methodologies when applying NBS in urbansettings. These insights enhance the understanding of NBS in urban landscapes, particularly in the context of China’s environmental strategies, and provide valuable guidance for urban planners, landscape designers, and policymakers, stressing the importance of public perception and adaptive approaches in the successful integration of NBS in urban landscapes.

  • Contribution of ecological research in urban planning and development

  • Climate control of the growth of native tree species in two contrasting urban parks from São Paulo, Brazil.

    Co-author: Giuliano Maselli Locosselli

    Urban forests play a fundamental role in adapting cities to climate change. Trees provide ecosystem services that help mitigate air pollution, flooding, and heat islands, besides being a carbon sink. The provision of these ecosystem services is species-dependent, and knowing their growth potential under various climate conditions is a fundamental step in planning resilient urban green areas. São Paulo is a megacity that already faces the impacts of climate change. The city is located in the Atlantic rainforest, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. Such high biodiversity translates into a plethora of natural tools to promote a resilient city. However, knowledge about the growth of native species in the urban context is still scarce. To understand how urban climate influences tree growth, we monitored seven native species in two contrasting parks in the city of São Paulo, a recreational public park with a planted woodland, and a large Atlantic Rainforest Patch surrounded by the urban fabric. Growth was monitored using digital band dendrometers, whose results were analyzed together with data on trees’ phenology and local climate data. The species were monitored for two growing seasons. Results revealed significant differences in the seasonality of growth, growth onset and dormancy periods that reflect in the species’ average growth rates and biomass gain. Differences in growth rate were not that evident between the trees growing in the planted woodland and the native forest patch, while the growth rate was significantly higher in isolated trees growing in the recreational public park. These findings support the necessity of planning urban green areas taking into account the biodiversity to optimize ecosystem services like carbon sequestration.

  • Co-Producing Nature-Based Solutions to mitigate pollution, improve biodiversity, and foster ecosystem processes in urban streams within vulnerable social contexts

    Co-authors: Barbara M: Gómez, Sebastián Gómez Lugo, Camila Saveika, Martin Saraceno

    The expansion of metropolitan areas in Latin America imposes significant negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems, placing them at the center of demands from popular and socio-vulnerable sectors of society. Addressing urban streams within a social-ecological paradigm, through a co-production approach, and situated within a nature-based solution framework can serve as a strategy to link ecological restoration outcomes more effectively with current management practices. Here, we present a transdisciplinary approach outlining actions and results achieved during a long-term co-production experience centered on the ecological rehabilitation of the San Francisco Stream (Claypole, Buenos Aires). The period analyzed covers the years 2013-2023, during which the established connection with a social organization has led, since 2018, to the development of a transformative urban space named "Proyecto Hábitat Claypole". The successful co-production work has primarily focused on the co-implementation and evaluation of ecological management activities along a 1.4 km section of the stream. These actions include the reintroduction of native riparian and aquatic vegetation, geomorphological alterations to the habitat, co-production of biofilters to reduce domestic pollutants from urban drainage, establishment of a local nursery managed by workers of the social organization, and redesigning the landscape based on ecological and social knowledge and preferences. We evaluate the success through improvements in native vegetation and microalgae biodiversity, enhanced ecosystem processes such as nutrient retention, and socio-ecological contributions such as flood mitigation and water quality improvements. Additionally, we conclude by analyzing the project's impacts to facilitate transformative changes in pre-existent hydraulic mental models at the social and management level and explore prospects for creating green employment opportunities within the social economy sector.

  • Preference for green roof vegetation: aesthetic and restorative qualities

    Co-authors: Åsa Ode Sang; Ishi Buffam

    Green roofs are vegetation systems that are particularly well-suited to dense urban environments, and can contribute to multiple ecosystem services that support both biodiversity, human health, and contribute to perceived aesthetic qualities. In this study we set out to explore the effects of different types of green roof vegetation, along with seasonal variations, on visual aesthetical experiences, restorative effects as well as perceived biodiversity. An online photo elicitation survey was conducted using standardised photographs of a selection of green roofs in Malmö, Sweden, during three different seasons. In the survey, members of the public were asked to evaluate different aesthetic qualities, human well-being and to estimate perceived biodiversity and the stress reducing capacity for each photograph.Results showed statistical differences among roof types and by season in terms of perceived aesthetic qualities where the observed differences in perceived values were largely driven by the colour frame of the green roof. Restorative effects and perceived biodiversity follows the same trend. Lower scores were associated with a high percentage of red and brown-red shades, while higher scores were associated with green, white, and a lower percentage of red and brown-red shades. The results of the study have the potential to inform green roof management strategies and landscape planners.
    Keywords: aesthetics, colour, urban biodiversity, ecosystem services, restorative effects

  • Functional Forests - Urban Parks for mitigating and adapting to climate change in cities

    Co-authors: Giuliano Maselli Locosselli; Maria de Fátima Andrade; Gabriel Costa Brito

    Urban forests are one of the main tools available for the adaptation of cities to global climate change. However, there are still fundamental gaps to support decision-making in urban forests toward resilient cities. In this sense, this project assesses the ecosystem services provision of two parks in the city of São Paulo, namely: Ibirapuera Park (a central public park) and Fontes do Ipiranga State Park (one of the largest urban patches of the Atlantic Rainforest). We aimed at understanding the processes behind, and quantifying the ecosystem services provision, from both urban forests by using Eddy Covariance sensors that measure the fluxes of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy between the biosphere and atmosphere at high temporal resolution (10 Hz). The flux data is compared to micrometeorological observations on precipitation, air temperature and humidity, soil temperature and moisture content, and ecophysiological parameters measured at tree level in different native tree species. This comprehensive dataset spans from October 2022 to June 2023, with prospects for permanent measurements in both parks. The results show that these urban forests provide ecosystem services for the population, such as the promotion of carbon assimilation for urban mitigation, and climate regulation through the decrease in air temperature by the attenuation of surface sensible heat emission and increase in latent heat flow, as the evapotranspiration process of trees favors temperature reduction of the atmosphere. Thus, urban forests provide essential benefits to the population well-being, leveraging the resilience of cities in the face of climate change.

  • Terrestrial water storage and megacities hydric risks

    Co-author: Giuliano Maselli Locosselli

    The accelerated urban border growth over natural areas enlarges the exploitation of natural resources, generating biodiversity loss and climate change. Furthermore, the conurbation of overpopulated regions generates the emergence of megacities and megaregions. These areas occupy a vast territory with a high degree of waterproofing, which increases problems related to ecosystem services provision and climate regulation, in addition to generating risks of water crises for a large portion of the population. In Latin America, the Caribbean and North America, more than 80% of the population lives in urban environments, indicating that cities are experiencing growth and conurbation, affecting the hydrological cycle and rainfall regime on a global scale. However, despite precipitation playing an essential role in the hydrological cycle, recent studies demonstrate that ten-yearly precipitation trends do not necessarily determine the trends observed in terrestrial water storage, which largely depends on the distribution of vegetation cover. Since the growth of the urban network is associated with increased soil sealing, we are investigating the relationships between urban expansion and the risk of water security for populations and possible nature-based solutions for cities. In order to understand the impact of urban growth on water storage trends, we are utilizing remote sensing data obtained from various sources such as GRACE satellites, CHIRPS, ERA5, LANDSAT sensors, and GLDAS 2.2 reanalysis. The data collected from 1985 to the present helps us to obtain important information on climate, land use, and occupation. Our research indicates that the growth of urban networks has a negative impact on terrestrial water storage, which could potentially lead to water crises in megaregions. In order to mitigate this issue, we are exploring nature-based solutions and the possibility of incorporating green areas into cities to improve water management and minimize future water crises.

  • Navigating NBS Integration: Harnessing Urban Communities Vulnerability Mapping for Informed Prioritization, Insights from the NICHES Project in Barcelona, Boston and Rotterdam.

    Co-authors: Eckelman M. J., Villalba Méndez G., Herreros-Cantis P., Langemeyer J.

    In response to the mounting challenges posed by climate change, urbanization, and water-related hazards, this research project delves into the intricate dynamics of flooding and combined sewer overflows in urban areas. Emphasizing the vulnerability arising from environment injustice, high-intensity rainstorm events, limited combined sewer system capacities, and the prevalence of impervious surfaces, case studies from the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, the City of Boston, and Rotterdam provide foundational insights. The NICHES project addresses these challenges by promoting nature-based solutions (NBS) tailored to urban vulnerabilities. This work emphasizes the urgency of integrating detailed vulnerability assessments with strategic NBS planning, aiming to bridge the gap between current urban water management approaches and the evolving demands of environmental resilience and societal well-being. NICHES establishes a comprehensive framework for considering climate-change-induced hydrological vulnerabilities, implementing NBS, gathering evidence, and offering guidance to decision-makers.

    The research adopts a comprehensive Social-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) framework to unravel the interplay among distinct domains. Employing a novel approach that combines vulnerability and exposure factors, the study generates a spatially explicit score, providing nuanced insights into the impacts on urban communities resulting from hazards and future NBS planning. In light of the findings, the project emphasizes the imperative for nature-based solutions (NBS) and introduces a strategic framework for their prioritization in the urban environment. By fostering interdisciplinary research and adopting the SETS framework, cities can enhance their resilience against climate-induced water management challenges, paving the way for a sustainable and equitable urban future.

  • Urbanisation and Nature-based Solutions effects on biodiversity

    Co-authors: Andre Rochelle, Karl Evans

    Urbanisation creates intense pressure on ecological systems, reducing biodiversity and ecosystem service provision. This creates management difficulties given the intense demand for ecosystem services in cities given their high human population density. Nature Based Solutions (NBS) are increasingly proposed as a solution that can simultaneously enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. NbS is gaining increasing policy and research attention. Consideration of ecosystem services and public acceptance dominates, whilst these factors are crucial, assessment of the biodiversity outcomes of NBS receives insufficient attention. We address this by considering how provision of NbS and habitats that mimic NbS alters urban biodiversity. We focus on well established habitats to avoid the risk of underestimating biodiversity benefits arising from lags in the colonisation of recently established NbS, and thus take an observation approach. Focusing on three large cities (Barcelona, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires) we quantify the biodiversity gain arising from NbS provision relative to randomly selected points. Critically, we assess if the biodiversity gain delivered from NbS varies with position along the urbanisation gradient. We do so using random stratification to select survey locations along the urbanisation intensity gradient (measured using impervious surface) across each city. We focus on invertebrate biodiversity (species richness, abundance and biomass) responses to green fences (an NbS strategy designed to combat air pollution) and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS, designed to mitigate flood risk). Preliminary analyses indicate that across all locations and NbS systems biodiversity gain is greatest in more urbanised locations – having implications for the cost-effective allocation of NbS across cities. Our analyses, however, also indicate that the floral species composition of NbS like habitats is often limiting the realisation of biodiversity benefits. Our work has substantial implications for the design and deployment of NbS in urban locations in the Global North and South.

  • Nature-based solutions for Water Management: Analysis of the Andean context

    Co-authors: Lucia Alexandra Popartan; Ignasi Rodriguez-Roda

    Nature-based solutions (NbS) are globally implemented to address a wide variety of water management challenges. While extensive research on NbS has been conducted in the Global North, developing countries have received less attention. There is a lack of information about the NbS that can be applied in the Andean region and their potential to address water challenges and provide ecosystem services. This study aims to bridge this gap by performing a review of the emerging literature on NbS in the context of Andean countries. A comprehensive analysis of 38 publications was conducted, with a focus on strategies for addressing water-related challenges. Our findings reveal that there has been an increase in NbS publications in the Andean region in recent years. A higher prevalence of empirical studies was observed in grey literature. In addition, we identified 26 potential NbS, including ancestral practices, to address water challenges. The main challenges that Andean countries seek to solve through these NbS are water scarcity, flood risks, and water quality. This research highlights the significance of assessing the efficiency of NbS initiatives and disseminating this knowledge to discover more opportunities for implementation in the Andean region.