How Nature-Based Solutions can Solve Urban Challenges

By Kimberly Schnell and Shannon White

As  the world’s population is becoming increasingly urban, we need to take action to address the challenges that come with large-scale urbanisation. Nature-based solutions have the potential to make cities more sustainable and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, such as air pollution and flooding.

Nature-based solutions are becoming increasingly common as a way of supporting sustainable development while protecting the environment from degradation and climate change. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines nature-based solutions as “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems, that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits”. They include restoring forests and planting more trees, which helps to regulate water supplies and prevent flooding, or bringing more greenery into cities, which can reduce the impact of heatwaves and protect humans from pollution.

For nature-based solutions to work effectively and fairly, they should rely on certain principles: recognition of site-specific cultural contexts and listening to indigenous voices; producing benefits in a fair and equitable way; ability for the solutions to be implemented alongside other solutions (such as technology and engineering); and more. If implemented correctly, aside from helping reverse climate change, these solutions can have other positive impacts. For instance, the Worldwide Fund for Nature alongside the International Labour Organisation published a report last year detailing how nature-based solutions can “drive a more sustainable, job-rich recovery”. This dual benefit of helping the environment and creating secure jobs is especially important in the current economic climate, where so many have faced job losses as a result of Covid-19. Therefore now, more than ever, nature-based solutions should be considered by policy-makers as a viable option for tackling climate change.

However, like all potential solutions to climate change, nature-based solutions can pose certain challenges. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, nature-based solutions cannot save the world on their own. If the planet is degraded and warmed too much, these solutions will simply not be effective in alleviating the serious consequences of climate change. Therefore they must be implemented alongside other actions.

Additionally, corporations have started to warm to the idea of nature-based solutions. While this might seem like a step in the right direction, it is often an example of ‘green-washing’, where corporations make it seem like they are acting in environmentally friendly ways, despite this not being true. For example in 2019, Shell announced that it would invest $300 million into natural ecosystems (e.g. paying for reforestation). However this is a tiny fraction of their total budget and the company has caused disastrous oil spills in the past. It is therefore important to be sceptical of companies’ interest in nature-based solutions. On a broader scale, there are concerns about the reliability and cost-effectiveness of nature-based solutions, especially when compared to engineered solutions.

Despite these obstacles, nature-based solutions should still be considered as a necessary step in sustainable urban development in the fight against climate change and environmental degradation. This is especially true in the case of cities, where such solutions could address urban challenges alongside the aforementioned issues. Due to urbanisation, cities have been industrialized and lost major parts of nature. This has not only negative impacts on  the environment and biodiversity, but also on  human health. Therefore, it is vital that as much as possible cities return to pre-industrial levels of pollution and incorporate natural elements in their urban development. Nature based solutions and urban green infrastructure can play a vital role in sustainable development and contribute towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 in combination with SDG 13.

This can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as the use of green roofs and urban gardens. Some governments have recognised the potential of these ideas and have already implemented them: for example Stuttgart in Germany has created ventilation corridors which enable fresh air to sweep through the city, as well as having over two million square metres of green roofs, which absorb pollutants and reduce heat.  Not only do they help with flood management and air filtration, but they also improve living standards. For instance, it is proved that the presence of natural elements in urban areas can have a positive impact on the mental health of city dwellers (European Commission). In this way nature-based solutions can serve as the bridge between SDG 11 (which focuses on making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) and SDG 13 (combating climate change and its impacts). 

The need for finding urban solutions to climate change has encouraged the launch of numerous initiatives in Europe. One example that is worth mentioning is ProGIreg, which stands for ‘productive Green Infrastructure for post-industrial urban regeneration’. This is one of the pilot projects funded by the EU Horizon 2020 innovation action programme in which four frontrunner cities Dortmund (Germany), Turin (Italy), Zagreb (Croatia) and Ningbo (China)- test, plan and implement nature-based solutions in their industrialized areas, the so-called ‘Living Labs’ while follower cities, like Cascai in Portugal, learn from their experiences. The frontrunner cities implement 8 different nature-based solutions in former industrialized areas to generate nature and to provide citizens with green spaces. These nature-based solutions include green walls and roofs, community gardens, green corridors and leisure activities and clean energy on former landfills. It is a multi-stakeholder collaboration between research institutions, businesses, NGOs and cities.  

The latest update from July 2021 stated that regardless of the current Covid-19 pandemic, online sessions were still set up to share knowledge and facilitate a green transformation. Once restrictions allow, at the Dortmunder ‘Living Lab’, planting activities can start again and workshops on urban farming can be organised. Furthermore, a site for an aquaponic system was looked at to implement another nature-based solutions. 

This project will run until  2023 and will hopefully set a positive precedent to motivate other cities in the EU to work on their sustainability as well as  meet SDG11 in alignment with SDG 13. It counted  some major achievements such as establishing space for pollinators to flourish and live as well as creating green spaces for citizens to relax. Additionally, a herb garden is set up for participants to benefit from local and organic herbs. These achievements are only a few positive practical aspects of nature-based solutions to name and confidently, many more natural elements will enlighten more cities.