Assessing the Role of Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation

Abstract

AbstractCities are rapidly urbanizing and face immense social, economic and environmental challenges. These challenges amplify the climate change impacts, thereby posing a serious threat to urban and social resilience. With regard to climate change, ecological researchers globally advocate that nature-based solutions integrate with various ecosystems based approaches, provide biodiversity benefits and address societal challenges. However, the potential of nature-based solutions to build urban resilience and address climate change through urban planning has remained research rhetoric. This research puts forth an effort to assess the ability of nature-based solutions in building urban resilience and addressing climate change. This research incorporates a quantitative research methodology by undertaking a technical and scientific literature review about nature-based solutions, urban resilience and climate change adaptation. Accordingly, the characteristics, dimensions, areas of application, the challenges and opportunities are highlighted. The key research gap between urban resilience and nature-based solutions is identified by developing a socio-spatial framework that focuses on nature-based solutions tradeoffs and its response to urban resilience. This renewed approach highlights that nature-based solutions are cost-effective multifunctional ecosystem services and offer inclusive benefits, ranging from regenerating urban spaces to improving quality of life and reducing pollution. However, this research limits the application of nature-based solutions for urban resilience to local level urban planning and does not focus on master level urban planning. This research emphasizes nature-based solutions as an effective urban policy tool and reinforces its inclusion in local level urban planning for building climate change and urban resilience.KeywordsNature-based solutionsCitiesUrban resilienceClimate change AdaptationPolicy perspectives