Constructed wetlands nature-based solutions to enhance urban resilience in Egyptian cities

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cities worldwide face resilience challenges as climate risks interact with rapid urbanization, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, poverty, and Socioeconomic inequality. This leads to the social, physical, and economic collapse of cities and their systems. Over time, urban resilience challenges are expected to increase, driven by urbanization, land use, and climate change. It is for this reason that the concept of urban resilience is increasingly attracting the attention of governments, and urban planners. Gray infrastructure is not always suitable for profitability, resilience, or sustainability. Now more than ever, green infrastructure is recognized as a nature-based solution (NBS) that plays a significant role in addressing resilience challenges in urban areas. These solutions can be applied through spatial measurements and parameters in and around the city. Constructed wetlands (Cws) are artificial imitations of natural wetlands, one of the most biologically diverse natural ecosystems, and in addition to aesthetics, It provides an effective model for resilient environmental engineering solutions as a low-cost and easy-to-operate alternative to traditional urban management systems. Consequently, the main objective of this research was to define criteria for integrating constructed wetlands (Cws) into the urban landscape as nature-based solutions (NBS) and address the limitations and maximize advantages as well as contribute to replicate best practices of constructed wetlands (Cws) in different Zones (Desert, River’s floodplain, coastal) in Egyptian cities for enhancing the urban resilience.