Nature-based solutions as nodes of green-blue infrastructure networks: A cross-scale, co-creation approach

Abstract

While nature-based solutions have become foundational to sustainable urban and landscape planning schemes at multiple landscape scales, there is a risk that previous progress in green-blue infrastructure planning will be reversed as cross-scale integration increases single- and small-scale focus on nature-based solutions which, in turn, impacts flows of ecosystem services. Considering successful applications of green-blue infrastructure in fostering cross-scale planning visions, we suggest here to conceptualize nature-based solutions as nodes in green-blue infrastructure networks in order to strengthen cross-scale considerations and improve ecosystem services. Addressing the three-tiered and nested regional, metropolitan and city scales of Barcelona, Spain, we apply a deliberative co-creation process to define nature-based solution priorities across landscape scales. Together with local stakeholders, we first prioritize nature-based solutions intervention areas by means of participatory mapping. Secondly, we use a deliberative valuation approach to define ecosystem service priorities for nature-based solution planning. Our findings indicate strong difference in ecosystem service priorities at different scales which underpin the need for a stronger cross-scale spatial integration of planning goals addressed through nature-based solutions. We conclude that the transferability of ecosystem service and trade-offs between ecosystem services require stronger consideration in nature-based solution research and planning for which we base our study, arguing that a stronger integration of nature-based solutions into nested green and blue infrastructure planning would be a promising way forward in urban and landscape planning.