The Role of GIS-Based Thematic Urban Maps in Determining the Effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions

Abstract

In the current century, the rapid increase in the world population and the fact that this population is living in cities to a large extent increases the speed and scale of urbanization more and more rapidly. This situation makes today's cities struggle with environmental, social, economic, and ecological challenges. In recent years, in order to cope with these difficulties, ecology-based planning and design approaches that take nature as an example have become important; At this point, new concepts and theories emerged. Nature-based solutions (NbS), a relatively new concept, are solution-oriented, measurable, and evidence-based comprehensive studies that deal with climate change and urbanization problems by integrating ecosystem-based approaches and relatively to increase urban sustainability. In this study, the development process of NbSs, the different platforms that deal with NbSs, what thematic map layers are in these platforms, and the importance of GIS-based thematic urban maps in determining the effectiveness of NbSs, since they are evidence-based and therefore measurable. Among the platforms examined, ThinkNature, UrbanGreenUp, NATURVATION, and Unalab platforms with applied project examples were discussed. The thematic map layers that can be used to question the activities of NBSs of each platform, respectively, were determined, and their relations with GIS were discussed. With the results obtained, it has been determined that the platform that offers the most visual and questionable thematic map layers is NATURVATION, UrbanGreenUp ranks second at this point, and ThinkNature and UnaLap platforms provide verbal suggestions to the user at the point of data layers. The platforms examined within the scope of the study and the criteria determined by other studies can be arranged in the GIS system, stored in databases, presented when necessary, and used at any planning point. In short, it was concluded that GIS-based thematic map layers can be an effective tool for preparing future scenarios of NbS.