Transportation infrastructure resilience and safety under climate risks: A global bibliometric and thematic analysis (1995–2025)

Higher education institutions around the world are confronting challenges associated with climate change, and many are trying to model practices that support climate change mitigation and resilience. This work initiates an inventory of good practices and introduces a theoretical framework for the assessment of resilience planning in order to guide and support institutions of higher education in their efforts to plan for resilience. We analyzed the resilience planning initiatives of three higher education institutions. Smith College, a small liberal arts college, conducted participatory research to help plan for climate change. Large, research-focused Cornell University nurtured collaborations and examined its own capacity for climate action. Boston University played an important role in the efforts of the Boston Green Ribbon Commission to plan for climate resiliency in the city of Boston. We analyzed the climate change mitigation and resilience planning processes of these three institutions using a theoretical framework of organizational change, resilience thinking, and adaptive co-management. Our analysis showed that, although each institution approached the process differently, all three gained significant benefits beyond the scope of climate action. Each experienced a meaningful opportunity to engage with its community and explore the values of stakeholders, and each fostered local social capital and action while building a strong consensus on directions for the future. Aspects of the process supported the institutions’ missions of education, research, and outreach and provided opportunities to pause and think deeply about how the institution chooses to engage with the world. All three organizations learned valuable lessons and experienced transformation, but Boston University in particular developed new ways to promote institutional learning on the topic of climate change, a process we describe as triple-loop learning.

This report provides an overview of the impacts of climate change on infrastructure , and key policy areas to be considered to render infrastructure more resilient. It discusses advances and persisting gaps in planning and developing infrastructure across its lifecycle to build in climate resilience and how this can be fostered by place-based approach. The report explores how climate risk awareness and understanding can be strengthened and become a norm for all financing and investment decisions, through standards and financial instruments that integrate climate adaptation and resilience. It includes a spotlight on nature-based solutions and offers insights on how nature can be harnessed as a cost-effective measure to build climate resilience. The report also recognises the specific needs of developing countries as requiring global attention for economic development and through strengthened international partnerships and support. Key policy insights are provided and advocate for national and subnational policy-makers to adopt a multi-level governance approach to resilience, working with infrastructure owners and operators to support decision-making.

The planning, design, and maintenance of stormwater infrastructure must be informed by changing rainfall patterns due to climate change. However, there is little consensus on how future climate information should be used, or how uncertainties introduced by use of different methods and datasets should be characterized or managed. These uncertainties exacerbate existing challenges to using climate information on local or municipal scales. Here we analyze major cities in the U.S., 48 of which developed climate adaptation and resilience plans. Given the prevalence of depth duration frequency (DDF) curves for planning infrastructure for rainfall, we then assessed the underlying climate information used in these 48 plans to show how DDF curves used for resilience planning and the resulting outcomes can be affected by stakeholders’ methodological choices and datasets. For rainfall extremes, many resilience plans varied by trend detection method, data preprocessing steps, and size of study area, and all used only one of the available downscaled climate projection datasets. We evaluate the implications of uncertainties across five available climate datasets and show the level of climate resilience to extreme rainfall depends on the dataset selected for each city. We produce risk matrices for a broader set of 77 U.S. cities to highlight how local resilience strategies and decisions are sensitive to the climate projection dataset used in local adaptation plans. To help overcome barriers to using climate information, we provide an open dataset of future daily rainfall values for 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100 years annual recurrence intervals for 77 cities and compare resilience outcomes across available climate datasets that each city can use for comparison and for robust resilience planning. Because of uncertainty in climate projections, our results highlight the importance of no-regret and flexible resilience strategies that can be adjusted with new climate information.

Nature – based solutions (NBS) are increasingly being positioned within global discourses concerning how urban sustainability challenges can be addressed. To better understand to what extent, how, by whom and with what potential implications NBS are promoted in urban Africa, this paper focuses on transnational actors and presents a dataset covering 40 NBS initiatives in 57 cities across 19 African countries. A framing analysis is undertaken to understand to what degree NBS are mobilised in accordance with global discourses. To that end, the paper builds on existing work by Tozer et al. (2022, “Transnational Governance and the Urban Politics of Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change.” Global Environmental Politics, 1–23) on globally circulating frames of urban nature. In further contributing to their framework, we delve into the underlying values or shades of green that are being signified through the frames by applying the IPBES Nature Futures Framework. Results indicate that urban nature comes to be seen as a solution within a climate resilience – integrated benefits nexus through which various types of transnational actors are bringing nature into the city. Two important findings can be highlighted: First, the deployed frames offer opportunities to address major African urban sustainability challenges, but initiatives may not yet be configured to adequately address their scope and magnitude. Second, the configurations of frames are predominantly informed by instrumental values that put "Nature for Society” perspectives in focus, missing opportunities for NBS to build on relational values, or “Nature as Culture” perspectives and for accommodating a plurality of worldviews on desirable futures for urban nature.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have emerged as a transformative approach to addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable development. Despite growing global recognition, the implementation of NbS remains uneven, particularly in countries like Indonesia, which possess high ecological potential but face several challenges. This study critically reviewed the global recognition and implementation progress of NbS in achieving international sustainability and climate agendas, with a particular focus on identifying key enabling factors and hindering risks, and deriving globally informed lessons tailored to Indonesia’s context. This study presents a comprehensive systematic review of 219 peer-reviewed articles from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, conducted following the PRISMA 2020 protocol. The review identifies three primary typologies of NbS—Intrinsic, Hybrid, and Artificial—each associated with specific ecosystem types and functions. It maps their alignment with major global agendas, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Sendai Framework, the Nature-Positive 2030 initiative, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and the Climate Resilient Development Pathway (CRDP). Intrinsic NbS, such as forests, wetlands, and peatlands, dominate the literature due to their critical roles in carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and disaster mitigation. Findings reveal a significant research gap in Indonesia, with only four studies explicitly linking NbS to national climate commitments of the NDC. Key barriers to implementation include fragmented governance, lack of standardized frameworks, limited stakeholder engagement, and insufficient financial mechanisms. Conversely, enabling factors such as regulatory reforms, green financing instruments (e.g., green sukuk, ecological fiscal transfers), and the integration of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) offer promising pathways for scaling up NbS. This study contributes a novel typological framework and a synthesis of enabling and hindering factors contextualized for Indonesia. It underscores the need for localized, evidence-based NbS strategies that are aligned with global frameworks yet tailored to national socio-ecological realities. By bridging global lessons with local contexts, the findings provide a strategic foundation for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to enhance the effectiveness, scalability, and equity of NbS in achieving climate resilience and sustainable development. Graphical Abstract This graphical abstract provides a concise and visually engaging summary of the study, which systematically reviews the global and Indonesia-specific progress of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in achieving climate and sustainability goals. The visual begins by categorizing NbS into three typologies—Intrinsic, Hybrid, and Artificial—each illustrated with a representative short description to distinguish their ecological and engineered characteristics. The central panel outlines the systematic literature review process, using the PRISMA framework, and highlights the screening and selection of 219 articles from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. A four-key aspect is being reviewed concerning various ecosystem types. On the right panel, the abstract further maps the alignment of NbS with major global agendas, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Sendai Framework, Nature-Positive 2030, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and the Climate Resilient Development Pathway (CRDP). These are depicted through recognizable icons, reinforcing the relevance of NbS in international policy frameworks. At the bottom panel, a timeline and global map illustrate the temporal trends and geographical spread of NbS implementation. The findings reveal an underrepresentation of Indonesian contexts in the implementation of NbS. A chart at the corner summarizes the key enabling factors (e.g., stakeholder engagement, financial incentives) and hindering risks (e.g., regulatory barriers, fragmented governance). This visual synthesis highlights the pressing need for localized, evidence-based strategies to scale up NbS in Indonesia. By identifying typologies, ecosystem types, and global lessons learn of key enabling or hindering risks, the study offers actionable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. It aims to bridge knowledge gaps, inform national climate strategies, and enhance Indonesia’s contribution to global sustainability and climate resilience targets through NbS implementation.

Building climate resilience through nature-based solutions in Europe: A review of enabling knowledge, finance and governance frameworks

Rationale: As climate change presents organizations with unpredictable challenges, including damages, losses, and cancelations resulting from climate hazards, research into climate vulnerability and resilience in the sport sector is urgently needed. Approach: This study used a consensus-seeking method with 25 experts from 3 disciplines to identify indicators for organizational resilience. Findings: The three-round iterative process resulted in a list of 77 indicators organized into 6 dimensions: infrastructural resources, natural resources, planning and development resources, human resources, financial resources, and network and relationship resources. The highest importance and representativeness scores were associated with the planning and development dimension, indicating the salience of proactive approaches, planning frameworks, goal setting, measurement and monitoring of progress toward goals, and worst-case-scenario planning for overall resilience. Practical implications: The list of indicators can serve as a prompt for managers to assess climate resilience and begin the process of developing and strengthening response capacities. Research contribution: This study contributes to the growing body of sport ecology research and offers a preliminary list of indicators from which researchers might further develop measures of climate resilience. Additionally, the findings of this study confirm the salience of adaptive capacity and organizational capacity as central theoretical constructs underscoring climate resilience.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are currently being developed in various coffee agro-ecosystems. However, not all actions can and should be considered NbS. For this reason, the objective of this study was to answer two research questions: What are the challenges (problems) and criteria (prerequisites for defining NbS) that NbS must meet in order to be considered in traditional coffee agroecosystems in Mexico? What indicators (measurable elements) can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of NbS? The method consisted of a rapid systematic review in three search stages. The first stage identified the global challenges and criteria established to date for an action to be considered NbS. The second stage focused on identifying the main NbS challenges and criteria that address the different coffee agroecosystems in Mexico. The third stage focused on identifying useful indicators to assess the effectiveness of nature-based solutions (NbS) in the Mexican coffee sector. Articles obtained at each stage were systematized using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and analyzed using the Systematic Review Accelerator software, following Creswell’s framework. We found that shade coffee agroecosystems in Mexico currently address 12 NbS challenges (including integrated water management, climate resilience, environmental degradation or biodiversity loss) and meet 14 of the 18 NbS criteria. The type of agroecosystem management influenced the degree of compliance with the established criteria, so it is necessary to assess their effectiveness. This research proposes 48 indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of NbS in the Mexican coffee sector. The selection and adjustment of indicators made in this study can help to fill the information gap that currently exists in Mexico. NbS can contribute to mitigate the challenges facing Latin America and promote sustainable development. However, they require rigorous planning and management to ensure their effectiveness and durability, and policy makers are invited to look more closely at this issue.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) address societal challenges, such as risk vulnerability and climate resilience, and provide a potential for local adaptation. Other green conceptualizations besides NBS, such as green infrastructures (GI) and ecosystem services (ES), seem to be useful for indicating the potential of nature in urban climate resilience through the provision of a multifunctional landscape, simultaneous services and benefits and stakeholder participation. The extent to which user insight into usual experiences and practices can contribute to NBS management to improve locally adapted solutions could be further explored as part of the NBS concept. Here, we aim to provide empirical evidence about the usual experiences and practices of citizens with respect to NBS. Further, we will address how this insight contributes to NBS management. This study investigated user perceptions based on a public perception survey, to gain information that can be used for (among other things) locally adapted NBS management. To collect evidence, 114 surveys were conducted with users of the Besòs riverside park, an NBS in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The results show that the NBS users are the citizens living near the area who visit the area frequently, mainly for social, cultural, recreational benefits and for health-related purposes. These findings suggest that conducting surveys at the local level is beneficial for gathering evidence on user experiences, perceptions, and practices with respect to NBS, and that this insight could contribute both to NBS monitoring as well as to increasing user awareness and knowledge about an NBS. Stakeholder participation complements the aim of officially recognizing the Besòs area as a key GI for the water cycle in the upcoming Barcelona metropolitan master plan. User insight and NBS management could thus interact to promote a more localized, decentralized, and bottom-up management strategy.

BackgroundClimate change significantly affects Uganda's economy and human well-being, with disproportionate impacts on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services of women and girls. However, SRH remains largely absent from climate change policy frameworks. This study examines the extent to which SRH is integrated into Uganda's climate policy frameworks and explores stakeholder perceptions of the impacts of climate change on SRH to provide insights for more inclusive and integrated policies.MethodsThe study used a mixed-methods approach, combining policy document analysis with primary qualitative data. Key documents reviewed included climate change and health policies, strategies, plans, and national medium- and long-term development frameworks. Forty purposively selected key informants and 24 focus group discussions with 321 participants in Buikwe District were conducted. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis to identify key themes and gaps.ResultsUganda's climate policy frameworks acknowledge the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change and highlight the importance of SRH services but fall short of outlining concrete actions to address SRH within climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Key informants highlighted limited stakeholder awareness and weak institutional coordination as major barriers to integrating SRH into climate action. Community respondents noted that climate extremes degrade critical infrastructure, disrupt access to SRH services and increase vulnerabilities, including a heightened risk of gender-based violence.ConclusionsThe impact of the climate crisis on SRH is increasingly evident, particularly for women and girls, yet Uganda's key climate policies still exhibit lack of concrete actions to address SRH vulnerabilities. Prioritizing SRH within climate adaptation efforts, especially through resilient health systems and livelihood support such as climate resilient agricultural training and vocational programs for women and girls is key to advancing both gender and health equity, and climate resilience in Uganda. This should be supported by robust gender disaggregated data, stronger institutional coordination, and inclusive, community-led planning.

To address challenges associated with climate resilience, health and well-being in urban areas, current policy platforms are shifting their focus from ecosystem-based to nature-based solutions (NBS), broadly defined as solutions to societal challenges that are inspired and supported by nature. NBS result in the provision of co-benefits, such as the improvement of place attractiveness, of health and quality of life, and creation of green jobs. Few frameworks exist for acknowledging and assessing the value of such co-benefits of NBS and to guide cross-sectoral project and policy design and implementation. In this paper, we firstly developed a holistic framework for assessing co-benefits (and costs) of NBS across elements of socio-cultural and socio-economic systems, biodiversity, ecosystems and climate. The framework was guided by a review of over 1700 documents from science and practice within and across 10 societal challenges relevant to cities globally. We found that NBS can have environmental, social and economic co-benefits and/or costs both within and across these 10 societal challenges. On that base, we develop and propose a seven-stage process for situating co-benefit assessment within policy and project implementation. The seven stages include: 1) identify problem or opportunity; 2) select and assess NBS and related actions; 3) design NBS implementation processes; 4) implement NBS; 5) frequently engage stakeholders and communicate co-benefits; 6) transfer and upscale NBS; and 7) monitor and evaluate co-benefits across all stages. We conclude that the developed framework together with the seven-stage co-benefit assessment process represent a valuable tool for guiding thinking and identifying the multiple values of NBS implementation.

The first and current global stocktake launched by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change unveils lags and regional differences in climate resilience (CR) efforts and stresses the need to improve the effective adoption of ecosystem-based climate adaptation systems. The current study provides a critical analysis of literature on the application of green infrastructure (GI) and ecosystem-based technologies for CR. The review revealed regional disparities in implementation, technological applications, and scales of integration. Analysis conducted indicated that the United States, the United Kingdom and China are key pioneers in implementation; while developing nations, tropical and Mediterranean regions need more research and execution. Emergent findings showed that research on GI-CR achieved exponential growth in 2016, after the Paris Agreement. Further, built environment-scale CR considerations have accomplished significant developments. At the built environment-scale, the review systematically developed a five-stage implementation framework for GI-CR from grey infrastructure to broader systems, such as nature-based solutions and green cities. At the building-scale, the review revealed a weak linkage between CR and sustainability studies. The analysis therefore delineates the need to consider integrated CR systems that effectively incorporate mitigation and adaptation guidelines. Holistically, key directions provided include willingness to pay, the need for integrated sustainability and resilience systems, digital technologies application for indicator selection and effective monitoring. This study provides clear future research directions by highlighting existing knowledge gaps, scope considerations, geographic factors, and key areas for exploration within the realm of GI-CR.

Introduction: Pacific Island Countries are experiencing rapid but uneven digital transformation shaped by geographic isolation, climate vulnerability, and significant disparities in infrastructure and institutional capacity. Digital systems now play an essential role in public service delivery, economic diversification, and climate resilience. Objective: This study aims to analyze regional digital progress, identify structural constraints, and propose policy pathways to support inclusive and resilient digital transformation across Pacific SIDS. Method: The research uses a structured analytical review that synthesizes peer-reviewed literature, regional policy documents, donor reports, and comparative case studies covering infrastructure, e-government, digital finance, inclusion, and cybersecurity from 2019 to 2025. Results: The findings show significant improvements in submarine cable deployment, mobile broadband coverage, and early e-government initiatives. However, a persistent usage gap, affordability constraints, gender inequities, limited institutional capacity, and overreliance on donors continue to shape uneven outcomes. Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa demonstrate higher maturity, while smaller island states adopt context-specific strategies such as digital nationhood. Conclusions: Sustainable digital transformation requires investment in human capital, integrated climate and digital resilience planning, strengthened governance frameworks, and regional cooperation mechanisms. Addressing equity gaps is essential to ensure that digital gains benefit all Pacific communities.

An integrated process for planning, delivery, and stewardship of urban nature-based solutions: The Connecting Nature Framework

<p>Climate change is one of the biggest challenges that our planet is currently facing. From seasonal shifts in climate, with droughts, heatwaves, floods and storms<strong>,</strong> the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Cities are heavily affected by the climate change consequences, with most of Europe’s population living in cities and urban areas and projections for 2050 predicting even larger shares (Nabielek, Hamers, & Evers, 2016). At the same time, cities generate up to 80% of a country’s GDP (United Nations Human Settlements Programme, 2011), but also consume 75% of the natural resources and account for 60-80% of greenhouse gas emissions. That is, urbanisation and cities’ economic growth are the biggest contributors to climate change.</p><p>Heritage, as a sensitive and valuable element of the living environment, is being affected by the increase in frequency and intensity of climate-related events, posing new challenges and needs to conservators and heritage managers. But improving the resilience of the historic urban districts, adapting to urbanisation, climate change, and other social, economic, and security trends is a challenging endeavour for cities and prone to potential conflicts of interest. It requires managing tasks like accommodating a growing – and in many cases aging – population, providing the required services, fostering social, environmental, and economic sustainability, and keeping the city liveable and attractive. But a liveable, sustainable, and, above all, resilient city is not just a product of organised and well-functioning services; other crucial elements are the places that make up the city, along with their communities. Sites of significant cultural and historical value and significance have an important role to play in fostering location-based identity and social cohesion. With the increased recognition of the threats that heritage faces from climate change, but also the role heritage can play in driving climate actions, all those connected to heritage face both a profound opportunity and a challenging responsibility. (ICOMOS Climate Change and Cultural Heritage Working Group, 2019)</p><p>As a response to these threats, a bridge is needed to fill the gap between urban development, resilience planning, and heritage management to boost collaboration among all involved stakeholders and make our cities more climate neutral and resilient. This should be based on a vision to stimulate and promote development for wider adoption of solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation in historic urban districts. This process will promote constructive dialogue, development, and exchange of best practices for achieving better integration between resilient urban planning and heritage management. Moreover, it will aim to increase awareness of the role of historic areas – with their unique value and importance – play in stimulating the general public to actively contribute to coordinated efforts on climate resilience in accordance with protection and preservation of heritage both within local environments as well as nationally and internationally.</p><p>In the long-term, the goal is to make historic urban districts and their communities climate neutral and resilient, but also branch out to issues of contemporary urban districts to build and nurture more synergies.</p>