Urban stormwater management from the perspective of nature-based solutions: a bibliometric review

Abstract

This study brings a systematic review that evaluated 43 articles on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) applied to stormwater management in urban areas. This review aims to establish a reference on NBS effectively applied and whose environmental, social, and economic benefits have been duly discussed. The results address 13 NBS techniques/methodologies implemented and their ecosystem benefits. Our findings suggest that the multifunctional nature of NBS makes it challenging to categorize environmental services and social benefits since there are multiple interactions and scales among the various benefits of NBS. Most studies have made greater efforts in approaches that use modeling, test benches, and/or laboratory facilities. However, although they work well for their purposes, there is no guarantee that the benefits will be maintained when applied on a full scale. We concluded that only a few studies scientifically evaluated the performance of installed NBS infrastructures, almost all in developed countries.