Nature-based Solutions and the Built Environment

1. KEY POINTS 1. The novelty of nature-based solutions (NbS) for cities lies in a focus on the cost-effective provision of multiple co-benefits for many urban residents. 2. A participatory placemaking approach to equitable co-design, co-creation and co-management of NbS that include multiple stakeholders and beneficiaries has the potential to maintain or improve biodiversity while simultaneously addressing societal issues such as climate change and other socio environmental inequalities across both spatial and temporal scales. 3. NbS harnesses blue and green infrastructure, such as sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), green roofs, rivers, urban trees and community green spaces, which support significantly higher levels of biodiversity than constructed ‘grey’ infrastructure. These features can also help urban areas adapt to increased and more extreme temperature and rainfall events associated with climate change whilst delivering important environmental, social and economic benefits. 4. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of NbS, its implementation in cities is inherently complex and at odds with many siloed governance structures, largely due to knowledge and skills gaps and the lack of coordination across sectors or departments, particularly at local authority level