The role of social and solidarity economy in the inclusive urban regeneration power of nature-based solutions : what can we learn from the Nadezhda District in Sofia?

Abstract: The URBiNAT project\u2019s regeneration of common urban spaces in deprived areas, funded under the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 programme, provides empirical evidence of Social and Solidarity Economy\u2019s (SSE\u2019s) contribution to the socio-economic adaptive capacity of nature-based solutions (NBS). The relationship between SSE and the perspective of inclusive urban regeneration offers many opportunities, when urban neighbourhoods are considered as a set of complex socio-economic, cultural and emotional relations rather than as spaces for circulation and living. A literature study demonstrates, for instance, that: (1) SSE is grounded in territoriality and stimulates connection with physical space; (2) a fairer perspective, more conscious of production and consumption, reinforces interdependence between SSE and nature; (3) equitable access to resources allows us to question the naturalisation of economic inequalities in territories and (4) new forms of sociability and connection with the community are grounded in the democratic management of initiatives. This chapter describes empirical findings of an investigation of the SSE component of the strategy for Sofia\u2019s Healthy Corridor (NBS clustering) in the Nadezhda district, characterised by initiatives such as a Repair caf\ue9, Bread house and Farmers\u2019 markets network. In this chapter, the adoption of SSE concepts and practices as part of the implementation of a Healthy Corridor demonstrates that NBS can constitute more than a \u201cgreen solution\u201d and thus support inclusive urban regeneration