Scholarly record
DO URBAN NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS ACTUALLY DELIVER? A CLOSER LOOK.
Abstract
Urban green infrastructure is often promoted as a form of nature-based solutions (NbS) designed to simultaneously address environmental, social, and economic challenges. These interventions are expected to deliver benefits across all three dimensions. While existing evidence suggests that urban NbS can indeed tackle multiple issues concurrently, it remains unclear to what extent different components of green infrastructure contribute to these outcomes, and how this translates into practical decisions related to planning, design, and maintenance. A major challenge lies in evaluating the long-term sustainability of these benefits, largely due to inadequate monitoring systems and inconsistent maintenance. This can ultimately result in the failure to realize intended benefits, thereby undermining the very goals for which the NbS projects were initiated. In light of these knowledge gaps and the scarcity of empirical data, this study applies conceptual modelling to assess the current state of urban NbS implementation and potential drivers of success and failure of such projects. Based on this assessment, we offer practical recommendations for policymakers and practitioners aimed at sustaining the delivery of benefits from urban green spaces over the long term.
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References6
European Commission, Nature-based Solutions. Available from: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/environment/nature-based-solutions_en [Accessed on the 1st of June 2025].
Urban Nature Atlas. Available from https://una.city/ [Accessed on the 1st of June 2025];
Husqvarna Urban Green Space Insights (HUGSI). Available from: https://www.hugsi.green/ [Accessed on the 1st of June 2025].
Mhuireach, G., Johnson, B. R., Altrichter, A. E., Mason, C., Gilbert, J. A., & Knight, R., Compromised ecosystem services from urban aerial microbiomes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 8, 568902 (2020). DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.568902
Ammann, L. et al. Spatio-temporal complementarity of floral resources sustains wild bee pollinators in agricultural landscapes. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 359, 108754 (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2023.108754
Chan, K.M.A. et al. The multiple values of nature show the lack of a coherent theory of value � In any context. People and Nature, 7(6), 1272-1285 (2025). DOI: 10.1002/pan3.70039
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.