Nature-based solutions for water resilience in thriving European urban areas

ABSTRACT

Traditional engineering approaches are often inefficient and vulnerable, and cities face increasing challenges due to population growth, consumption rates and persistent inequalities. This paper aims to identify Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for water-sensitive European cities, categorising interventions according to their essential ecological functions for urban resilience. Through analysis of 77 projects in 46 cities, with interventions at three spatial scales, it examined a variety of actions that impact urban water management, addressing key challenges and their environmental impacts at the urban scale. The study concluded the importance of four categories of blue infrastructure and three categories of green infrastructure, highlighting their contribution to flood protection, water quality improvement and stormwater management. In Mediterranean regions facing water scarcity and extreme weather events, NbS represent a paradigm shift towards urban resilience and sustainability.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban water management
• sustainable drainage
• sustainability transitions
• nature-based solutions
• circular economy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) —Aveiro Research Center for Risks and Sustainability in Construction (RISCO), University of Aveiro, Portugal [FCT/UIDB/ECI/04450/2020]. This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project grant UIDB/00308/2020 with the DOI 10.54499/UIDB/00308/2020 (INESC). This research work was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under Doctoral Grant 2021 MPP2030-FCT, MIT Portugal Program [PRT/BD/152847/2021], awarded to the first author.