Co-creation Pathway for Urban Nature-Based Solutions: Testing a Shared-Governance Approach in Three Cities and Nine Action Labs

Abstract

Nature-based solutions (NBS) implementation in urban contexts has proven outcoming multiple benefits to reverse the current trend of natural resources’ degradation adversely affecting biodiversity, human health, and wellbeing. Yet, the current urban-planning policy frameworks present a rigid structure to integrate NBS definitions, and their co-benefits to get mainstreamed and up scaled on a wider urban spatial dimension. In this research, we test a complete co-creation pathway that encourages decision-makers to embed citizen engagement methodologies as an approach to co-design and co-implement NBS in shared-governance processes aiming to increment the greening of urban spaces, towards more inclusive and climate resilient cities. On one hand, we assess a tendency to involve a multiplicity of stakeholders that collaborate to the establishment of an Urban Innovation Partnership (UIP) aiming at increasing the social awareness around NBS themes, and at the same time tackling both financial and governance aspects. On the other hand, the innovation embedded in NBS paves the way to combine a multi-scalar flexibility in implementation tools and place-based urban actions, hence resulting in widespread economic, environmental, and social impacts in place. The novelty in embedding the co-creation process in urban-planning practice lies in catalyzing resources towards the transposition of research into practice through policy and planning tools for local authorities and decision-makers. Three front-runner cities (Hamburg, London, and Milan) are under investigation as part of Clever Cities—a Horizon 2020 project—aiming at implementing NBS in diverse urban-regeneration processes, through nine up-running Urban Living Labs (ULLs). Grounded on a comparative analysis of these three cities, key characterization for NBS implementation framework could be categorized into: (1) current urban-planning greening strategies in each context, (2) specific environmental and societal challenges addressed, (3) different typologies and scales of NBS integration within urban morphologies, (4) specific governance process as response to co-design and co-implementation processes, and (5) availability of financial investment and main stakeholders. As research results, we emphasize using co-creation approach in urban planning to embed and upscale NBS in an inclusive shared-governance process, hence contributing to social awareness and acceptance. Meanwhile, spatial, and financial challenges could be majorly resolved using a multi-scalar approach to manage newly embedded urban-greening policies at the urban level. Lastly, the implementation scale of NBS with local communities requires a radical paradigmatic shift in societal, individual and administrative urban-planning practices.

State of the Art and Latest Advances in Exploring Business Models for Nature-Based Solutions

“…Regarding co-creation, the H2020 project, Clever Cities, piloted a novel co-creation pathway to engage citizens in the design and implementation of a shared governance process for NBS [36]. This approach involved engaging and empowering multiple stakeholders to participate in urban innovation partnerships through the medium of urban living labs.…”

Multi-Level Perspective on Sustainability Transition towards Nature-Based Solutions and Co-Creation in Urban Planning of Belgrade, Serbia

“…In September 2019, the vacant city-owned land of the Marina Dorćol (4 ha of prime construction land, with the capacity of 76,000 m 2 over-ground new construction within the realm of the Linear Park plan) was sold to the company MD Investment, in property of the SEBRE company, as the only bidder of the public tendering process [43]. This particular methodology provides "a complete co-creation pathway that encourages decision-makers to embed citizen engagement methodologies as an approach to co-design and co-implement NBS" [46]. Two main mechanisms for implementing NBS in urban fabrics proposed by this methodology are: (1) urban innovation partnership (UIP), as a "city-wide or district-focused informal alliance of local and city authorities, community (groups), businesses, academics to promote the NBS for regeneration or urban transformation, facilitate and drive the cocreation process" [44] (p. 8), and (2) CLEVER Action Labs (CALs).…”

Nature Experiences of Older People for Active Ageing: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Co-Design of Community Gardens

“…Active ageing can be defined as “the process of optimising opportunities for health, participation, and security to enhance the quality of life as people age” (WHO, 2002 p. 12). As is recommended in the global age-friendly cities guide published by the WHO ( 2007 ), one way to ensure that our cities and communities meet the needs of the ageing population is to involve them in co-designing processes, which can be particularly fruitful in the case of nature-based solutions (Mahmoud and Morello, 2021 ). The relevance of natural elements to human health is sustained by a wide and growing body of research in the field of healthcare for older adults, showing that interactions with the urban green environment have a wide range of positive health outcomes and benefits.…”