International Comparison of nature-based solutions : Project report

The four-year NATURVATION project (2016-2020), funded through the EU Horizon 2020 Programme, seeks to map and analyse existing experiences and practices in the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) to understand what enables NBS innovations and ultimately use this knowledge to inform policy and practice. One of the tasks of the project was to analyse the processes, mechanisms and tools which support or hinder nature-based innovations and their systemic integration. This report explores the dynamics and politics of urban NBS innovations by comparing governance arrangements, public participation, financing mechanisms, innovation patterns and social impacts associated with the emergence and deployment of 54 NBS interventions grouped in a number ofphysical domains in 18 cities worldwide. The 18 cities covered in this report include NATURVATION’s six partner cities (Barcelona, Győr, Leipzig, Newcastle, Malmo, and Utrecht), six non-European cities (Boston, Cape Town, Melbourne,Mexico City, Tianjin, and Winnipeg) and six other European cities (Athens, Dublin, Edinburgh, Montpellier, Munich, and Sofia). The cities and their NBS were systematically selected based on criteria and methods developed by WP4 convenors to ensure the representation of diverse urban and environmental conditions, while also taking the diversity of ecological domains and aspects ofinnovation into account. (Less)