CAN NATURE -BASED SOLUTIONS BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE?

Current Climate

The impacts of climate change are increasingly evident across the UK. The heatwaves of last summer and recurrent flooding events highlight an ever-growing need for systemic responses to climate resilience. As built environment professionals at the forefront of this challenge, it is our mission to explore strategies for adaptation and climate resilience. One promising approach is the implementation of Nature-based Solution (NbS).

What are Nature-based Solutions?

The United Nations defines Nature-based Solution (NbS) as:

“actions aimed at protecting, conserving, restoring, and sustainably managing natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity benefits.”

Traditionally, climate resilience in cities has relied heavily on grey infrastructure – engineered solutions, such as concrete flood barriers or drainage systems, designed to be effective only in certain scenarios. In contrast, NbS offer multi-functional benefits and often more sustainable, cost-effective, and adoptable for unpredictable climate change. The Catalogue of Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Resilience, published in 2021, outlines 14 typologies of NbS that operate at various spatial scales – from river basins, city-wide applications to neighbourhood-scale interventions. Interpreting this series of typologies for a UK context, there are techniques that landscape professionals already use and apply to our projects; such as urban forests, river and stream restoration, as well as green corridors.

How can London and other UK cities do better with Nature-based Solutions?

London already has a policy framework to enhance the application of green infrastructure through the Urban Greening Factor requirement. When combined with national mandates such as Biodiversity Net Gain, there is no doubt these policies encourage developments to be more resilient to climate impacts. Beyond these already adopted policies, the Greater London Authority has launched a consultation for their Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) based on the requirement under the Environment Act 2021. The LNRS identifies the location of focused intervention areas and the priority measures, in order to achieve wildlife recovery and sustainable growth of the city.

The LNRS is scheduled for adoption in 2026, however can we afford to delay on something so important? As one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, we should take a leaf out of Paris’s book, where Mayor Anne Hidalgo have been taking great strides to transform the City of Light into a climate resilient one through bold and tenacious leadership. Some of the impressive metrics include: commitment to create 300ha of new green spaces by 2030; replacing 60,000 parking spaces with green infrastructure; approx. 140,000 new trees (since 2014); and 500 new pedestrianised streets. Alongside trailblazing leadership, these initiatives have been pushed through combining the ‘carrot’ with the ‘stick’: financial incentives and strict, ambitious policy and regulation. Paris has been transformed and is all the better for it.