How can we effectively design and implement (participatory) municipal policy and governance strategies for urban NbS?

There is a growing recognition that a wide implementation of nature-based solutions in (peri-)urban areas is essential to addressing complex urban challenges such as climate adaptation, flood management, air quality improvement, and biodiversity conservation. The challenge at hand is to effectively design and implement participatory municipal policy instruments and collaborative governance strategies for urban NbS. Participatory approaches are crucial in ensuring that these solutions are equitable, culturally relevant, and widely supported by the community. Municipalities need strategies that integrate NbS into urban planning while fostering active community engagement to create policies that reflect local needs and knowledge.

Ineffective urban policies can lead to a range of negative outcomes. Without proper design and implementation, NbS may fail to deliver the expected benefits, leading to environmental degradation, increased vulnerability to climate impacts, and social inequities. The broader community, including vulnerable and marginalized groups, often suffers the most from the lack of inclusive and effective NbS policies: urban residents bear the brunt of poorly designed urban spaces, facing issues like inadequate green spaces, poor air quality, exposure to extreme temperatures and increased flood risks; businesses can suffer from inadequate urban infrastructure and resilience planning, impacting their operations and economic viability; finally, inefficiencies and failures in policy implementation can erode trust in the local government and lead to higher costs in the long run.

A number of barriers can hinder the effective design and implementation of participatory NbS policies. Municipalities may not have the technical expertise, awareness, financial or human resources needed to develop and implement NbS effectively. Fragmentation and silos within government departments can prevent cohesive action, leading to disjointed policies that fail to address the complexity of urban challenges. Existing laws and regulations may not be conducive to innovative NbS approaches, creating legal and procedural hurdles. Political cycles often favour short-term projects with immediate benefits, whereas NbS typically require a long-term commitment. Finally and importantly, equitably and effectively engaging diverse community groups in the design and implementation of policy instruments can be challenging due to differences in language, culture, and access to information.

Addressing these barriers requires a multi-faceted approach. First of all, fostering cross-sector collaboration between different government departments, community groups, NGOs, the private sector, and academia helps to create more equitable, more widely supported policies tailored to local stakeholders’ needs. Strategies to ensure broad and equitable community participation, including co-design workshops, citizen councils or  assemblies or techniques such as participatory mapping can help involve residents in the planning process and foster inclusive engagement. Within municipalities, creating inter-departmental task forces or working groups can help break down silos and promote integrated planning. Developing regulatory frameworks that support and incentivize NbS includes revising existing laws to remove barriers, creating coherent governance frameworks that include a variety of policy instruments that work together to encourage sustainable practices, and integrating NbS into broader urban planning strategies. Ideally, policy instruments include mechanisms to monitor their effectiveness and adapt them as needed. This can include regular evaluations, feedback loops, and adaptive management practices. Policymakers should also consider exploring diverse and innovative funding sources, including public-private partnerships, grants, and community-based funding. Engaging the private sector and leveraging financial instruments such as green bonds can provide necessary financial support.

By leveraging these approaches, municipalities can create resilient, sustainable urban environments that are responsive to both ecological and social needs. Effective participatory governance ensures that NbS are not only environmentally sound but also socially inclusive, providing benefits to all community members.

We invite you to use the City NBS Tool to explore a range of helpful resources, including those created as part of research project INTERLACE. Many of the resources below were specifically designed to help municipalities in Europe and Latin America to overcome the challenges described above and effectively implement NbS policies. They include Urban Nature Atlas, a comprehensive database featuring 250 policy instruments from cities around the world, providing detailed insights into successful NbS initiatives, offering valuable examples and case studies that municipalities can adapt to their local contexts; an online course module providing knowledge on overview of governance instruments specific to urban ecosystem restoration and fostering NbS implementation, tailored for both European and Latin American contexts; a protocol on cultural, gender, and ethics-related considerations that can guide the development of participatory processes for urban ecosystem restoration sensitive to issues of gender, age, ethnic and migration backgrounds, class and disability, among others.

By leveraging these INTERLACE products, municipalities can enhance their capacity to design and implement effective and participatory NbS policies, ultimately leading to more resilient and sustainable urban environments in both Europe and Latin America.