Building urban resilience with nature-based solutions: How can urban planning contribute?

This paper presents a framework that guides the application of urban planning to nature-based solutions’ implementation, by addressing key trade-offs across temporal, spatial, functional and social equity aspects. The framework highlights the key questions, and the supporting information required to address these questions, to underpin the inclusion of nature-based solutions for urban resilience. The paper concludes that while urban planning can contribute substantially, there are continuing gaps in how the inherently anthropocentric urban planning processes can give voice to non-human nature.

Urban planning contributes the processes and mechanisms for the identification of strategic aims and objectives, participatory approaches to knowledge and data collection, and decision-making processes for land use. If these urban planning processes are applied to the planning and implementation of nature-based solutions, they can potentially support and encourage increased implementation. In addition, if nature-based solutions are integrated into land-use planning provisions and regulations, this too may encourage increased implementation.