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Updated: Jun 29, 2025

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
A quantitative review of nature-based solutions for urban sustainability (2016-2022): From science to implementation
Xuening Fang1, Jingwei Li1, Qun Ma1
1School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China; Yangtze River Delta Urban Wetland Ecosystem National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, Shanghai 200234, China.
Abstract:
Nature-based solutions (NBS) have great potential for achieving urban sustainability. While several reviews have comprehensively examined NBS, few have focused on its role in addressing urban sustainability challenges. Here we present a systematic review of 142 case studies selected from English papers published in SCI journals (i.e., indexed by Web of Science) during 2016-2022, whose titles, abstracts or keywords contain both urban-related terms and NBS-related terms. Using multiple methods, including statistical analysis, deductive content analysis, and inductive content analysis, we found that: (1) NBS have primarily been utilized to address urban flooding (43 %) and heat stress (21 %), with green roofs (24 %) and urban forests (16 %) being the most extensively studied NBS for tackling these challenges. (2) The ecosystem services (ES) capacity of NBS has been heavily researched (57 %), while studies addressing ES flows (7 %) and ES demand (18 %) are limited. (3) Most studies involved at least one NBS implementation process (83 %), but primarily focused on selecting and assessing NBS and related actions (66 %), with fewer studies on designing and implementing NBS and transferring & upscale NBS. We suggest that future research should contribute to the establishment of a checklist to assist in identifying which NBS types are effective in addressing specific urban sustainability challenges in varying contexts. Integrating the science and practice of NBS for urban sustainability is also crucial for advancing this field.
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