Nature Based Solutions and Urban Governance

Moving towards the systematic integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) into the water landscape and infrastructure of cities willrequire a reorientation of urban governance at the strategic level.

Strategies will need to be oriented by a long-term vision of urbannature and its benefits for all in the water sector; having key elements of a strategy in place; and a clear sense of howtransformation can be enabled.

The NATURGO (NATure Based Solutions and URban Water GOvernance) project will improve ourunderstanding of how the conditions of NBS are currently reflected in the criteria, structures, processes, and practices of strategybuilding in urban water governance and how they can be advanced.

Equipped with a thorough understanding of collaborativeplanning and governance, water management and NBS strategy baselines, we will carry out strategic research by engaging withmunicipal decision-makers and stakeholders to build future-oriented water management strategies that integrate NBSimplementation pathways in specific sites of partner cities.

We will use advanced scenario building methods to establish a betterunderstanding of how long-term goals, targets, impacts, costs, and other factors are reflected in water related NBS strategyformulation.

Going beyond the details of specific cases, NATURGO will analyze how key structural and procedural aspects ofgovernance can enable collaborative and effective NBS planning, implementation and maintenance in the urban water sector.