Anna Biasin

This study employed a comprehensive methodology to investigate the role of water utilities in the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) for water management such as Sustainable Drainage Systems. The methodological approach involved analyzing the Urban Nature Atlas database to evaluate European funding sources and stakeholders associated with NBSs for water management in Europe. Focusing on the Italian context, the study then conducted semi-structured interviews with Italian experts and mapped exemplary cases where Italian water utilities actively participated in NBS implementation efforts. The results provide insights into the factors hindering and driving NBS development by water utilities in Italy. Using an SWOT analysis, the study proposes five distinct roles that water utilities could potentially adopt to advance NBS. The article offers valuable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and water utility stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration to secure financing for NBSs.

This study employed a comprehensive methodology to investigate the role of water utilities in the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for water management, such as Sustainable Drainage Systems. The methodological approach involved analysing the Urban Nature Atlas database to evaluate European funding sources and stakeholders associated with NBS for water management in Europe. Focusing on the Italian context, the study then conducted semi-structured interviews with Italian experts and mapped exemplary cases where Italian water utilities are actively participating in NBS implementation efforts. The results provide insight into the factors that hinder and drive NBS development by water utilities in Italy. Using a SWOT analysis, the study proposes five distinct roles that water utilities could potentially adopt to advance NBS. The article offers valuable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and water utility stakeholders, emphasising the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration to secure financing for NBS.

Increasing urbanization and climate change challenges are leading to relevant environmental, economic and social pressures on European cities. These include increasing flood hazards and the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are increasingly recognized within strategies to provide multiple ecosystem services to mitigate existing risks and pressures, as well as to make cities more resilient and livable. Although being increasingly addressed within the literature, NBS implementation on the ground still faces many technical and financial barriers. This paper aims to test the potential of selected NBS in mitigating the effects of identified climate change risks, i.e., the UHI effect and urban floods, in the Turin urban area (north-western Italy). Four different intervention NBS-based scenarios are developed. The supply of ecosystem services by NBS in each scenario is assessed using InVEST models and the effectiveness of NBS investments is analyzed by calculating and comparing the associated costs and benefits. Different results in terms of effectiveness and economic viability are observed for each scenario and each NBS. Flood risk mitigation oriented NBS seem to have the most impact, in particular forested green areas and retention ponds. The results are relevant to suggest policy mix strategies to embed NBS in city planning.

Urban areas are experiencing major changes and facing significant sustainability challenges. Many cities are undergoing a transition towards a post-industrial phase and need to consider the regeneration of brownfield sites. Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) are increasingly considered as tools for supporting this transition and promoting sustainable development by delivering multiple ecosystem services (ESs). Although the potential of NBSs as a cost-effective enabler of urban sustainability has been recognized, their implementation faces numerous barriers. The effective assessment of benefits delivered by urban NBSs is considered by existing literature as one of them. In order to contribute to filling this knowledge gap, we analyzed two alternative NBS-based intervention scenarios—i.e., (1) an urban forest and (2) meadows with sparse trees—for the redevelopment of an urban brownfield area within the municipality of Brescia (Northern Italy). Nine ESs were assessed both in biophysical and economic terms via a combination of modeling (InVEST, i-Tree and ESTIMAP) and traditional estimation methods. The results show that both scenarios improve ES stock and flow compared to the baseline, ensuring annual flows ranging between 140,000 and 360,000 EUR/year. Scenario 1 shows higher values when single ESs are considered, while scenario 2 shows higher total values, as it also accounts for the phytoremediation capacity that is not considered under the first scenario. All in all, regulating ESs represent the bulk of estimated ESs, thus highlighting the potential of proposed NBSs for improving urban resilience. The ES assessment and valuation exercise presented within this paper is an example of how research and practice can be integrated to inform urban management activities, and provide inputs for future decision making and planning regarding urban developments.