A review of nature-based solutions for urban water management in European circular cities: a critical assessment based on case studies and literature
Hasan Volkan Oral, Pedro N. Carvalho, Magdalena Gajewska, Nadia Ursino, Fabio Masi, Eric D. van Hullebusch, Jan K. Kazak, Alfonso Expósito, Giulia Cipolletta, Theis Raaschou Andersen, David C. Finger, Lena Simperler, Martin Regelsberger, Vít Rous, Matej Radinja, Gianluigi Buttiglieri, Paweł Krzemiński, Anacleto Rizzo, Kaveh Dehghanian, Mariyana Nikolova, Martín Zimmermann
Abstract
Abstract Nature-based solutions (NBS) can protect, manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems. They are a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to address societal challenges and some natural hazards effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. NBS applications can be easily noticed in circular cities, establishing an urban system that is regenerative and accessible. This paper aims to offer a review on NBS for urban water management from the literature and some relevant projects running within the COST Action ‘Implementing nature-based solutions for creating a resourceful circular city’. The method used in the study is based on a detailed tracking of specific keywords in the literature using Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Based on this review, three main applications were identified: (i) flood and drought protection; (ii) the water-food-energy nexus; and (iii) water purification. The paper shows that NBS provide additional benefits, such as improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, obtaining social co-benefits, improving urban microclimate, and the reduction of energy consumption by improving indoor climate. The paper concludes that a systemic change to NBS should be given a higher priority and be preferred over conventional water infrastructure.