NATURVATION (Horizon 2020)

NATure-based Urban innoVATION: New governance, business, financing models and economic impact assessment tools for sustainable cities with nature-based solutions (urban re-naturing) (01.11.2016 to 31.10.2020)

Nature-Based Solutions have the potential to limit impacts of climate change, enhance biodiversity and improve environmental quality while contributing to economic activities and social well-being. Examples are green roofs and city parks that limit heat stress, city lagoons that store water and permeable surfaces, vegetation and rain gardens to intercept storm water. To unlock the potential of nature based solutions for sustainable urban development, NATURVATION takes a transdisciplinary, internationally comparative approach to capture the multiple impacts and values of these solutions. Based on a comparison of 1000 nature based solutions across 6 cities, it identifies the most promising governance, business, finance and participation models and how to overcome the systemic conditions that currently limit their use. The real-world impact of NATURVATION is realized through co-design, co-development and co-implementation of new partnerships, knowledge, processes and tools required to build capacity, enable replication and foster cultural change.

Based on theories of institutional and societal transformations, valuation methods from environmental economics and financing of sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, the U.S.E. researchers identify economically efficient innovations and viable business and financing models for nature based solutions. Moreover, they contribute to improving the economic components of a framework that will be developed for assessing nature based solutions for strategic planning of cities. Best practice business and finance models will be analyzed to derive structural conditions for finance.

Project members:

  • Durham University
  • Utrecht University
  • Central European University
  • Ecologic Institute gGmbH
  • ICLEI
  • Institut Fur Landeskunde
  • PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
  • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  • Lund University
  • ENT Environment and Management
  • The Centre for Economic and Regional Studies
  • Malmo City
  • Newcastle City Council
  • Gemeente Utrecht