Double Insurance in Dealing with Extremes: Ecological and Social Factors for Making Nature-Based Solutions Last

Abstract

Global urbanisation has led to extreme population densities often in areas prone to problems such as extreme heat, storm surges, coastal and surface flooding, droughts and fires. Although nature based solutions (NBS) often have specific targets, one of the overarching objectives with NBS design and implementation is to protect human livelihoods and well-being, not least by protecting real estate and built infrastructure. However, NBS need to be integrated and spatially and functionally matched with other land uses, which requires that their contribution to society is recognised. This chapter will present an ecologically grounded, resilience theory and social-ecological systems perspective on NBS, with a main focus on how functioning ecosystems contribute to the 'solutions'. We will outline some of the basic principles and frameworks for studying and including insurance value in work towards climate change adaptation and resilience, with a special emphasis on the need to address both internal and external insurance. As we will demonstrate through real world examples as well as theory, NBS should be treated as dynamic components nested within larger systems and influenced by social as well as ecological factors. Governance processes seeking to build urban resilience to climate change in cities and other urban dynamics will need to consider both layers of insurance in order to utilize the powerful role NBS can play in creating sustainable, healthy, and liveable urban systems.

A conceptual model of the social–ecological system of nature-based solutions in urban environments

“…The fourth set of theoretical considerations relates to polycentric governance; that is to say arrangements that allow multiple, overlapping, semi-autonomous decision-makers to cooperate, compete, and resolve conflicts between each other (Carlisle and Gruby 2019 ). For example, polycentric governance may be suitable for management of natural resources and commons (Carlisle and Gruby 2019 ), urban green infrastructure (Buijs et al 2016 ), and social–ecological systems (Andersson et al 2017 ). This is because managing land use creates the need to integrate cooperative, competing, and conflicting interests of different public, private, and charitable sector decision-makers.…”

Enabling Green and Blue Infrastructure to Improve Contributions to Human Well-Being and Equity in Urban Systems

“…Moreover, more and more people will look to remaining GBI to satisfy their ES needs and desires (Gren et al 2018). These different trends make resilience, in addition to justice, a key question for planning, governing, and managing GBI (e.g., McPhearson et al 2016, Andersson et al 2017). Increasing recognition of the many values tied to GBI is driving both an active engagement with the biophysical structure of GBI itself (e.g., by the rollout of new types of GBI such as green roofs across the urban landscape) and the larger system around it.…”

“…The latter includes both interventions for increased accessibility (e.g., by increasing affordable transportation access, providing information and adding amenities to GBI) and measures for building resilience against different threats (e.g., extreme events but also vandalism). However, making GBI itself and the factors that enable flows of ES benefits resilient has received less attention (McPhearson et al 2015, Andersson et al 2017).…”

Blending Ecosystem Service and Resilience Perspectives in Planning of Natural Infrastructure: Lessons from the San Francisco Bay Area

“…The promise of natural infrastructure is to provide a suite of benefits to society, including improving well-being and building resilience to internal and external pressures (McPhearson et al, 2015;Andersson et al, 2017). City parks help reduce temperatures and associated public health risks during heat waves (Keeler et al, 2019), while vegetation, dunes, and other shoreline ecosystems and open space can reduce coastal flood risk for people and property (e.g.…”

“…Urban greenery also provides mental health benefits and can help build social cohesion (Bratman et al, 2019;Keeler et al, 2019)-two essential qualities that aid in recovery from social shocks such as the major disruptions experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, to enhance long-term sustainability and livability, natural infrastructure needs to be robust and reliable over time (McPhearson et al, 2015;Andersson et al, 2017). This entails building resilience around the flows of benefits from natural infrastructure, in the face of a variety of potential changes, such as intensifying climate change or population growth.…”