Chapter 3: Towards just nature-based solutions for cities
Category:
Chapter
Published:
15 Aug 2023
Page Range:
29–47
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800376762.00011
Keywords:
Cities; Urban nature; Green space; Justice; Equity; Socio-cultural diversity
Open access

Environmental justice remains a thorny issue in nature-based solution (NBS) approaches, especially in cities given the heterogeneity and inequities in urban contexts. NBS interact with long-standing environmental justice issues and they can create or reinforce disparities unless there is an explicit integration of principles of justice. In this chapter, we first outline theories of justice that are relevant for thinking about urban NBS. We then examine whether and how justice is integrated into dominant approaches to urban NBS in the Global North and South, including consideration of local cultural variations in values of and perceived benefits from NBS, designing NBS at appropriate spatial scales, and financing NBS. We end with an identification of possible ways forward for advancing justice through urban NBS. Two case studies, the Urban Natural Assets for Africa programme and the Edith Stephen’s Nature Reserve in Cape Town, illustrate how justice is considered in different NBS.

  • Anderson, P., Charles-Dominique, T., Ernstson, H., Andersson, E., Goodness, J., and Elmqvist, T. (2020). Post-apartheid ecologies in the city of Cape Town: An examination of plant functional traits in relation to urban gradients. Landscape and Urban Planning, 193: 103662.

  • Anguelovski, I. (2014). Neighborhood as Refuge: Environmental Justice, Community Reconstruction, and Place-Remaking in the City. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.

  • Anguelovski, I. (2015). From toxic sites to parks as (green) LULUs? New challenges of inequity, privilege, gentrification, and exclusion for urban environmental justice. Journal of Planning Literature, 31(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0885412215610491

  • Anguelovski, I., Connolly, J., and Brand, A.L. (2018). From landscapes of utopia to the margins of the green urban life: For whom is the new green city? City, 22(3): 417–436.

  • Anguelovski, I., Connolly, J.J., Garcia-Lamarca, M., Cole, H., and Pearsall, H. (2019). New scholarly pathways on green gentrification: What does the urban ‘green turn’ mean and where is it going? Progress in Human Geography, 43(6): 1064–1086.

  • Anguelovski, I., Brand, A.L., Connolly, J.J.T., Corbera, E., Kotsila, P., Steil, J. et al. (2020). Expanding the boundaries of justice in urban greening scholarship: Toward an emancipatory, antisubordination, intersectional, and relational approach. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 110(6), 1743–1769.

  • Armstrong, A. (2020). Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions: Social Inclusion. NATURVATION Guide, Helsinki: Sweden.

  • Banerjee, S. and Dey, D. (2017). Eco-system complementarities and urban encroachment: A SWOT analysis of the East Kolkata Wetlands, India. Cities and the Environment, 10(1): 2.

  • Blythe, J., Silver, J., Evans, L., Armitage, D., Bennett, N.J., Moore, M.-L., Morrison, T.H., and Brown, K. (2018). The dark side of transformation: Latent risks in contemporary sustainability discourse. Antipode, 50(5): 1206–1223.

  • Certomà, C., Corsini, F., and Rizzi, F. (2015). Crowdsourcing urban sustainability: Data, people and technologies in participatory governance. Futures, 74(November): 93–106.

  • Colding, J., Barthel, S., Bendt, P., Snep, R., Van der Knaap, W., and Ernstson, H. (2013). Urban green commons: Insights on urban common property systems. Global Environmental Change, 23(5): 1039–1051.

  • Conway, D., Li, C.Q., Wolch, J., Kahle, C., and Jerrett, M. (2010). A spatial autocorrelation approach for examining the effects of urban greenspace on residential property values. Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 41(2): 150–169.

  • Cousins, J.J. (2021). Justice in nature-based solutions: Research and pathways. Ecological Economics: Journal of the International Society for Ecological Economics, 180: 106874.

  • Davenport, N.A., Shackleton, C.M., and Gambiza, J. (2012). The direct use value of municipal commonage goods and services to urban households in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Land Use Policy, 29: 548–557.

  • Dooling, S. (2009). Ecological gentrification: a research agenda exploring justice in the city. International Journal of Urban Regional Research, 33(3): 621–639.

  • Elmqvist, T., Gomez-Baggethun, E., and Langemeyer, J. (2016). Ecosystem services from green infrastructure in cities. In Routledge Handbook of Ecosystem Services, ed. M. Potschin, R. Haines-Young, R. Fish, and R. K. Turner. Routledge: New York, pp. 452–68.

  • Fainstein, S.S. (2011). The Just City. Cornell University Press: Ithaca, NY.

  • Fraser, N. (2009). Scales of Justice: Reimagining Political Space in a Globalizing World. Columbia University Press: New York.

  • Gabrielsson, C. (2018). Staying with the trouble on the flats. Architectural Theory Review, 22(1): 83–99.

  • Gibbons, A., Liu, H., Malik, F., O’Grady, M., Perron, M., Palacio, E., Trinh, S., and Trinidad, M. (2020). Greening in place: Protecting communities from displacement. Report published by Audubon Center at Debs Park (ACDP), Public Counsel, and the Southeast Asian Community Alliance (SEACA). Accessed Oct 15 2021. https://www.adaptationclearinghouse.org/resources/greening-in-place-protecting-communities-from-displacement.html

  • Gilio-Whitaker, D. (2019). As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Beacon Press: Boston, MA.

  • Goodness, J. and Anderson, P.M. (2013). Local assessment of Cape Town: Navigating the management complexities of urbanization, biodiversity, and ecosystem services in the Cape Floristic region. In Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities, ed. T. Elmqvist, M. Fragkias, J. Goodness, B. Guneralp, P. Marcotullio, and R. McDonald. Springer: New York, pp. 461–484.

  • Gopal, D., Nagendra, H., and Manthey, M. (2015). Vegetation in Bangalore’s slums: Composition, species distribution, density, diversity, and history. Environmental Management, 55(6): 1390–1401.

  • Grabowski, Z.J., Klos, P.Z., and Monfreda, C. (2019). Enhancing urban resilience knowledge systems through experiential pluralism. Environmental Science & Policy, 96: 70–76.

  • Graham, M. and Ernstson, H. (2012). Comanagement at the fringes: Examining stakeholder perspectives at Macassar Dunes, Cape Town, South Africa – at the intersection of high biodiversity, urban poverty, and inequality. Ecology and Society, 17(3).

  • Heynen, N., Perkins, H., and Roy, P. (2006). The political ecology of uneven urban green space. Urban Affairs Review, 42: 3–25.

  • Hörschelmann, K., Werner, A., Bogacki, M., and Lazova, Y. (2019). Taking Action for Urban Nature: Citizen Engagement Handbook. NATURVATION Guide, Helsinki: Sweden.

  • ICLEI CBC (2019a) Introductory Handbook, in The value of urban natural assets when planning for resilient Africa cities: consideration and decision-making processes. Cape Town, South Africa: ICLEI CBC. Available at: https://cbc.iclei.org/una-handbook-series/. Accessed June 21 2023.

  • ICLEI CBC (2019b). Handbook 1: Key pillars of the UNA programme approach. The value of urban natural assets when planning for resilient Africa cities: consideration and decision-making processes. Cape Town, South Africa: ICLEI CBC. Available at: https://cbc.iclei.org/una-handbook-series/. Accessed June 21 2023.

  • ICLEI CBC (2019c). Handbook 6: Involving community members in planning and implementation: Using creative tools to encourage local participation and action in sub-Saharan Africa. The value of urban natural assets when planning for resilient Africa cities: consideration and decision-making processes. Cape Town, South Africa: ICLEI CBC. Available at: https://cbc.iclei.org/una-handbook-series/. Accessed June 21 2023.

  • ICLEI CBC (2020). Urban Natural Assets for Africa: Building climate resilience through alternative planning at multiple governance levels. ICLEI CBC. Available at: https://africa.iclei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020_Publication_UNA-Innovations.pdf. Accessed June 21 2023.

  • Jennings, V., Johnson Gaither, C., and Gragg, R.S. (2012). Promoting environmental justice through urban green space access: A synopsis. Environmental Justice, 5(1): 1–7.

  • Kabisch, N. and Haase, D. (2014). Green justice or just green? Provision of urban green spaces in Berlin, Germany. Landscape Urban Planning, 122: 129–139.

  • Kabisch, N. and Van Den Bosch, M.A. (2017). Urban green spaces and the potential for health improvement and environmental justice in a changing climate. In Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas, ed. N. Kabisch, H. Korn, J. Stadler, and A. Bonn. Springer: New York, pp. 207–220.

  • Klein, M., Keeler, B.L., Derickson, K., Swift, K., Jacobs, F., Waters, H., and Walker, R. (2020). Sharing in the benefits of a greening city: A policy toolkit to address the intersections of housing and environmental justice. Accessed Nov 10 2021. https://create.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sharing_in_the_benefits_of_a_greening_city_-_final_web.pdf

  • Kotsila, P., Anguelovski, I., Bar—, F., Langemeyer, J., Sekulova, F., and Connolly, J.J. (2020). Nature-based solutions as discursive tools and contested practices in urban nature’s neoliberalisation processes. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 4(2).

  • Kusno, A. (2011). The green governmentality in an Indonesian metropolis. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 32(3): 314–331.

  • Landry, S.M. and Chakraborty, J. (2009). Street trees and equity: Evaluating the spatial distribution of an urban amenity. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 41(11): 2651–2670.

  • Lemos, M.C. and Agrawal, A. (2006). Environmental governance. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 31: 297–325.

  • Li, T.M. (2007). The Will to Improve: Governmentality, Development, and the Practice of Politics. Duke University Press: Durham, NC.

  • Liotta, C., Kervinio, Y., Levrel, H. and Tardieu, L. (2020). Planning for environmental justice-reducing well-being inequalities through urban greening. Environmental Science & Policy, 112: 47–60.

  • Lowitt, K., Levkoe, C.Z., Lauzon, R., Ryan, K., and Sayers, D. (2019). Indigenous self-determination and food sovereignty through fisheries governance in the Great Lakes region. In Civil Society and Social Movements in Food System Governance, ed. P. Andrée, J.K. Clark, C.Z. Levkoe, and K. Lowitt. Routledge: New York, NY, pp. 145–163.

  • Mabon, L. (2020). Environmental justice in urban greening for subtropical Asian cities: The view from Taipei. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 41(3): 432–449.

  • Mabon, L. and Shih, W.Y. (2018). What might ‘just green enough’ urban development mean in the context of climate change adaptation? The case of urban greenspace planning in Taipei Metropolis, Taiwan. World Development, 107: 224–238.

  • McConnachie, M. and Shackleton, C.M. (2010). Public green space inequality in small towns in South Africa. Habitat International, 34(2): 244–248.

  • McGregor, D. (2018). Mino-Mnaamodzawin: Achieving Indigenous environmental justice in Canada. Environment and Society, 9(1): 7–24.

  • Meerow, S. and Newell, J.P. (2017). Spatial planning for multifunctional green infrastructure: Growing resilience in Detroit. Landscape and Urban Planning, 159: 62–75.

  • Merk, O., Saussier, S., Staropoli, C., Slack, E., and Kim, J.-H. (2012). Financing green urban infrastructure. OECD Regional Development Working Papers 2012/10. http://dc.doi.org/10.1787/5k92p0c6j6r0-en

  • Mundoli, S. and Nagendra, H. (2020). Values, justice, and urban ecosystems. In The Routledge Handbook of Urban Ecology, ed. I. Douglas, D. Goode, M. Houck, and R. Wang. Routledge: New York, pp. 685–693.

  • Nagendra, H. (2016). Nature in the City: Bengaluru in the Past, Present, and Future. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.

  • Owens, S. (2000). ‘Engaging the public’: Information and deliberation in environmental policy. Environment & Planning A, 32(7): 1141–1148.

  • Park, L.S.-H. and Pellow, D. (2011). The Slums of Aspen: Immigrants vs. the Environment in America’s Eden. New York University Press: New York.

  • Paul, S. and Nagendra, H. (2017). Factors influencing perceptions and use of urban nature: Surveys of park visitors in Delhi. Land, 6(2): 27.

  • Pellow, D.N. (2017). What Is Critical Environmental Justice? John Wiley & Sons.

  • Rigolon, A. and Németh, J. (2018). ‘We’re not in the business of housing’: Environmental gentrification and the nonprofitization of green infrastructure projects. Cities, 81: 71–80.

  • Rutt, R.L. and Gulsrud, N.M. (2016). Green justice in the city: A new agenda for urban green space research in Europe. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 19: 123–127.

  • Sen, A. and Nagendra, H. (2020). Local community engagement, environmental placemaking and stewardship by migrants: A case study of lake conservation in Bengaluru, India. Landscape and Urban Planning, 204: 103933.

  • Seto, K.C., Parnell, S. and Elmqvist, T. (2013). A global outlook on urbanization. In Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities, ed. T. Elmqvist, M. Fragkias, J. Goodness, B. Guneralp, P. Marcotullio, and R. McDonald. Springer: New York, pp. 1–12.

  • Shackleton, C.M., Hebinck, P., Kaoma, H., Chishaleshale, M., Chinyimba, A., Shackleton, S.E., Gambiza, J., and Gumbo, D. (2014). Low-cost housing developments in South Africa miss the opportunities for household level urban greening. Land Use Policy, 36: 500–509.

  • Shi, L. (2020). Beyond flood risk reduction: How can green infrastructure advance both social justice and regional impact? Socio-Ecological Practice Research, 2(4): 311–320.

  • Song, X.P., Richards, D.R., Edwards, P.J., and Tan, P.Y. (2017). Benefits of trees in tropical cities. Science, 356(6344): 1241.

  • Sultana, R., Birtchnell, T., and Gill, N. (2020). Urban greening and mobility justice in Dhaka’s informal settlements. Mobilities, 15(2): 273–289.

  • Thaiutsa, B., Puangchit, L., Kjelgren, R., and Arunpraparut, W. (2008). Urban green space, street tree and heritage large tree assessment in Bangkok, Thailand. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 7(3), 219–229.

  • Toxopeus, H., Kotsila, P., Conde, M., and Katona, A. (2020). How ‘just’ is hybrid governance of urban nature-based solutions? Cities, 105: 102839.

  • Tozer, L., Hörschelmann, K., Anguelovski, I., Bulkeley, H., and Lazova, Y. (2020). Whose city? Whose nature? Towards inclusive nature-based solution governance. Cities, 107: 102892.

  • Tratalos, J., Fuller, R.A., Warren, P.H., Davies, R.G., and Gaston, K.J. (2007). Urban form, biodiversity potential and ecosystem services. Landscape & Urban Planning, 83(4): 308–317.

  • Triguero-Mas, M., Donaire-Gonzalez, D., Seto, E., Valentın, A., Mart'nez, D., Smith, G., Hurst, G. et al. (2017). Natural outdoor environments and mental health: Stress as a possible mechanism. Environmental Research, 159: 629–638.

  • USEPA. (2015). Learn about environmental justice. US Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed Jan 15 2021. www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/learn-about-environmental-justice

  • Vásquez, A. and Dobbs, C. (2020). Ensuring equitable greenspace to deprived social groups. In The Routledge Handbook of Urban Ecology, ed. I. Douglas, D. Goode, M. Houck, and D. Maddox. Routledge: New York, pp. 817–825.

  • Wolch, J.R., Wilson, J.P., and Fehrenbach, J. (2005). Parks and park funding in Los Angeles: An equity-mapping analysis. Urban Geography, 26: 4–35.

  • Wolch, J.R., Byrne, J., and Newell, J.P. (2014). Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough’. Landscape and Urban Planning, 125: 234–244.

  • Zolch, T., Maderspacher, J., Wamsler, C., and Pauleit, S. (2016). Using green infrastructure for urban climate-proofing: An evaluation of heat mitigation measures at the micro-scale. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 20: 305–316.

Cover Nature-Based Solutions for Cities
Nature-Based Solutions for Cities
Monograph Book
Published:
15 Aug 2023
Print ISBN:
9781800376755
eISBN:
9781800376762
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800376762
Pages:
408
Buy Print
Download PDF
Front Matter
Chapter 1: Nature-based solutions for sustainable, resilient, and equitable cities
Part I: Nature-based solutions for what and for whom?
Part II: The nature of nature-based solutions
Part III: The multiple benefits of nature-based solutions
Part IV: Nature-based solutions governance, planning, and value
Part V: Engaging art and design for and with nature-based solutions
Back Matter