Urban-Rural Dependencies and Opportunities to Design Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience in Europe and China

Ellen Banzhaf, Sally Anderson, Gwendoline Grandin, Richard Hardiman, Anne Jensen, Laurence Jones, Julius Knopp, Gregor Levin, Duncan Russel, Wanben Wu, Jun Yang and Marianne Zandersen
Additional contact information
Ellen Banzhaf: Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Sally Anderson: Department of Educational Anthropology, Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
Gwendoline Grandin: Paris Region Biodiversity Agency, Paris Region Institut, CEDEX 15, 75740 Paris, France
Richard Hardiman: Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
Anne Jensen: Department of Environmental Sciences, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Laurence Jones: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
Julius Knopp: Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Gregor Levin: Department of Environmental Sciences, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Duncan Russel: Department of Politics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
Wanben Wu: Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Jun Yang: Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Marianne Zandersen: Department of Environmental Science & Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change (iCLIMATE), Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-25

Abstract: Interrelationships between urban and rural areas are fundamental for the development and safeguarding of viable future living conditions and quality of life. These areas are not well-delineated or self-sufficient, and existing interrelations may privilege one over the other. Major urban challenges facing China and Europe are related to changes in climate, environment, and to decision-making that makes urban and rural landscapes more susceptible to environmental pressures. Focusing on the six European and Chinese cities and surrounding rural areas, under study in the joint EC and MOST-funded REGREEN project, we examine how nature-based solutions (NBS) may assist in counteracting these pressures. We explore urban-rural dependencies and partnerships regarding NBS that can enhance resilience in Europe and China. We analyse differences between European and Chinese systems of governance, reflecting on the significance of the scale of research needed to understand how NBS provide benefits. We highlight interactions between differently delineated sheds (watershed, airshed, natureshed, and peopleshed), which influence the interrelationships between urban and rural areas. There may be one-way or two-way interdependence, and the impact may be uni or multi-directional. The European and Chinese solutions, exemplified in this article, tackle the nexus of environmental and peoplesheds. We discuss complex human interactions (and how to model them) that may, or may not, lead to viable and equitable partnerships for implementing NBS in cities within Europe and in China.

Keywords: nature-based solutions (NBS); green infrastructure; urban planning; airshed; watershed; natureshed; peopleshed; rural–urban fringe; social and biophysical scales (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/4/480/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/4/480/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:4:p:480-:d:780337

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().