Nature-Based Solutions for Stormwater Management: Co-Creating a Multiscalar Proposal in the Global South

Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira (), Maria do Carmo de Lima Bezerra, Orlando Vinicius Rangel Nunes, Enzo D’Angelo Arruda Duarte, Anna Giulia Castaldo and Davi Navarro de Almeida
Additional contact information
Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira: Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Maria do Carmo de Lima Bezerra: Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Brasilia, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Orlando Vinicius Rangel Nunes: Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Brasilia, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Enzo D’Angelo Arruda Duarte: Rhumb Planejamento e Urbanismo, Brasília 70070-010, Brazil
Anna Giulia Castaldo: Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Davi Navarro de Almeida: Rhumb Planejamento e Urbanismo, Brasília 70070-010, Brazil

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-23

Abstract: This article examines the application of nature-based solutions in stormwater management in the context of the Global South, focusing on a co-created green infrastructure plan and a pilot intervention project in the city of Paranoá-DF, Brazil. Urban challenges such as extreme floods, droughts, landslides, heatwaves, and biodiversity loss call for innovative planning strategies to enhance adaptation and resilience. The research methodology combined technical analyses, field work, community participation, and stormwater runoff modelling to develop integrated and culturally sensitive solutions to the city’s environmental and socio-economic challenges. This article then presents the outcomes of the community-based participatory workshops, which informed the definition of a green and blue infrastructure network incorporating a range of NBS. Community-identified priorities were used to design urban landscape interventions aimed at enhancing water-related ecosystem services and improving quality of life. Additionally, and supported by hydrological modelling, this article details a localised landscape intervention project that provides new perspectives on urban resilience in this context. Acknowledging the unique challenges faced by cities in the Global South—where social inequities and infrastructure deficits intersect with environmental vulnerabilities—this study highlights the importance of adapting NBS to the contexts of precarious urbanisation patterns. With hydrological stress expected to intensify under climate change, the proposed solutions address the heightened risks faced by low- and middle-income households, promoting more equitable and sustainable urban transformations.

Keywords: nature-based solutions; green infrastructure; urban planning; stormwater management; resilience; Global South; co-creation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/4/740/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/4/740/ (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:14:y:2025:i:4:p:740-:d:1624019

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 ().