Nature-Based Solutions and Public Participation: Unpacking Tensions in Sustainable City Development in Northern Europe

Bianka Plüschke-Altof, Bradley Loewen, Camilo Calderon (), Mariia Chebotareva, Reeda Tuula-Fjodorov and Julia Gäckle
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Bianka Plüschke-Altof: School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
Bradley Loewen: Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7049 Trondheim, Norway
Camilo Calderon: Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
Mariia Chebotareva: School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
Reeda Tuula-Fjodorov: School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
Julia Gäckle: Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-23

Abstract: Securing the acceptance of nature-based solutions (NbS) in urban greening is central for addressing current social, environmental, and climate-related challenges. To achieve this, participatory planning processes are increasingly encouraged in NbS projects. However, challenges often arise, as NbS and public participation are not always seamlessly compatible. Based on a cross-case, qualitative content analysis of project organizers’ experiences in seven urban NbS planning projects in Northern Europe, we unpack three social tensions that can limit the role of participatory NbS: (1) tensions between the openness or “closedness” of environmental and participatory objectives; (2) tensions between the increasing time demands for participatory NbS processes and limitations for largely project-based NbS delivery; and (3) tensions between the roles of expert and lay knowledge. We illustrate these tensions through our cases, showing the challenges that they create for project organizers, both in terms of implementing NbS projects, as well as the risks that they have for broader NbS and participatory goals. We use the experiences and learnings from our cases to suggest paths that can help planners balance these tensions and potentially lead to more inclusive and transformative NbS planning models.

Keywords: nature-based solutions (NbS); participatory NbS; NbS mainstreaming; NbS projectification; urban sustainability transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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