The course will present an overview of the policy relevance of nature-based solutions and their role in addressing important challenges in urban areas. We will then critically review and discuss different concepts and associated methods for assessing the co-benefits and costs of nature-based solutions at planning, implementation and evaluation phases. Students will write an essay based on a topic selected from a pre-selected list. Students will then be asked to address a challenge of a city within Finland (or abroad) using a nature-based solution approach. They will organize in groups and produce a report and presentation concerning the challenge addressed, the potential and limitations of their proposed NBS to address the challenge, including an evaluation of the costs and benefits of the NBS on two or more of the following domains: social inclusion, environmental justice, human well-being, environmental governance and/or ecosystem resilience.
No pre-requisites. It is desirable that students consider taking this course alongside Urban Environmental Policy.
What you will learn
After completing this course, it is intended that students will be able to:
Define nature-based solutions and their applicability to different challenges in urban contexts, including environmental justice and social inclusion, human well-being, climate resilience and multi-level governance
Use mixed-methods to assess the co-benefits and costs of nature based solutions on important urban challenges relevant to specific cases in Finland.
Critically discuss the role of nature-based solutions in supporting transformations toward sustainability in urban contexts.
Learning material
Albert, C., Schröter, B., Haase, D., Brillinger, M., Henze, J., Herrmann, S., Gottwald, S., Guerrero, P., Nicolas, C., Matzdorf, B., 2019. Addressing societal challenges through nature-based solutions: How can landscape planning and governance research contribute? Landsc. Urban Plan. 182, 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.10.003(Opens in a new tab)
Bulkeley, H., Marvin, S., Palgan, Y.V., McCormick, K., Breitfuss-Loidl, M., Mai, L., von Wirth, T., Frantzeskaki, N., 2019. Urban living laboratories: Conducting the experimental city? Eur. Urban Reg. Stud. 26, 317–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969776418787222(Opens in a new tab)
Cohen-Shacham, E., Andrade, A., Dalton, J., Dudley, N., Jones, M., Kumar, C., Maginnis, S., Maynard, S., Nelson, C.R., Renaud, F.G., Welling, R., Walters, G., 2019. Core principles for successfully implementing and upscaling Nature-based Solutions. Environ. Sci. Policy 98, 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2019.04.014(Opens in a new tab)
Frantzeskaki, N., McPhearson, T., Collier, M.J., Kendal, D., Bulkeley, H., Dumitru, A., Walsh, C., Noble, K., van Wyk, E., Ordóñez, C., Oke, C., Pintér, L., 2019. Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Climate Change Adaptation: Linking Science, Policy, and Practice Communities for Evidence-Based Decision-Making. Bioscience 69, 455–466. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz042(Opens in a new tab)
Kabisch, N Frantzeskaki, N., Hansen, R. (2021). Principles for urban nature-based solutions. Ambio, 1-14
McPhearson, T., Cook, E.M., Berbés-Blázquez, M., Cheng, C.,Grimm, N.B. (2022) A social-ecological-technological systems framework for urban ecosystem services. One Earth 5 (5), 505-518
(Opens in a new tab)Oscilowicz, E., Anguelovski, I., Triguero-Mas, M., García-Lamarca, M.,Baró, F. (2022) Green justice through policy and practice: a call for further research into tools that foster healthy green cities for all. Cities & Health, 1-16
Raymond, C.M., Frantzeskaki, N., Kabisch, N., Berry, P., Breil, M., Nita, M.R., Geneletti, D., Calfapietra, C., 2017. A framework for assessing and implementing the co-benefits of nature-based solutions in urban areas. Environ. Sci. Policy 77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2017.07.008(Opens in a new tab)
Seddon, N., Chausson, A., Berry, P., Girardin, C.A.J., Smith, A., Turner, B., 2020. Understanding the value and limits of nature-based solutions to climate change and other global challenges. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 375. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0120(Opens in a new tab)
Seddon N, Smith A, Smith P, Key I, Chausson A, Girardin C, House J, Srivastava S, Turner B (2021) Getting the message right on nature-based solutions to climate change, Global Change Biology, 27, 1518-1546. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15513(Opens in a new tab)
Lecture course / seminar with mandatory face-to-face meetings:
The course will consist of lectures, workshops, field trips, a group project and a final seminar presentation and an essay. Participation in teaching (lectures, group work / excursions / seminar, group presentations. The course includes compulsory face-to-face meetings and cannot be completed entirely by distance learning.
Grading scale
Grade = 0-5
Assessment practices and criteria
An individual essay (20%), group report (30%) and written exam (50%).
Activities and methods in support of learning
Students should be willing to work in interdisciplinary teams, drawing on concepts from e.g., environmental sciences, human geography, health sciences and political ecology. Students should also be willing to work on solutions-oriented research where the aim is to solve a problem relevant to cities in Finland or abroad.
Target groups
Inter-disciplinary module for Masters students of ECGS, AGERE, FOR and USP programs interested in having a more systemic understanding of the co-benefits and costs of nature on urban systems. Attendance will be recorded. Students can only miss a maximum of 10% of classroom, group or field work. The course is open for 30 master’s students.
Teaching period when the course will be offered
Period I (September-October),
Recommended time or stage of studies for completion
