Governance of and with nature-based solutions in cities

Abstract

This chapter centres on the planning and governance of urban nature-based solutions (NBS). We discuss on the one hand the governance of NBS, where the implementation of NBS is the goal and governance centres around questions of planning, designing, and building NBS, and on the other hand the governance with NBS, where NBS become a governance tool to achieve other goals in urban areas, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. We argue that inclusivity is critical in NBS governance and offer five dimensions of inclusive governance to be considered: cross-sectoral, epistemic, multi-species, intergenerational, and spatial inclusivity. While these dimensions highlight diverse takes on who should be included in NBS governance and how, they share a foundation in two critical principles of inclusive governance that we briefly discuss: intersectionality and inter- and transdisciplinarity.