Type: Article
Title: Navigating urban futures: Exploring NbS upscaling discourses, practices, and relations in reimagining human-nature relationships
Authors: Arlati, Alessandro 
Issue Date: 3-Jun-2024
Keywords: Future imaginary; Upscaling; Nature-based solutions; Transition research; Governance perspective
Abstract: 
Recent discussions within urban planning support nature as a potent ally to facing climate change in cities. Among all, nature-based solutions (NbS) and their upscaling have been proposed to address climate change challenges in the urban environment. Different visions on how NbS uscapling is advanced in the urban context, by whom, and for what purpose have generated conflicting imaginaries by which the city of the future could look like. Yet, this plurality has generated confusion and controversies on the ‘right way’ to perform NbS upscaling. Stemming from urban sustainability transition and governance research, the paper proposes a working definition of upscaling NbS based on three analytical dimensions: discourses, practices, and relations. The combination of the three dimensions suggests a new understanding of the complex phenomenon of NbS upscaling that implies the effort of different actors to frame a winning picture of NbS to be normalised as an implementable solution in the pursuit of a selected nature-based future imaginary. The paper argues for an alternative perspective on human–nature relationship that puts at the centre nature and considers tradition and locality for NbS upscaling for a greener and more just future in cities.
Subject Class (DDC): 710: Landschaftsgestaltung, Raumplanung
HCU-Faculty: Geschichte und Theorie der Stadt 
Journal or Series Name: Futures 
Volume: 161
Publisher: Elsevier
ISSN: 0016-3287
Publisher DOI: 10.1016/j.futures.2024.103403
URN (Citation Link): urn:nbn:de:gbv:1373-repos-13114
Directlink: https://repos.hcu-hamburg.de/handle/hcu/1023
Language: English
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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