Build resilience

The Water Forest region covering around 250,000 hectares in the hinterland of Mexico City provides 70% of the city's urban water demand through the aquifers located below the forest. It consists of forest fragments and grasslands, encompasses four mountain ranges, and two adjacent Mexican states – Morelos and Mexico State with national parks (2). However, as native grasses are replaced by human settlements and poorly sited tree-planting projects, water available to recharge the aquifers declines and their loss contributes to flooding in densely populated urban areas downstream (1, 2). The Water Forest Initiative initiated by a non-governmental NGO aims to develop and implement "a regional conservation strategy to provide water and other ecosystem services to Mexico City (CDMX), Mexico State, and Morelos through the protection and rehabilitation of the Water Forest Area" (1 p6).

The Nature Conservancy established the Cape Town Water Fund in 2016 using the worldwide applied water fund to enable downstream water users to invest in land conservation and restoration upstream. (4,5) In 2018, the Water Fund started its pilot project on the catchment area of the Atlantis Aquifer, outside of Cape Town's boundaries on state land. The pilot project "seeks to increase water supply to Cape Town by removing invasive plant species in water catchment areas. Invasive species have been found to use significantly more water than indigenous species and uptake millions of litres of water from the catchment area annually that would otherwise be added to the city’s water supply" ( 1 p7). The intervention also supports the empowerment of marginalized communities by providing training and employment for them. As one of the main characteristics of the water fund model, various local stakeholders from all sectors are invited to develop and implement water connected challenges (1).

The City of Melbourne, through its Urban Forest Strategy, has a comprehensive plan for greening major streets and precincts, but not the smaller laneways. Across the municipality, laneways occupy a ground area of 60 hectares, with a further 150 hectares of space on the walls in these laneways (3). "The City of Melbourne has established the GYL program in 2016 with the vision to help transform the city’s smaller laneways into leafy, green and better usable spaces for the residents and other visitors to enjoy while addressing the city’s sustainability challenges." (1 p27). So far, a pilot project has been carried our including the transformation of 4 laneways: Coromandel Place, Guildford Lane, Meyers Place and Katherine Place (1,3). The intervention included an intensive planning process with the involvement of stakeholders from the private and public sectors and the creation of an interactive map of laneways ideal for greening. (1,2). The GYL program aims to address the issues of urban heat islands, climate change impacts of flood mitigation while also improving local aesthetics, amenity and creating opportunities for recreation (1).

"The Urban forest strategy (UFS) is a central part of an innovative overarching policy framework of the City of Melbourne underpinning the city's aim to create healthy ecosystems for people and nature" in the period between 2012-2040 (1 p9). The UFS outlines a scientifically-vetted long-term process to re-nature the city with a diverse selection of urban trees and open space for and with the citizens, combining elements of an eco-managerial governance arrangement with an open and reflexive co-governance approach. (1 p11). The Strategy concentrates on 6 areas to achieve its goals: canopy cover, forest diversity, vegetation health, water quality and soil moisture, urban ecology and environmental stewardship among citizens. (1)

The Barr Foundation started the cross-cutting program called Waterfront Initiative to support the sustainable planning and accessibility of the waterfront area while also increasing residents awareness and environmental stewardship of the waterfront. The Waterfront Initiative initially supported organizations in harbour planning, designing waterfront parks, and climate resilience efforts along the Boston waterfront. In 2018, it has also strengthened its focus on social equity and public engagement across more vulnerable neighbourhoods around waterfront issues (1,2)

The Porous Alley consists of a strip of porous asphalt in a public alley aimed at filtering stormwater and managing runoff in the affluent South End neighbourhood of Boston. Most of the neighbourhood around the NBS location is filled with land that once was tidal marshes, supported by wood pilings, and threatened by falling groundwater levels. The Porous Alley was designed and implemented as a demonstration project to test the feasibility of using porous asphalt to increase groundwater recharge and reduce flooding and water pollution. The increasing groundwater level has high importance in the area the NBS is located in as building foundations are at risk from low water levels. (1,2)

The Xochimilco borough of Mexico City is a World Heritage and Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System wetland site, with significant cultural and ecological importance in food cultivation and water ecosystem (1). Due to the deterioration of the area and lack of top-down initiatives for the restoration and conservation of the area, a number of grassroots initiatives trying to revive the traditional chinampa cultivation and restore the natural state of the ecosystem function and its native species such as the Xochimilco axolotl through reinvigorating sustainable practices that produce quality food and foster water supply. This NBS introduces 3 such grassroot intiatives: (a) Cooperativa Chinampayolo (b) Restauración Ecológica y Desarrollo A.C. (REDES) with its EcoQuilitl producer-consumer network and (c) Umbral Axochiatl A.C. (local community organisation). (1)

The Climate Adaptation Strategy (CAS) was approved in 2016 and it includes various measures that aim to address various urban challenges (e.g. temperature rise, heat waves, heavy rainfalls, flooding)(Ref. 1, 2). The CAS is considered a key instrument for integrating green and blue measures in comprehensive planning.
Here, the NBS is presented with a focus on two specific measures: (Reference 1) Integration of the Urban Climate Map in urban planning, focusing on the preservation of existing air corridors/channels through open green spaces. (Reference 2) Integration of other climate adaptation measures in urban planning instruments through open green areas, community rooftop gardens, trees, and water elements. (Reference 1)

The Porto Biospots Network is a partnership of the Municipality with "Infraestruturas de Portugal", and is a network of urban forest areas (predominantly autochthonous) that aims to allow the reforestation of adjacent transit routes, major highway nodes, and routes of circulation within the city, transforming environmentally poor lands into green areas that provide multiple ecological services. This initiative foresees the reforestation of 14 areas and the planting of 10,000 trees by 2021, having already completed 2 roads, with a total of 1305 native trees planted. The biospot is the materialization of a part of the Municipal Ecological Structure of Porto. [1][4]

The Gran Recorrido de Bilbao (GR), known as the Green Ring or Great Route of Bilbao, is a part of Bilbao’s Green Belt, a municipal initiative that encompasses forest and urban parks surrounding the city. The Green Route aims to skirt the City passing through the forest parks of Artxanda, the mountain of Avril, Arnotegi, Pagasarri, and Arraiz. It completes a route of 99.3 kilometers in a closed belt of trails, paths, roads and streets signposted with references to routes, interesting places, and general information. The Green Route is reachable from the center of Bilbao through eleven additional routes that all lead to a central point. [3][4]