Publications
Mulligan, J. et al. 2019
Hybrid infrastructures, hybrid governance:
New evidence from Nairobi (Kenya) on green-blue-grey infrastructure in informal settlements
"In expanding informal neighborhoods of cities in sub-Saharan Africa, sustainable management of storm and wastewater drainage is fundamental to improving living conditions. Planners debate the optimal combination between "green" or natural infrastructure, traditional "grey" infrastructure, and "blue" infrastructure, which mimics natural solutions using artificial materials. "
Hobbie, S. E., & Grimm, N. B. 2020
Nature-based approaches to managing climate change impacts in cities.
This paper investigates the effect of NBS in cities and argues that a better understanding of their effectiveness as well as costs and benefits is needed.
Toxopeus, H. et al. 2020
How ‘just’ is hybrid governance of urban nature-based solutions?
"Hybrid (or multi-actor) governance has been identified as a key opportunity for upscaling urban nature-based solutions (referred to as urban NBS), representing a demand-driven and cost-effective realization of urban green infrastructure. However, it is unclear how such hybrid governance affects the justice outcomes of urban NBS.."
Roy, M., Shemdoe, R., Hulme, D., Mwageni, N., & Gough, A. 2018
Climate change and declining levels of green structures: Life in informal settlements of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Roy et al. note that NBS in sub-Saharan Africa are "yet to make much headway." Their paper examines the impact of climate change on urban green structures in Dar es Salaam. One take-away message: cultural ecosystem services are of greatest importance to informal dwellers.
Thorn, J. P. R., Aleu, R. B., Wijesinghe, A., Mdongwe, M., Marchant, R. A., & Shackleton, S. 2021
Mainstreaming nature-based solutions for climate resilient infrastructure in peri-urban sub-Saharan Africa.
The authors analyse barriers and enablers to mainstreaming green infrastructure in informal settlements in Windhoek and Dar es Salaam. They find that, at the community level, the main barriers were related to design, maintenance, and performance.
Acreman, M., et al. 2021
Evidence for the effectiveness of nature-based solutions to water issues in Africa.
In examining the effectiveness of NBS to water-related risks in Africa, the authors conclude that site-specific urban interventions can reduce flood risk and pollution if local knowledge is included in design and implementation plans.
Tozer, L., Hörschelmann, K., Anguelovski, I., Bulkeley, H., & Lazova, Y. 2020
Whose city? Whose nature? Towards inclusive nature-based solution governance.How ‘just’ is hybrid governance of urban nature-based solutions?
This paper pursues the critical task of investigating to what extent NBS projects actually reinforce existing inequalities or create new forms of social exclusion. The authors suggest that project designs must recognise inequalities in the social geographies of how people connect to nature. Only then a more equitable distribution of access to urban nature could be guaranteed.
Adegun, O. B. 2018
When green is grievous: downsides in human-nature interactions in informal urban settlements.
"When green is grievous" looks at undesirable effects of NBS – trees hiding mosquitoes or wetlands carrying bad smell – in the context of urban informal settlements. Adegun argues that understanding the downsides in human-nature interactions helps inform ecologically sound interventions in informal areas.
Herslund, L., et al. 2018
Conditions and opportunities for green infrastructure–Aiming for green, water-resilient cities in Addis Ababa and Dar es Salaam.
An important contribution which argues that top-down master plans of nature-based infrastructure (NBI) do not work in the context of urban informal settlements. Not only are broad coalitions needed, but the green space managers on the ground must be incentivised to maintain the NBI.
Cilliers, J., Cilliers, S., & Lategan, L. 2021
Nature-Based Solutions for Public Green Spaces in Sub-Saharan Africa–Integrating Place-Making and Green Infrastructure.
This paper investigates the possibilities of an integrated nature-based approach to develop public open spaces in sub-Saharan Africa as public green spaces, drawing on placemaking and NBI.
Lindley, S., Pauleit, S., Yeshitela, K., Cilliers, S., & Shackleton, C. 2018
Rethinking urban green infrastructure and ecosystem services from the perspective of sub-Saharan African cities.
Lindley et al. acknowledge that decision-makers in many African cities frequently lack the scientific evidence through which their environmental policies might be made more effective. The authors suggest that more efforts must be made to understand urban ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa to develop context-specific conceptual, theoretical and empirical foundations.
Titz, A., & Chiotha, S. S. 2019
Pathways for sustainable and inclusive cities in southern and eastern Africa through urban green infrastructure?
Studying NBS in Eastern and Southern Africa, the authors contend that the creation and design of resilient urban environments can only succeed if city dwellers are granted civic participation in urban resources and an active participation in the design of their living environment. Accordingly, a better understanding of the links between urban NBI and the right to the city is urgently needed.
Du Toit, M. J., et al. 2018
Urban green infrastructure and ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa.
Du Toit et al. identify seven barriers in the implementation of NBS in urban areas: (i) socio-cultural values, traditions and perceptions; (ii) lack of capacity; (iii) governance, urban planning and social inequality; (iv) lack of data and/or case studies; (v) ecosystem disservices; (vi) spatial trade-offs and conflicts; and (vii) climate change.
Cilliers, J., Cilliers, S., & Lategan, L. 2021
Nature-Based Solutions for Public Green Spaces in Sub-Saharan Africa–Integrating Place-Making and Green Infrastructure.
This paper investigates the possibilities of an integrated nature-based approach to develop public open spaces in sub-Saharan Africa as public green spaces, drawing on placemaking and NBI.
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Kabisch, N., et al. 2016
Nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban areas: perspectives on indicators, knowledge gaps, barriers, and opportunities for action.
Produced by some of the leading thinkers on NBS, this paper highlights the main needs for future NBS science and NBS policy agendas. Though published in 2016, the framework is still highly relevant today.
Diep, L., Dodman, D., & Parikh, P. 2019
Green Infrastructure in Informal Settlements through a Multiple-Level Perspective.
This paper highlights limitations in the current conceptualisation and implementation of NBS in the context of informal settlements. The authors propose a Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) that helps analyse and identify opportunities to overcome such limits.
Du Toit, M. J., et al. 2018
Urban green infrastructure and ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa.
Du Toit et al. identify seven barriers in the implementation of NBS in urban areas: (i) socio-cultural values, traditions and perceptions; (ii) lack of capacity; (iii) governance, urban planning and social inequality; (iv) lack of data and/or case studies; (v) ecosystem disservices; (vi) spatial trade-offs and conflicts; and (vii) climate change.
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Loan Diep, Joe Mulligan, Martha Akinyi Oloo, LoÄ— Guthmann, Mussa Raido and Tim Ndezi. 2022
Co-building trust in urban nature: Learning from participatory design and construction of Nature-Based Solutions in informal settlements in East Africa
While the amount of research on NBS is growing rapidly, there is a lack of evidence on community experiences of NBS design and implementation, particularly from low-income and informal settlements of African cities. This paper adds new empirical evidence in this space through grounded analysis of NBS “niche” projects co-developed by intermediary organizations and communities in five sites across three settlements in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Findings are organized around four established NBS knowledge gaps: (1) NBS-society relations; (2) Design; (3) Implementation; (4) Effectiveness.
Kabisch, N., et al. 2016
Nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban areas: perspectives on indicators, knowledge gaps, barriers, and opportunities for action.
Produced by some of the leading thinkers on NBS, this paper highlights the main needs for future NBS science and NBS policy agendas. Though published in 2016, the framework is still highly relevant today.
Conrad, P., Voraakhom, K. 2024
Works with Nature. Low Carbon Adaptation Techniques for a Changing World
This publication serves as a comprehensive resource for tackling climate adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity challenges through Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Featuring 100 in-depth case studies, it balances examples from rural and urban contexts, with equal representation of initiatives in developing and developed countries. It offers insights into practical applications of NbS, showcasing innovative projects that demonstrate ecological, social, and economic benefits. It emphasizes the urgency of interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge-sharing to bridge gaps in technical guidance and expertise, particularly in nations most vulnerable to climate impacts.
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With the UN calling for National Adaptation Plans by 2025, this collection provides a timely, actionable resource to inspire scalable solutions for climate resilience. By examining successes, lessons learned, and actionable strategies, the publication equips readers with the tools to address global challenges collectively—across geographic, socioeconomic, and political boundaries.
Nilsson, L. et all 2024
Costing of nature-based and grey solutions for water management: case studies in Nairobi
Adaptation to climate change in urban Africa is a critical development issue of this century, with informal neighbourhoods particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have been put forward as an approach to enhance flood and climate resilience in urban settings. While the multiple social and environmental benefits of NbS are increasingly well documented, a key gap in the literature, particularly for African cities, is robust data on the cost of NbS compared to traditional “grey” infrastructure. In this study, the costs of two different NbS in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, were compared with the costs of hypothetical equivalent “grey” solutions. Comparative Life Cycle Costing (LCC) was applied for both cases and a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) was conducted for one case where historical data was available. The LCC found in the first case that the NbS was more expensive than the grey solution, whereas in the second case the NbS was significantly cheaper. As the two NbS projects were sequential, higher costs of the first case were partly attributed to the initial learning process of the implementing organisation to build knowledge on how to create context-appropriate solutions through thorough testing and participatory design. While the cost of any solution is context dependent, we conclude that NbS here can show competitive costs, particularly when considering co-benefits highlighted by the CBA.
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