As a knowledge base dedicated to showcasing the richness and value of nature-based solutions in cities worldwide, the Urban Nature Atlas (UNA) aims to inform, inspire and enable everyone interested in bringing their transformative power to bear on the cities of the future.

Overview

Profiling over 1000 projects from European cities and beyond, the UNA is considered to be the most comprehensive database of urban nature-based solutions to date. Nature-based solutions are defined as human-made projects that are either inspired by, or supported by, nature. These projects can take many forms, from installation of green roofs or walls to inclusion of natural assets into urban parks or blue areas, for example through riverbank renovations. 

The Urban Nature Atlas was developed in 2017 as an output of the Naturvation project (NATure-based URban innoVATION, a Horizon 2020 research project). The Atlas was developed by the Central European University (CEU) in collaboration with the Ecologic Institute, and with further support being provided by Durham University. The Atlas sought to collect evidence on nature-based solutions in order to provide a basis for the analysis of socio-economic and innovation patterns associated with the implementation of urban nature-based solutions in Europe. It also sought to provide an interactive online platform via which inspiring cases of nature-based solutions could be showcased and accessed on the project website. Initial data collection for the Atlas was conducted from June to August 2017 by CEU, Lund and Utrecht University and comprised a systematic survey of nature-based solutions in 100 European cities. After initial data collection, the content of the database was regularly maintained, and all previously existing entries were reviewed and updated as of July - November 2020.

Following culmination of the Naturvation project in May 2021, the Urban Nature Atlas transitioned from the Naturvation website to its new and permanent home on this website. The Atlas is now managed by a research team based within the Environmental Science and Policy Department at CEU.  In addition to its new location, the Urban Nature Atlas now incorporates some additional features, including: 

  • New search filters, which allows the opportunity for more targeted identification of projects
  • Analysis function to compare the nature-based solutions showcased in the Urban Nature Atlas
  • Opportunity for users to submit and update their own nature-based solution case studies!

UNA Global 

The Urban Nature Atlas has now gone global, presenting inspiring nature-based solutions from all over the world.

Supplementing the 1000 nature-based solution case studies compiled from the original 100 European cities, the Atlas now includes:

  • Non-European case studies drawn from cities featured within the Naturvation project, including Winnipeg, Canada; Boston, USA; Mexico City, Mexico; Sao Paolo, Brazil; Cape Town, South Africa; and Melbourne, Australia
  • Case studies from all continents, drawing from 70 countries where nature-based solutions provide climate change adaptation or mitigation. Collection of these case studies was funded by the British Academy in preparation for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). 
  • Case studies from Asia, collected in collaboration with the Asia-Europe Foundation. 

Work on extending the Atlas database to include more projects is continuing.

We are also open to the submission of new nature-based solution projects, so if you are a project owner or researcher and would like to submit a nature-based solution case study to the Atlas, please visit this page. 

Outreach

The Urban Nature Atlas (UNA) is intended as a resource for policy-makers, practitioners and those with a general interest in nature-based solutions. The Atlas is the largest available database on nature-based solutions in Europe, and since its launch on the Naturvation website in March 2018, has received a large number of visitors and been featured on various knowledge platforms. 

Data collected has further supported various research activities within and beyond the Naturvation project, as evidenced by the examples provided below.

Platforms and reports where the UNA is featured

Oppla: the UNA is presented as a database on the Oppla Marketplace. Some case studies presented on the Oppla site are cross-referenced to the UNA and vice-versa;

EEA: the UNA is presented on the European Climate Adaptation Platform, Climate-ADAPT, and is also be featured in its recent publication about Nature-based solutions in Europe;

EdiCitNet: the EdiCitNet toolbox is a multifunctional and interactive catalogue, which presents approximately 150 case studies from the UNA. Those UNA case studies featured have been selected due to their relevance to the toolbox’s aim to collect information about local food initiatives;

UNEP’s Ecosystem Restoration Playbook: the UNA features in the ‘Towns and Cities' section of the Playbook which was released ahead of the World Environment Day (June 5) in 2021 and saw the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration;

Lund University’s massive open online course (MOOC), Urban Nature: Connecting Cities, Nature and Innovation; and

UNEA 2nd Cities and Regions Summit: Outcome Document.

Urban Governance Atlas: A collection of good practice policy instruments supporting nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration, which features approximately 50 cases from the UNA. 

Publications which draw upon case studies presented in the Atlas

Xie, L. and Bulkeley, H. (2020). Nature-based solutions for urban biodiversity governance. Environmental Science & Policy. Elsevier, 110, pp. 77–87. URL.

Dignum, M., Dorst, H., van Schie, M., Dassen, T. and Raven, R. (2020) Nurturing nature: Exploring socio-spatial conditions for urban experimentation. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. Elsevier,  34, pp. 7-25. URL.

Almassy, D., Pinter, L., Rocha, S., Naumann, S., Davis, M., Abhold, K. and Bulkeley, H. (2018) Urban Nature Atlas: A Database of Nature-Based Solutions Across 100 European Cities. URL.

Publications which draw upon the Atlas’ findings

Bulkeley H, Almassy D, Fransen A, Maia S, and Toxopeus H. (2023). Enhancing Nature Provision in the Netherlands. The Hague: PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. URL.

Almassy, D., Maia, S. (2022) Contribution to the Understanding of the Multiple Benefits of Urban Nature in Practice: Insights from the Urban Nature Atlas. A technical report supporting the PBL publication “Enhancing Urban Nature Provision in the Netherlands”. URL

Almassy, D., Maia, S., Pinter L. (2022)  Addressing climate change in cities through nature-based solutions: Cases beyond Europe in the Urban Nature Atlas. Report Prepared for the British Academy.  URL.

European Commission (2020). Nature-based solutions: State of the Art in EU-funded Projects. Independent Expert Report. URL.

Bockarjova, M. et al. (2020). Property price effects of green interventions in cities: A meta-analysis and implications for gentrification. Environmental Science & Policy. Elsevier, 112, pp. 293–304. URL.

Bockarjova, M., Botzen, W. J. W. and Koetse, M. J. (2020). Economic valuation of green and blue nature in cities: A meta-analysis. Ecological Economics. Elsevier, 169, article 106480. URL.

IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (2019) Nature based Solutions in Mediterranean cities: Rapid assessment report and compilation of urban interventions. Málaga, Spain. URL.

Hansson, F. (2018) Green is the new Grey: Implementation of Nature-Based Solutions in urban areas: exploring potential impacts, up-scaling and knowledge transfer. IIIEE, Lund University. URL.

Methodology

To learn more about data collection, please visit the Methodology page.