This report by Ecologic Institute explores the extent to which current policy frameworks support sustainable urban development and nature-based solutions (NBS). It shows that many policies include strong, explicit support for sustainable urban development but often lack mandatory policy instruments.

In this report, Doris Knoblauch, Sandra Naumann, Linda Mederake and Ariel Carlos Araujo Sosa (all Ecologic Institute) explore the extent to which current policy frameworks support sustainable urban development and nature-based solutions (NBS).

To this end, policies at the international and EU levels were reviewed, as well as at the national, regional and local levels.

The analysis reveals that a variety of different terms are used across countries and from the local to international scale in policies and discourses in support of sustainable urban development, with green (and blue) infrastructure being the most frequently used. However, while many policies were shown to have strong explicit support for sustainable urban development, these often lack mandatory policy instruments.

Contact:Doris Knoblauch (Ecologic Institute)

Download: Multi-level policy framework for sustainable urban development and nature-based solutions – Status quo, gaps and opportunities [pdf, 1.2 MB, English]

Further Links:

• Project website: CLEVER Cities
• Project description: Co-designing Locally-tailored Ecological Solutions for Value-added, Socially Inclusive Regeneration in Cities (CLEVER Cities)
• Publication: Key Barriers to and Factors for Improving the Successful Implementation of Nature-Based Solutions
• Publication: Green Market Opportunities and Business Policies for Urban Nature-based Solutions
• Publication: Impact-driven Financing and Investment Strategies for Urban Regeneration