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Nature-Based Solutions for Stormwater Management: Co-Creating a Multiscalar Proposal in the Global South

Author

Listed:
  • Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira

    (Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Maria do Carmo de Lima Bezerra

    (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Brasilia, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil)

  • Orlando Vinicius Rangel Nunes

    (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Brasilia, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil)

  • Enzo D’Angelo Arruda Duarte

    (Rhumb Planejamento e Urbanismo, Brasília 70070-010, Brazil)

  • Anna Giulia Castaldo

    (Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Davi Navarro de Almeida

    (Rhumb Planejamento e Urbanismo, Brasília 70070-010, Brazil)

Abstract

This article examines the application of nature-based solutions in stormwater management in the context of the Global South, focusing on a co-created green infrastructure plan and a pilot intervention project in the city of Paranoá-DF, Brazil. Urban challenges such as extreme floods, droughts, landslides, heatwaves, and biodiversity loss call for innovative planning strategies to enhance adaptation and resilience. The research methodology combined technical analyses, field work, community participation, and stormwater runoff modelling to develop integrated and culturally sensitive solutions to the city’s environmental and socio-economic challenges. This article then presents the outcomes of the community-based participatory workshops, which informed the definition of a green and blue infrastructure network incorporating a range of NBS. Community-identified priorities were used to design urban landscape interventions aimed at enhancing water-related ecosystem services and improving quality of life. Additionally, and supported by hydrological modelling, this article details a localised landscape intervention project that provides new perspectives on urban resilience in this context. Acknowledging the unique challenges faced by cities in the Global South—where social inequities and infrastructure deficits intersect with environmental vulnerabilities—this study highlights the importance of adapting NBS to the contexts of precarious urbanisation patterns. With hydrological stress expected to intensify under climate change, the proposed solutions address the heightened risks faced by low- and middle-income households, promoting more equitable and sustainable urban transformations.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira & Maria do Carmo de Lima Bezerra & Orlando Vinicius Rangel Nunes & Enzo D’Angelo Arruda Duarte & Anna Giulia Castaldo & Davi Navarro de Almeida, 2025. "Nature-Based Solutions for Stormwater Management: Co-Creating a Multiscalar Proposal in the Global South," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:4:p:740-:d:1624019
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Libera Amenta & Anna Attademo & Hilde Remøy & Gilda Berruti & Maria Cerreta & Enrico Formato & Maria Federica Palestino & Michelangelo Russo, 2019. "Managing the Transition towards Circular Metabolism: Living Labs as a Co-Creation Approach," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 5-18.
    2. Castaldo, Anna Giulia & Nocentini, Margherita Gori & Lemes de Oliveira, Fabiano & Mahmoud, Israa H., 2025. "Nature-based solutions and urban planning in the Global South: Challenge orientations, typologies, and viability for cities," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. C. Wamsler & J. Alkan-Olsson & H. Björn & H. Falck & H. Hanson & T. Oskarsson & E. Simonsson & F. Zelmerlow, 2020. "Beyond participation: when citizen engagement leads to undesirable outcomes for nature-based solutions and climate change adaptation," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 158(2), pages 235-254, January.
    4. Antonio Leone & Laura Grassini & Pasquale Balena, 2022. "Urban Planning and Sustainable Storm Water Management: Gaps and Potential for Integration for Climate Adaptation Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Libera Amenta & Anna Attademo & Hilde Remøy & Gilda Berruti & Maria Cerreta & Enrico Formato & Maria Federica Palestino & Michelangelo Russo, 2019. "Managing the Transition towards Circular Metabolism: Living Labs as a Co-Creation Approach," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 5-18.
    6. Shahryar Sarabi & Qi Han & A. Georges L. Romme & Bauke de Vries & Rianne Valkenburg & Elke den Ouden & Spela Zalokar & Laura Wendling, 2021. "Barriers to the Adoption of Urban Living Labs for NBS Implementation: A Systemic Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-15, November.
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