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This paper identifies and examines the strategies and governance conditions by which ten European cities have started mainstreaming nature-based solutions (NBS) as innovative systemic solutions in urban planning. The three sets of mainstreaming strategies focus on how teams of policy entrepreneurs within the cities experimented with innovative governance processes and mechanisms to strategically develop procedures, knowledge, skills, and relationships to integrate (a) a systems’ approach to link NBS to policies, regulations, and departments across goals and sectors, (b) inclusive collaborations for localised interventions, and (c) reflexivity and learning about how they interact with the (institutional, ecological, social, etc.) contexts and create impacts. The strategies demonstrate how starting from NBS as a type of systemic innovation can help promote shifts in urban planning to address complex sustainability problems in cities, and how starting points and specific processes depend on a respective city’s contexts and needs.

Extensive green roofs (EGRs) have been promoted as a multifunctional urban green infrastructure (UGI) solution that can ameliorate some of the negative environmental effects associated with urbanisation and provide habitat for wildlife. To date ecological EGR research remains limited, yet studying and understanding the ecology and ecological processes of these novel urban ecosystems could maximise their potential to conserve biodiversity and deliver multiple ecosystem services to urban areas. Here we present an overview of how a novel ‘ecomimicry’ approach can be used to ensure that locally important habitats are created and restored as part of urban green infrastructure strategies, and that biodiversity is embedded at the heart of EGR design. This can help urban developments meet sustainability targets and contribute to the goal of no-net-loss of biodiversity. Conserving urban biodiversity through ecomimicry will increase opportunities for urban communities to reconnect with nature and improve the quality of life for people in cities.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) enable the ecosystem service benefits associated with natural landscapes to be embedded into the built environment, simultaneously providing environmental, social, and economic benefits. This represents a mechanism for renaturing cities that can address many of the interrelated challenges associated with urbanisation and climate change. If NBS can be delivered effectively on citywide scales, it presents an opportunity for the development of sustainable, resilient, and liveable cities. Examples of innovation in relation to planning and delivering NBS are emerging globally. However, the stewardship plan, an essential element of NBS that typically underpins the long-term success of these high-profile initiatives, is often overlooked or under-planned. Careful consideration of the technical, financing, and governance aspects of NBS stewardship can be critical to determining whether an NBS is able to deliver the multifunctional benefits for which it was designed, adapt to changing needs and environmental conditions, and avoid becoming a liability to those communities it was designed to benefit. Here we present a series of case studies demonstrating how innovation in NBS stewardship can secure and maximise the long-term success of NBS and avoid the legacy of neglected or poorly managed green wash.

A study of factors impacting landslide displacement rates was conducted on the Ripley Landslide within the Thompson River valley in British Columbia, Canada for the International Programme on Landslides’ project #202. Seasonal and multiyear changes in atmospheric factors cause cyclic fluctuation of matric suction in the vadose zone through changes to the in situ water content. The ingress of moisture is shown to contribute to multiyear and seasonal loss of stability causing increasing landslide displacement rates, often disregarded in slope stability calculations. However, the water content in the unsaturated zone is important, especially in semi-arid to arid climates where the water table is low and large portions of the slope are unsaturated. Additional tools for studying long-term variations in climate and seasonal changes in water content are presented. These tools are used to characterize historical climate and compare several factors that have resulted in changing landslide displacement rates and magnitude. Infiltration of precipitation and snowmelt directly contributes to matric suction loss in the head scarp and is exacerbated by the presence of tension cracks. While groundwater levels are often correlated to changing displacement rates, changes in matric suction can also influence the rates of displacement. Climatic trends over subsequent years alter the long-term soil water accumulation which impacts rates of landslide displacement. By accounting for additional strength, or potentially a loss in strength due to increasing water content, it is possible to develop a more complete understanding of the mechanisms of climate change which drive displacement rates in the translational, metastable earthen slides that dominate the Thompson River valley. These mechanisms can be applied to comparable river valleys around the world.

To advance the science and practice of implementing nature-based solutions in cities, it is important to examine the obstacles and provide means to overcome them. This paper presents a conceptual framework of policy needs for analysing the science of nature-based solutions’ implementation and connect it to the practice of their implementation that advances the literature by connecting well-researched gaps to a more innovative action-oriented policy development approach that we argue is required for embedding scaled-up nature-based solutions. We conceptualise and ground the policy needs framework of skills, knowledge and partnerships theoretically in current literature of NBS policy and planning and empirically in three European case study cities: Genk in Belgium, Glasgow in UK and Poznan in Poland. The cross-case study analysis points to the knowledge needs of systems’ thinking and solutions-oriented thinking as paramount for implementing nature-based solutions. Our analysis further points to the skills’ needs of negotiation and collaboration for administrative silo bridging and for forging multi-sectoral partnerships essential for planning, and co-managing NBS. We conclude with three ways forward to addressing the policy needs for implementation: first, cities can invest in tailored and targeted capacity building programs, second, institutional spaces need to be established that allow for collaborative learning through and for partnerships and third, cities need to chart governance innovations that promote evidence-based policy for nature-based solutions’ design and implementation. If you have any difficulty accessing this document, or you would like to know more about the Connecting Nature project, pleaseemail marcus.collier@tcd.ie.

Transitioning Towards Urban Resilience and Sustainability (TURAS) project is based on the partnership between decision makers in local authorities with SMEs and academic institutions to develop and demonstrate transition strategies for urban resilience and sustainability. Out of eleven case study sites, three are presented in this brief, including: brownfield redevelopment in London, community mobilisation around underutilisation of urban sites in Dublin, and a web portal for sustainable mobility in Ljubljana.

Transitioning is a unidirectional process of mainstreaming sustainability within normative societal behaviour, which communities hope will build resilience, reduce our dependence on distant resources and lead to the transformation towards more sustainable living as an end product. Throughout Europe there are numerous examples and pilot or demonstration projects that illustrate tools, practices, mechanisms, pathways and policies for how transitioning can be guided and a transformation can be achieved. This paper draws on the experience of the TURAS project by illustrating some ofthe diverse open innovation opportunities that have been derived using novel transdisciplinary approaches. The paper concludes with identifying possible ways forward by utilising the TURAS innovations to enable the transformation of urban communities.

If a ‘Renaturing of Cities’ strategy is to maximise the ecosystem service provision of urban green infrastructure (UGI), then detailed consideration of a habitat services, biodiversity-led approach and multifunctionality are necessary rather than relying on the assumed benefits of UGI per se. The paper presents preliminary data from three case studies, two in England and one in Germany, that explore how multifunctionality can be achieved, the stakeholders required, the usefulness of an experimental approach for demonstrating transformation, and how this can be fed back into policy. We argue that incorporating locally contextualised biodiversity-led UGI design into the planning and policy spheres contributes to the functioning and resilience of the city and provides the adaptability to respond to locally contextualised challenges, such as overheating, flooding, air pollution, health and wellbeing as well as biodiversity loss. Framing our research to encompass both the science of biodiversity-led UGI and co-developing methods for incorporating a strategic approach to implementation of biodiversity-led UGI by planners and developers addresses a gap in current knowledge and begins to address barriers to UGI implementation. By combining scientific with policy learning and defined urban environmental targets with community needs, our research to date has begun to demonstrate how nature-based solutions to building resilience and adaptive governance can be strategically incorporated within cities through UGI. Also available at:Connop et al 2016 If you have any difficulty accessing this document, or you would like to know more about the Connecting Nature project, pleaseemail marcus.collier@tcd.ie.

This study looked at the potential of bauxite residue or red mud to be used in the manufacture of lightweight aggregate in replacement of pulverised fuel ash (PFA), commonly used as a way of recycling problematic wastes. The percentage replacements of red mud with PFA were as follows: 25, 31, 38, 44 and 50%. These were blended in a mix with waste excavated clay and sewage sludge – all from the Chongqing municipality in China. Lightweight pellets were produced using a Trefoil rotary kiln and were sintered to 1200 °C. Results showed that 44 % bauxite residue replacement produced lightweight pellets with the highest compressive strength, highest density and largest water holding capacity. This would be expected in materials with a low level of silicates, which causes insufficient glass phase viscosity and therefore poor bloating during firing; producing an aggregate with a higher density but with open pores that allowed for larger water absorption. All ratios of red mud aggregates were significantly reduced in pH after firing to around pH 8, and this reduced the leachability of the aggregates to levels below those set by the European landfill directive (2003/33/EC).

Extensive green roofs are becoming a popular tool for restoring green infrastructure in urban areas, particularly biodiverse habitats such as post-industrial/brownfield sites. This study investigated the use of six recycled lightweight aggregates and combinations of them in green roof growing substrate, to determine their effectiveness for enhancing plant abundance and species diversity. In two separate experiments, we examined the roles of substrate type and depth on the establishment of a perennial wildflower mix over a 15-month period. We found that some of the alternative substrates are comparable to the widely used crushed red brick aggregate (predominantly found in commercial green roof growing substrate) for supporting plant establishment. For some materials such as clay pellets, there was increased plant coverage and a higher number of plant species than in any other substrate. Substrates that were produced from a blend of two or three aggregate types also supported higher plant abundance and diversity. Generally, increasing substrate depth improved plant establishment, however this effect was not consistent across substrates. We conclude that recycled materials may be viable constituents of growing substrate for green roofs and they may improve green roof resilience, through increased plant cover and diversity. The results could provide evidence to support the construction of mosaic habitat types on single roofs using various substrate blends.

Green roofs have been implemented on new buildings as a tool to mitigate the loss of post-industrial or brownfield land. For this to be successful, the roofs must be designed appropriately; that is with the right growing media, suitable substrate depth, similar vegetation and with a comparable soil microbial community for a healthy rhizosphere. This study compared soil microbial communities (determined using phospholipid fatty acid or PLFA analysis) of two extensive green roofs and two post-industrial sites in Greater London. It was found that green roof rootzones constructed using engineered growing media are not depauperate, but can have an abundant soil microbial community that in some cases may be more diverse and numerous than communities found in brownfield areas. In this preliminary study, one green roof supported abundant soil microbial communities that were dominated by gram negative and aerobic bacteria, whilst fungal abundance was similar across all sites analysed. Furthermore, ratios of fungal: bacterial PLFA’s were larger from post-industrial sites but overall were consistent with bacterial dominated soils typical of early successional habitats.

Land-use change and intensification threaten bee populations worldwide, imperilling pollination services. Global models are needed to better characterise, project, and mitigate bees' responses to these human impacts. The available data are, however, geographically and taxonomically unrepresentative; most data are from North America and Western Europe, overrepresenting bumblebees and raising concerns that model results may not be generalizable to other regions and taxa. To assess whether the geographic and taxonomic biases of data could undermine effectiveness of models for conservation policy, we have collated from the published literature a global dataset of bee diversity at sites facing land-use change and intensification, and assess whether bee responses to these pressures vary across 11 regions (Western, Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe; North, Central and South America; Australia and New Zealand; South East Asia; Middle and Southern Africa) and between bumblebees and other bees. Our analyses highlight strong regionally-based responses of total abundance, species richness and Simpson's diversity to land use, caused by variation in the sensitivity of species and potentially in the nature of threats. These results suggest that global extrapolation of models based on geographically and taxonomically restricted data may underestimate the true uncertainty, increasing the risk of ecological surprises. Fil: De Palma, Adriana. Natural History Museum; Reino Unido. Imperial College London; Reino Unido Fil: Abrahamczyk, Stefan. Universitat Bonn; Alemania Fil: Aizen, Marcelo Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina Fil: Albrecht, Matthias. Institute for Sustainability Sciences; Suiza Fil: Basset, Yves. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Panamá Fil: Bates, Adam. Nottingham Trent University; Reino Unido Fil: Blake, Robin J.. University of Reading; Reino Unido Fil: Boutin, Céline. Carleton University; Canadá Fil: Bugter, Rob. Wageningen University and Research; Países Bajos Fil: Connop, Stuart. University of East London; Reino Unido Fil: Cruz López, Leopoldo. El Colegio de la Frontera del Sur; México Fil: Cunningham, Saul A.. CSIRO Exploration and Mining; Australia Fil: Darvill, Ben. University of Stirling; Reino Unido Fil: Diekötter, Tim. Geomar-Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel; Alemania. University Marburg; Alemania. Institute of Integrative Biology; Suiza Fil: Dorn, Silvia. ETH Zurich; Suiza Fil: Downing, Nicola. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; Reino Unido Fil: Entling, Martin H.. Universitat Koblenz; Alemania Fil: Farwig, Nina. Universitat Phillips; Alemania Fil: Felicioli, Antonio. Università degli Studi di Pisa; Italia Fil: Fonte, Steven J.. State University of Colorado - Fort Collins; Estados Unidos Fil: Fowler, Robert. University of Sussex; Reino Unido Fil: Franzén, Markus. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research; Alemania Fil: Goulson, Dave. Universität Göttingen; Alemania Fil: Grass, Ingo. Universität Göttingen; Alemania Fil: Hanley, Mick E.. University of Iowa; Estados Unidos Fil: Hendrix, Stephen D.. University of Iowa; Estados Unidos Fil: Herrmann, Farina. Universität Würzburg; Alemania Fil: Herzog, Felix. Institut for Sustainability Sciences; Suiza Fil: Holzschuh, Andrea. Universität Würzburg; Alemania Fil: Jauker, Birgit. Justus-Liebig University; Alemania Fil: Kessler, Michael. Institut für Systematische und Evolutionäre Botanik; Suiza Fil: Knight, M.E.. Plymouth University; Reino Unido Fil: Kruess, Andreas. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation; Alemania Fil: Lavelle, Patrick. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement; Francia. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical; Colombia Fil: Le Féon, Violette Alice Marie. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia Fil: Lentini, Pia. University of Melbourne; Australia Fil: Malone, Louise A.. New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd; Nueva Zelanda Fil: Marshall, Jon. Marshall Agroecology Ltd; Reino Unido Fil: Pachón, Eliana Martínez. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia Fil: McFrederick, Quinn S.. University of California; Estados Unidos Fil: Morales, Carolina Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina Fil: Mudri Stojnic, Sonja. University of Novi Sad; Serbia Fil: Nates Parra, Guiomar. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia Fil: Nilsson, Sven G.. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Öckinger, Erik. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; Suecia Fil: Osgathorpe, Lynne. RSPB; Reino Unido Fil: Parra-H, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia. Corporación para la Gestión de Servicios Ecosistémicos, Polinización y Abejas; Colombia Fil: Peres, Carlos A.. University of East Anglia; Reino Unido Fil: Persson, Anna S.. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Petanidou, Theodora. University of the Aegean; Grecia Fil: Poveda, Katja. Cornell University; Estados Unidos Fil: Power, Eileen F.. Trinity College Dublin; Irlanda Fil: Quaranta, Marino. Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi del l'Economía Agraria; Italia Fil: Quintero, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina Fil: Rader, Romina. University of New England; Australia Fil: Richards, Miriam H.. Brock University; Canadá Fil: Roulston, Tai. University of Virginia; Estados Unidos Fil: Rousseau, Laurent. Université du Québec a Montreal; Canadá Fil: Sadler, Jonathan P.. University of Birmingham; Reino Unido Fil: Samnegård, Ulrika. University of Birmingham; Reino Unido Fil: Schellhorn, Nancy A.. CSIRO Exploration and Mining; Australia Fil: Schüepp, Christof. University of Bern; Suiza Fil: Schweiger, Oliver. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research; Alemania Fil: Smith Pardo, Allan H.. United States Department of Agriculture; Estados Unidos. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia Fil: Steffan Dewenter, Ingolf. Universität Würzburg; Alemania Fil: Stout, Jane C.. Trinity College Dublin; Irlanda Fil: Tonietto, Rebecca K.. Northwestern University; Estados Unidos. Chicago Botanic Garden; Estados Unidos Fil: Teja, Tscharntke. Universität Göttingen; Alemania Fil: Tylianakis, Jason M.. Imperial College London; Reino Unido. University of Canterbury; Nueva Zelanda Fil: Verboven, Hans A. F.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica Fil: Vergara, Carlos H.. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; México Fil: Verhulst, Jort. No especifíca; Fil: Westphal, Catrin. Universität Göttingen; Alemania Fil: Yoon, Hyung Joo. National Institute of Agricultural Science; Corea del Sur Fil: Purvis, Andy. Natural History Museum; Reino Unido. Imperial College London; Reino Unido

Bumblebee species declines have been reported in Europe, North America and Asia. Loss of suitable habitat to agricultural intensification is considered to be the main cause of declines in Europe. Differential impacts on species have been recorded but insufficient knowledge of species ecology means that effective conservation management prescriptions cannot be put into place with certainty. Dietary specialisation, specifically on flowers of Fabaceae, has been hypothesised as driving differential declines but the reliability of previous studies has been questioned. Here we present a 3-year study of the foraging behaviour of two UK Biodiversity Action Plan bumblebee species. For the first time, analysis of nectar and pollen foraging was performed on sites where nationally rare UK bumblebees were as abundant as more nationally ubiquitous species. Results indicated that the nationally rare Bombus sylvarum collected the majority of its pollen from flowers of Odontites verna and had a significantly narrower mean nectar dietary breadth than ecologically similar species Bombus humilis and Bombus pascuorum ( p = 0.004 and 0.008, respectively). In contrast, the dietary breadth of the nationally rare B. humilis was similar to the more nationally ubiquitous species B. pascuorum and Bombus lapidarius . Moreover, B. lapidarius was recorded as having the narrowest pollen dietary breadth, collected pollen from the least number of floral taxa and was the most specialised of the Bombus species on pollen of Fabaceae. Patterns of dietary specialisation were inconsistent with national declines and results highlighted a need for further detailed investigation into the factors contributing to differential declines.

1. Substantial reductions in the distributional ranges of several species of bumblebee have been recorded in the UK. Loss and fragmentation of suitable foraging and nesting habitat to agricultural intensification is thought to be the main driving force behind declines. 2. Limited knowledge of species ecology means that effective conservation management prescriptions cannot be put into place. 3. Here we investigated the spatial dynamics of two UK Biodiversity Action Plan bumblebee species, Bombus sylvarum and Bombus humilis. For the first time, microsatellite DNA analysis was used to estimate foraging distances in rare bumblebees. 4. Sisterhoods were identified between bees sampled at discrete forage patches within a fragmented landscape. Using these sisterhoods, minimum estimates of maximum and mean foraging distances were calculated from distances separating sister bees. 5. Minimum mean foraging distances were calculated as 475 ± 97 m for B. humilis and 231 ± 58 m for B. sylvarum. Mean distances were significantly greater for B. humilis than B. sylvarum (P

Cities dominated by impervious artificial surfaces can experience a multitude of negative environmental impacts. Restoration of green infrastructure has been identified as a mechanism for increasing urban resilience, enabling cities to transition towards sustainable futures in the face of climate-driven change. Building rooftops represent a viable space for integrating new green infrastructure into high-density urban areas. Urban rooftops also provide prime locations for photovoltaic (PV) systems. There is an increasing recognition that these two technologies can be combined to deliver reciprocal benefits in terms of energy efficiency and biodiversity targets. Scarcity of scientific evaluation of the interaction between PVs and green roofs means that the potential benefits are currently poorly understood. This study documents evidence from a biodiversity monitoring study of a substantial biosolar roof installed in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Vegetation and invertebrate communities were sampled and habitat structure measured in relation to habitat niches on the roof, including PV panels. Ninety-two plant species were recorded on the roof and variation in vegetation structure associated with proximity to PV panels was identified. Almost 50% of target invertebrate species collected were designated of conservation importance. Arthropod distribution varied in relation to habitat niches on the roof. The overall aim of the Main Press Centre building green roof design was to create a mosaic of habitats to enhance biodiversity, and the results of the study suggest that PV panels can contribute to niche diversity on a green roof. Further detailed study is required to fully characterise the effects of PV panel density on biodiversity.

There has been very little investigation into the soil microbial community on green roofs, yet this below ground habitat is vital for ecosystem functioning. Green roofs are often harsh environments that would greatly benefit from having a healthy microbial system, allowing efficient nutrient cycling and a degree of drought tolerance in dry summer months. To test if green roof microbial communities could be manipulated, we added mycorrhizal fungi and a microbial mixture ('compost tea') to green roof rootzones, composed mainly of crushed brick or crushed concrete. The study revealed that growing media type and depth play a vital role in the microbial ecology of green roofs. There are complex relationships between depth and type of substrate and the biomass of different microbial groups, with no clear pattern being observed. Following the addition of inoculants, bacterial groups tended to increase in biomass in shallower substrates, whereas fungal biomass change was dependent on depth and type of substrate. Increased fungal biomass was found in shallow plots containing more crushed concrete and deeper plots containing more crushed brick where compost tea (a live mixture of beneficial bacteria) was added, perhaps due to the presence of helper bacteria for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Often there was not an additive affect of the microbial inoculations but instead an antagonistic interaction between the added AM fungi and the compost tea. This suggests that some species of microbes may not be compatible with others, as competition for limited resources occurs within the various substrates. The overall results suggest that microbial inoculations of green roof habitats are sustainable. They need only be done once for increased biomass to be found in subsequent years, indicating that this is a novel and viable method of enhancing roof community composition.

Adapting to the challenges of rapid urban growth and societal change will require mechanisms for efficient transitioning to an embedded resilience. This has become central to the exploration of methods for achieving truly sustainable urban growth. However, while transitioning and resilience are useful descriptors, they can be abstract or conflicting ideals and their meanings obscured by a lack of concrete examples, both being barriers to many planning objectives. In this paper, we hold a lens over key issues in transitioning to resilience in urban areas by outlining emerging challenges that may offer directions towards operationalising how cities might transition to a more resilient future, while ensuring that communities are at the center of the process. The emerging and challenging areas – geospatial ICT, green infrastructure planning, novel design using collaborative responses, climate planning, limiting urban sprawl and short-circuit economic approaches – are explored as viable facets for devising and sustaining urban transition strategies. We conclude with a discussion on the need for developing a synergistic approach in practice to facilitate transition. European Research Council FP7 Grant Agreement 282834 / TURAS Project SB. 15/05/2013