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Abstract Australia is experiencing mounting pressures related to processes of urbanisation, biodiversity loss and climate change felt at large in cities. At the same time, it is cities that can take the leading role in pioneering approaches and solutions to respond to those coupling emergencies. In this perspective piece we respond to the following question: What are the required transformations for prioritising, valuing, maintaining and embracing nature in cities in Australia? We adopt the mission framework as an organising framework to present proposed pathways to transform Australian cities as nature-positive places of the future. We propose three interconnected pathways as starting actions to steer urban planning, policy and governance in Australian cities: First, cities need to establish evidence-based planning for nature in cities and mainstream new planning tools that safeguard and foreground urban nature. Second, collaborative planning needs to become a standard practice in cities and inclusive governance for nature in cities needs to prioritise Aboriginal knowledge systems and practices as well as look beyond what local governments can do. Third, for progressing to nature-positive cities, it is paramount to empower communities to innovate with nature across Australian cities. Whilst we focus on Australian cities, the lessons and pathways are broadly applicably globally and can inspire science-policy debates for the post COP15 biodiversity and COP26 climate change implementation processes.
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This content will become publicly available on July 22, 2026
Empowering cities globally: Four levers for transformative urban adaptation with nature-based solutions
The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed that upcoming decades are likely to be accompanied with an increase in climate impacts in urban areas, thereby stressing the need for empowering cities to help them address the challenges ahead by closing the urban adaptation gap. The lock-in systems in which cities are often trapped create resistance to change and leads to missed opportunities to cocreate better futures. Putting nature at the center of urban adaptation agenda is a promising vision that nature-based solutions can help realize if city leaders are adequately supported in accessing the knowledge and resources they need to take action. Despite their proven potential, important barriers to the planning, implementation, and management of nature-based solutions (NbS) for urban climate adaptation persist and need to be urgently addressed. We highlight key barriers related to knowledge gaps and dissemination, policy incentives, and financial autonomy faced by city leaders trying to integrate NbS into policy and planning. In this perspective, we propose four levers of transformative adaptation which build on examples from Europe, the United States, Africa, and Latin America and which have proven successful in supporting cities adopting nature-based adaptation actions, including to 1) produce, assess and share knowledge; 2) adopt incentive-based policies and regulations; 3) facilitate access to multiple sources of funding; and 4) create reflexive monitoring mechanisms. If these steps are taken with the goal of addressing vulnerabilities on the ground, they can unleash the potential of NbS to engage on a path of transformative adaptation.
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- PAR ID:
- 10632952
- Publisher / Repository:
- https://www.pnas.org/topic/573
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Volume:
- 122
- Issue:
- 29
- ISSN:
- 0027-8424
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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