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About
Cities face growing climate risks, from extreme heat and flooding to biodiversity loss, and are also key arenas for mitigation. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can help on both fronts, but they are often treated as purely technical fixes, and urban greening can deepen inequalities when communities are left out.
In this 30-minute masterclass, the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS OUIK) shows how cities can plan, co-design and govern NbS with local communities. The session draws on the Sustainable Urban Nature (SUN) Project in Kanazawa, Japan, and cases from other cities, and combines a short presentation, a visual exercise and Q&A.
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Target audience
Urban policymakers, local government representatives, climate practitioners, researchers, youth leaders and stakeholders working on climate adaptation, mitigation, Nature-based Solutions and sustainable urban development.
Organizations involved
United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), through its Operating Unit Ishikawa/Kanazawa (OUIK), in coordination with the United Nations University and the UNFCCC Capacity-building Hub.
Objectives
The session aims to:
- Clarify what urban Nature-based Solutions are, and are not.
- Show how urban nature supports both adaptation and mitigation, with evidence from Kanazawa.
- Apply a justice lens so that NbS reduce, rather than reinforce, urban inequalities.
- Identify entry points for including urban NbS in national adaptation plans, NDCs and local climate plans.
- Share practical approaches for participatory action research and multistakeholder governance of urban green spaces, including citizen science and community gardening.
Expected outcomes
- Participants gain a clear and shared understanding of urban NbS and how they contribute to both adaptation and mitigation goals.
- Participants can recognize justice considerations in urban NbS and apply them when planning or evaluating projects.
- Participants are familiar with participatory approaches and governance models that can be adapted to their own cities and contexts.
- Participants leave with concrete ideas for linking urban NbS to NAPs, NDCs and local climate strategies, and with contacts for further exchange with UNU-IAS.
Agenda
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Time
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Segment
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Speaker & Affiliation
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10:00–10:04
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Opening and framing: What is (and isn't) a Nature-based Solution?
- Welcome and introduction of the session and speaker.
- Visual reflection exercise: Participants consider examples of urban gardens, farming, community work and outdoor play, and discuss which qualify as Nature-based Solutions.
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Dr. Juan Pastor Ivars
Research Fellow, UNU-IAS OUIK
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10:04–10:10
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Urban NbS for adaptation, mitigation and justice
- Ecosystem services, green infrastructure and Nature-based Solutions: how they relate.
- Climate justice in urban contexts: procedural, environmental and spatial inequalities, including the risk of green gentrification.
- Systemic approaches to NbS across housing, health, water, food, mobility and green jobs.
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Dr. Juan Pastor Ivars
UNU-IAS OUIK
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10:10–10:14
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A holistic framework and global cases
- Three interconnected spheres: traditional knowledge, science-based sustainability and well-being.
- From nature-based to coexistence-based solutions.
- Cases from Toronto (community engagement in urban nature restoration), Curitiba (sustainable development planning) and Paris (Oasis Schoolyards co-design).
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Dr. Juan Pastor Ivars
UNU-IAS OUIK
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10:14–10:22
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Case study: Sustainable Urban Nature (SUN) Project, Kanazawa, Japan
- Urban context: shrinking city, abandoned plots and fragmented urban nature.
- Traditional gardens and sacred forests as biodiversity hotspots, carbon sinks and spaces for well-being.
- Participatory action research, citizen science, biodiversity monitoring, community gardening and governance of urban green commons.
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Dr. Juan Pastor Ivars
UNU-IAS OUIK
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10:22–10:25
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Key takeaways for policy and practice
- Recognizing urban nature as climate infrastructure.
- Building on traditional and local knowledge.
- Putting justice and participation at the core of NbS planning.
- Securing long-term stewardship through multistakeholder governance.
- Integrating urban NbS into NAPs, NDCs and local climate plans.
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Dr. Juan Pastor Ivars
UNU-IAS OUIK
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10:25–10:30
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Q&A and interactive discussion
- Guiding question: What would a just Nature-based Solution look like in your city?
- Closing remarks.
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All participants
Moderated by Dr. Juan Pastor Ivars
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Speaker
Dr. Juan Pastor Ivars, Research Fellow, UNU-IAS OUIK
Relevant links
This session is part of the Capacity-building Hub at COP31.