Exploring community perceptions and engagement of nature-based solutions: The case of Ningbo, a Chinese coastal sponge city

• Published in: Nature-based solutions Vol. 4; p. 100093
• Main Authors: Chan, Faith Ka Shun, Lu, Lingwen, Zhu, Yafeng, Balzan, Mario V., Pezzoli, Alessandro, Johnson, Matthew, Zhu, Fangfang, Ruan, Tian, Luo, Gang, Li, Gang, Xu, Yaoyang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.12.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Environmental learning; Landscape appreciation; Nature-based solutions; Sponge city; Sponge city; Landscape appreciation; Environmental learning; Nature-based solutions
• ISSN: 2772-4115; 2772-4115
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nbsj.2023.100093

•Public perceptions and understanding of NBS infrastructure (i.e. bioretention measure) and the environmental learning process in the case of Ningbo – a Sponge City in E China.•The effectiveness of strip bioretention in terms of stormwater quality improvement and landscape aesthetic movement.•Identify the past development, current status and challenges of public participation in the NBS measure.•Investigate how the public perceives and participates in the SCP practice i.e. Bioretention facilities in the urban environment and the influences on communities.•Discuss and recommend the future pathway of better delivery of NBS implementation and improvement of sustainable stormwater management practices in other Chinese cities through this case study. Sustainable stormwater management facilities such as strip bioretention, effectively improve the urban landscape's urban stormwater quality and aesthetics. The progress of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and Blue-Green Developments such as the Sponge City Program (SCP) in Chinese cities, is significantly delivering multiple benefits to address urban water, climate and ecosystem services. These practices are transforming the urban environmental context and enhancing the wider aspects of social-environmental interactions and participation. This study will particularly focus on investigating the SCP practices implemented for several years in Ningbo, a selected Sponge pilot city on the east coast of China. There is currently a lack of substantial findings from the perspective of communities towards NBS in China or an understanding of the importance of participation and engagement processes in Sponge or NBS infrastructure in Chinese cities. Through an in-depth semi-structured interview (n = 34), this study will elucidate the previous developments, current challenges and future delivery of constructed NBS infrastructure (e.g. artificial wetland). This article will undertake a detailed investigation of public perceptions, channels of learning, and opportunities for further participation and engagement in the case of Ningbo. In this study, we found that the perception and participation are likely to improve significantly in the future and that public education about SCP practices would foster closer human-nature stormwater connections and co-production to deliver better NBS practices.