"A living street and not just green": Exploring public preferences and concerns regarding nature-based solution implementation in urban streetscapes

Leveraging the benefits offered by nature-based solutions (NBS) will be vital in addressing present and future environmental and social challenges as urban densification continues to exert pressure on cities. The greening of urban streets, in particular, provides many benefits in terms of livability, health, and biodiversity. While many studies have explored the suitability of NBS in a particular context considering the benefits they provide in relation to local environmental challenges (e.g. filtering the air in areas with high pollution, absorbing water in areas prone to flooding), this study focuses on residents’ perspectives on and their demand for NBS. This is particularly relevant given the importance of public acceptance of NBS measures for their success.
The research presented in this paper is based on a mixed-methods study, combining an online survey and eight focus group interviews, which aimed to better understand which types of NBS people prefer, how much and what types of street space they are willing to exchange for street greening, and the opportunities and concerns they have regarding varying degrees of street greening.
Findings suggest that respondents are overwhelmingly in favor of greening their street with NBS, yet preferred NBS and opinions on where to implement them vary among participants. Further, street greening was thought to come up against other understandings of how streets should be used and for what purpose. These considerations should be taken up by planners to improve the uptake of NBS.