Nature in the City Annual Event

Harnessing Nature-Based Solutions for Resilient and Sustainable Cities

On the 11th and 12th of December 2024 the Urban School will host the first annual event of the  project "Nature in the City" focusing on nature-based solutions (NBS) and climate adaptation in cities.  The event will bring together leading scholars, practitioners, and stakeholders from various  disciplines to explore the complex relationship between cities and nature in the context of climate  change. 
The event is organized by the Urban School in collaboration with the Atelier interdisciplinaire de  recherches sur l'environnement (AIRE) and the Institute for the Arts and Creation at Sciences Po.  The conference is funded by the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation.  

Programme - 11 December

Welcome introduction | 14:00

• Francesca Ferlicca (Rachel L. Mellon Postdoctoral fellow, Urban School, Sciences Po) 
• Tommaso Vitale (Dean, Urban School, Sciences Po)
• Ilaria Milazzo (Executive Dean, Urban School, Sciences Po)

Opening plenary | 14:15

Urban Transformations from the Bottom Up
Vanesa Castan Broto (Professor of Climate Urbanism, University of Sheffield)
Discussant: Sharon GIL (UNEP)

Session 1 | 15:40

Exploring the diverse perspectives on nature-based solutions: A cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural analysis

Session 1A : 

• Roberto Rodriguez (Postdoc at LIEPP, Sciences Po) “Matching problems with solutions. Linking problem-solving capacities to the implementation of nature-based solutions in cities.
• Rob Levintal (PhD Candidate, City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania) “Co-creating Dakar's Greenbelt and Blue-Grey Infrastructure Network”
• Dorian Spaak (Terre et Cité), Alexia Beaujeux (Terre et Cité) “Building dialogue spaces for climate adaptation in an agri-urban area: a case study on the Plateau de Saclay"
   

Chair: Tommaso Vitale (Sciences Po Urban School)

Session 1B:

• Priscila Franco Steier (ICLEI)  “Decolonizing Nature-based Solutions: a cross-cultural perspective”
• ”Brandon Staats (PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge,  Department of Land Economy)  “Reverse Economies of Scale: Integrating Community-Centric Investments into Urban Nature-Based Solutions”
• Alexandra Tsatsou, Niki Frantzeskaki and Malamis Simos (National Technical University of Athens, Utrecht University) “Beyond urban grayscale: Critical conditions for realizing circular water nature-based solutions in cities”

Chair: Basak SARAC-LESAVRE (CSO, Sciences Po)

Session 2A: 

• Valeria de los Casares and Marc Ringel (European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition, Sciences Po Paris) “Challenges to Implementing Nature-based Solutions in the European Union: Investigating Governance and Finance Barriers”
• Joana Guerrin (INRAE) “Is biodiversity mainstreaming in flood policy? Rise and institutionalization of Nature-based Solutions in France and the US”
• Marion Poncet (IUCN France) “ARTISAN project : Empowering territories with Nature-based Solutions for Climate change adaptation”

Chair: Álvaro Artigas Pereira (CEE, Sciences Po)

Art performance | 16:40

Walking through your city 30 years from now
Collective storytelling installation, designed by artist Carmen Bouyer

Session 2 | 17:10

Bridging the gap: Integrating nature-based solutions in global climate governance and local adaptation strategies

Session 2B: 

• Nicolas Guillo (Ecoresil), Chloé Mecqinion (Groupe Huit) “Mapping Urban Needs for Nature-Based Solutions: A Block-Scale Evaluation Framework for Locally Grounded NBS Strategies”
• Xhesika Hoxha (University of Applied Science Cologne) “Towards Water-Sensitive Urban Planning: Integrating Nature-Based Solutions through a Participatory Approach in Sleman, Indonesia” 
• Iuliia Eremenko (University of Warsaw) “Local Voices, Global Goals: Participatory Planning to Localize the Nature-based Solutions in the Management of UNESCO Heritage Sites”

Chair: Cassandre Rey Thibault (CEE, Sciences Po)

Session 3 | 17:10

From theory to practice: Case studies of the governance of daily implementation of urban greening policies and nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in cities across the globe

Session 3A:

• Sara Meerow (University of Arizona) “Knowledge systems for planning nature-based solutions in U.S. cities”
• Dorian Spaak (Terre et Cité) “Building dialogue spaces for climate adaptation in a agri-urban area: a case study on the Plateau de Saclay”
• Francesca Berni, Irene Bianchi, Giambattista Zaccariotto (Politecnico di Milano). “Exploring Mycelium in Urban Water Management Trough Autopoietic Processes and Holistic Perspectives: Insights from the Polish City of Łódź”
• Loan Diep (The New School) “From Theory to Practice: Assessment of Regional Barriers to Urban Nature-Based Solutions”

Chair: Manisha Anantharam (CSO, Sciences Po)

Session 3B:

• Philip Roche (INRAE) “Building local Nature-based Solutions projects with co-benefits for the environment, society, and biodiversity.”
• Carolina Rojas Quezada (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) “Restoration of the Rocuant-Andalién Wetland System: Nature-Based Solutions for Flood Risk Reduction and Habitat Recovery for Birds”
• Marta Vicarelli (University of Massachusetts Amherst) “Challenges and Opportunities of Nature-based Solutions for Transportation Infrastructure Resilience: A Survey of Massachusetts Municipalities”
• Gaby Hansen (Namibia University) Evidence of Dryland Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Arid Urban Regions: A Case Study from Windhoek, Namibia

Chair: Nathan Marom (Paris Institute for Advanced Study)

Art performance | 18:30

Gardens at Night

A performative walk in the campus gardens at night time, facilitated by artist Carmen Bouyer

Programme - 12 December

Session 4 | 9:00

Nature-based solutions as a tool for disaster risk reduction, post-disaster risk recovery and humanitarian crisis

Session 4A:

• Tannya Pico (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador) “The absorptive capacities (ACAPs) of Quito’s local stakeholders for the concept of Nature-based Solutions.”
• Bediz Yilmaz (IFU-Paris 8) “Parks Of Survival: Urban Gardens As Spaces For Disaster And Food Resilience”
• Francesca Ferlicca, Cassandre Rey-Thibault, (Sciences Po) “Shifting Approaches to Flood Risk Management: A North-South Comparison of Nature-Based Solutions in Boston and Buenos Aires”

Chair: Agnès Bastin (Université Gustave Eiffel)

Session 4B:

• Ursula Wellmann (ICLEI Africa) “Investing in nature-based solutions (NbS) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Post-disaster Recovery”
• Kieran James (Politecnico di Milano) “Public Housing and Flood Risk”
• Svetlana Khromova (Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona) “Exploring Multifunctional Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Stormwater Management.”

Chair: Anastasya Halauniova (CSO, Sciences Po)

Session 5 | 10:10

Inclusive nature-based solutions: planning for climate resilience with marginalized communities and informal settlements in the Global South

Session 5A: 

• Harini Nagendra, Arvind Lakshmisha (Azim Premji University) "Is NBS truly participative: Role of local communities in implementing Nature-based solutions"
• Anna Taylor (University of Capetown) “Nature below the city: Critically reflecting on Managed Aquifer Recharge as a nature-based solution to water stress in growing African cities.” 
• Garret Gantner (University of the Witwatersrand) “Exploring the Potential of NBSs in Informal Settlements Upgrading: A Transformative Approach to Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
• Will Bauer (FAU) “Understanding the aspiration-demand gap to develop inclusive Nature-based Solutions in cities of sub-Saharan Africa.”

Chair: Francesca Ferlicca (Rachel L. Mellon Postdoctoral fellow, Urban School, Sciences Po) 
 

Session 6 | 10:10

Nature future frameworks and imaginaries : harnessing data innovation for climate change risk assessment and preparedness in the face of uncertainty and building alternative visions and scenarios for the management of nature in cities
 

• D.MacCarthy, J.Willems , M.Giezen (University of Amsterdam “An intersectional climate justice framework for evaluating Nature-based Solutions“
• Rita Akiki (Universite Gustave Eiffel) “Modeling and Analyzing Cooling Trajectories for Heat Island Mitigation in Commercial Spaces.”
• Fiona Kinniburgh (Universidade De Lisboa) “Advancing an analytical framework to assess values and meanings mobilized in imaginaries and techniques of futuring for urban nature.”

Chair: Julie Greenwalt (Cities Alliance)

Art performance | 11:10

Walking through your city 30 years from now

Collective storytelling installation, designed by artist Carmen Bouyer

Closing session | 11:30

How nature may help solve challenges for cities and citizens

• Thomas Elmqvist, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University
• Discussant: David Dodman, IHS Rotterdam

Wrap up and conclusion

• Francesca Ferlicca (Rachel L. Mellon Postdoctoral fellow, Urban School, Sciences Po) 
• Manisha Anantharam (Assistant Professor at CSO, Sciences Po)
   

Site Visits | 14:15

Site visits organized by Ville de Paris

• 14th arrondissement: From a mineral roundabout to an urban forest, Place de Catalogne
• 18th arrondissement: when Rue de la Chapelle becomes a planted promenade