A data framework for assessing nature‑based solutions' contribution to the urban metabolism of informal settlements

Nalumu, Dorothy;et.al.
(2025) Sustainability Science — Vol. 20, n° Issue 5, p. 29 (2025)

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Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NBS) and the benefits provided by their supporting ecosystems can improve city environmental planning while providing a comprehensive approach to interacting with complex urban social–ecological systems. For most African cities, NBS are significant to the residents of the informal settlements (IS), as their source of basic provision services amidst exclusion from municipal plans and services. Currently, there is little comprehensive data on their contribution to resource flows in the IS; yet, in most African cities, the highest share of the population lives in the IS. To address this gap, first, this paper provides an NBS data framework to enable gathering, organizing, and understanding the contribution of NBS to the benefits provided at the household and community level within the IS. The framework encompasses multiple infrastructural, social and ecological systems’ ‘determinants’ of NBS benefits (or ‘outcomes’). Second, it provides case studies illustrating those NBS benefits in terms of their contribution to resource flows and discuss methods to analyze their contribution within the IS. Finally, the key implications of the study are explored across theoretical, methodological, societal, and policy dimensions, emphasizing the importance of understanding urban resource flows within the IS. The proposed data framework is designed to be broad and adaptable to various urban contexts, while also being sensitive to specific case characteristics and requirements. It also aims to foster evidence-based NBS knowledge in IS to enable cross-learning among different cities. Additionally, the framework supports bottom-up, data-driven approaches to natural resource management and planning, contributing to the development of sustainable and inclusive cities in Africa.
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Nalumu, D., & et al. (2025). A data framework for assessing nature‑based solutions’ contribution to the urban metabolism of informal settlements. Sustainability Science, 20(Issue 5), 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01700-z (Original work published 2025)