Abstrakt
Well-designed Nature based solutions (NBS) can yield several benefits including air quality regulation, noise reduction, recreational opportunities while it also may mitigate some climate change risks such as heat waves. In some cases, however, NBS can lead to disservices such as an increase in pollen or can rise carbon emissions, while also posing significant and fixed and operational costs.
Careful design based on understanding of relative costs and benefits of NBS is hence of significant importance. Many cities have incorporated NBS as a key concept in the adaptation strategy to climate change.
In this article we assess costs and benefits of two implemented urban NBS in Prague. First, we assess benefits and costs of trees planted in a downtown street in Prague.
In this case, we compare costs and benefits of two approaches: normal tree planting and planting with root structure systems. Root structure systems prevent paving from being pushed up, ducts from being destroyed and while at the same time having capacity to store and regulate stormwater.
Next, we evaluate vegetation strips in a city. We focus mainly on green tramways 7 and compare cost and benefits of different types of vegetation planted in green tramways.
The focus on these two case studies is useful as they are very common NBS in other cities. To assess importance and effects of different types of NBS, we employ a database on urban NBS which is introduced in the study, too.
In this database we gather bio-physical as well as monetary data on benefits of urban NBS. Our work supports the evaluation of cost-effectiveness of NBS in urban environment and provides methodological insights into the evaluation of benefits and costs of two common NBS measures.
The study results can assist urban landscape planning in Prague and other cities.