Are Nature-based solutions the answer to urban sustainability dilemma? The case of CLEVER Cities CALs within the Milanese urban context.

In 2013, the European Commission passed out the EU Adaptation strategy to increase knowledge-based framework related to resilience impacts on climate change adaptation actions. This study addresses the implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) in three urban living labs in Milan as an experimental co-creation process. The ideation is mainly based on co-designing and co-implementing the possible NBS interventions with multiplicity of local stakeholders and involving citizens. The planned interventions starting in June 2019, in urban living labs known as CLEVER Action Labs (CALs), are summarized as follows: (1) Public tender for promoting green roofs and green facades in private buildings, (2) Giambellino 129 public park, and (3) vertical green interventions on the new Tibaldi train stop ; these are subject to investigation based on scale of application, urban policies, and governance. The comparative analysis between the three CALs showed: (1) a great potential to incentivize greening alliances and tax bonds from the local governmental authority, (2) the place-based morphology influences the urban resilience of the overall space context. The preliminary results correlate the stimulation of the 2015 European Commission framework on “NBS implementation and Re-Naturing Cities” to help shape the major funds behind the local governmental authorities’ involvement; yet, the economic feasibility of the NBS interventions remains a critical point to tackle local stakeholders’ engagement. Another strong aspect refers to the existing greening initiatives in the local Milanese context such as ‘Milan 2030 vision’ and the resilience strategy put in place to adapt and mitigate the Milanese climate change challenges and address its urban sustainability issues.