Planning for climate change adaptation through Nature-Based Solutions

A changing climate has been of mounting concern for the last decades, leaving scientists, policy makers, planners, and everyday citizens scrambling for ways to adapt to a new normal. The impacts of climate change are vast and quickly altering the planet around us, and we must begin to adapt to these impending changes. The goals of this professional report are to inform about what Nature-Based Solutions are and how they can be integrated into planning concepts to combat climate change impacts, acknowledge successful case studies, recognize knowledge gaps, and create recommendations for implementation and future policies. This is done through an extensive and comprehensive literature review, as well as case study analysis of three different examples of Nature-Based Solutions and their impact on climate change adaptation. This report provides an overview of the history of Nature-Based Solutions, the different types of Nature-Based Solutions, and how they can help adapt to a changing climate. It also focuses on the impacts of a changing climate on urban areas, methods of adaptive planning for a changing climate, and the health and social impacts of Nature-Based Solutions. Three case studies are presented: stormwater management in Staten Island, New York; urban cooling and greening in Phoenix, Arizona; and coastal management on the Island of Barbados. Lastly, I include a section on policy recommendations and conclusions for greater implementation of Nature-Based Solutions in planning.