• Energy Research

Cities are facing a broad range of social and environmental challenges due to the current pressure of global urbanization. Nature-based solutions aim to utilize green infrastructure to improve people’s health and wellbeing. The design of urban environments must embrace the individual ideals of citizens and stakeholders which can only be achieved if effective methods of communication, involvement, and feedback are ensured. Such a procedure creates trust during its implementation, helping to take ownership and stewardship of processes and sites. This systematic literature review explores the current state of the art regarding citizen and stakeholder participation in nature-based solutions (NBS). The search on the SCOPUS database identified 142 papers in total that met the inclusion criteria. The participation analysis was separated in two areas: (a) analysis of perceptions, preferences, and perspectives of citizens and stakeholders, and (b) analysis of the participation process, including challenges and opportunities, motivations, methods and frameworks, and collaborative governance. The results revealed that stakeholder and citizen participation or collaboration in nature-based solutions is increasingly recognized as promising; however, research in several related domains is still lacking.

The concept of nature-based solutions (NBSs) has become increasingly popular among urban policymakers and planners to help them tackle the urban challenges arising from urban expansion and climate change. Stakeholders' involvement is a fundamental step, and stakeholders' perceptions and preferences can affect the development of NBS projects. This study aims to identify stakeholders' perceptions of the most critical urban challenges, the priority interventions, the preferred NBSs and the benefits of the NBSs, and to identify the determinants of these perceptions. A survey was administered to assess stakeholders' perceptions and views on implementing NBSs in two Portuguese cities with distinct urban, geographical, and socio-economic contexts. A binary logistic regression model was used to understand the determinants of the likelihood of the stakeholders' answers. According to the stakeholders, climate change is one of the main concerns in the urban context. It is usually associated with the incidence of heatwaves and water scarcity. Additionally, stakeholders are concerned about the low quantity and poor management of green spaces (GSs). They believe that it will be necessary to increase the GS, to recover some degraded areas, and to increase mobility. The preferred NBSs were planting more urban trees, making green shaded areas, and rehabilitating riverbanks. The main expected benefits were benefits for leisure and relaxation, reductions in air temperature, purer air, and improvements in public health. The results showed mostly coherent connections between the main concerns/priorities of the stakeholders and the perceived NBS benefits; however, some stakeholders did not present coherent connections, indicating low awareness of the current policy for implementing NBSs to overcome existing and future urban challenges.

Portugal faces water scarcity challenges, yet studies on per-household water consumption are limited. This study aims to address this gap by employing cluster analyses to assess how population trajectories, a previously overlooked aspect, and the regional location influence per-household monthly water consumption across 122 municipalities. Findings highlight higher consumption in the South despite lower prices. Municipalities experiencing population growth and those with long-term population declines show higher per-household water consumption but lower prices. Interestingly, while higher prices correlate with lower consumption, southern municipalities show increased prices without reduced consumption. Clustering reveals slight changes in consumption patterns from 2011 to 2020.

This study compares the quality of life (QoL) of cities that lost population with that of cities that gained population. A unique dataset composed of observations for 11 dimensions of QoL for all mainland Portuguese cities is used. By employing a non‐parametric approach (data envelopment analysis), and by using a Malmquist‐type index, this study identifies differences in QoL between the group of cities that lost population and the group of cities that gained population, as well as differences within each group. Despite the heterogeneity in cities that shrunk, this group presents, on average, higher QoL than cities that have grown. Este estudio compara la calidad de vida (CdV) de las ciudades que perdieron poblacion con la de las ciudades que ganaron poblacion. Se utiliza un conjunto de datos unico compuesto por observaciones de 11 dimensiones de la CdV para todas las ciudades de Portugal continental. Mediante el empleo de un enfoque no parametrico (analisis envolvente de datos), y la utilizacion de un indice de tipo Malmquist, este estudio identifica las diferencias en la CdV entre el grupo de ciudades que perdieron poblacion y el grupo de ciudades que ganaron poblacion, asi como las diferencias dentro de cada grupo. A pesar de la heterogeneidad en las ciudades que disminuyeron, este grupo presenta, en promedio, una mayor CdV que las ciudades que crecieron. 本稿では、生活の質(quality of life :QoL)を、人口が減少した都市と増加した都市とで比較する。ポルトガル本土のすべての都市における、QoLの11の領域の観察調査結果からなる、独自のデータセットを用いる。ノンパラメトリック手法[包絡分析法(Data Envelopment Analysis)]を採用し、Malmquistタイプの指数を用いて、人口が減少した都市のグループと増加した都市のグループにおけるQoLの差異、さらには各グループ内のQoLの差異を明らかにする。人口減少都市には不均質性があるにもかかわらず、このグループでは概して、人口が増加した都市よりもQoLが高くなっている。