Planning nature-based solutions for water management and circularity in Ljubljana, Slovenia : examining how urban practitioners navigate barriers and perceive institutional readiness

Tsatsou, Alexandra (author), Pergar, Petra (author), Frantzeskaki, Niki (author), Malamis, Simos (author), Atanasova, Nataša (author)

Sonaravne rešitve (NBS) in krožno gospodarstvo ponujajo nove priložnosti za upravljanje z vodo in kroženje vode v mestih. V procesu k krožnemu upravljanju z vodo z NBS, eksperti, kot so, kot so urbanisti in okoljski/vodarski inženirji, delujejo kot pospeševalci implementacije, zaradi njihovega tehničnega znanja. Poleg tega lahko s svojega poklicnega stališča premagajo ovire in vplivajo na ključne akterje pro implementaciji sonaravnih rešitev. Namen te študije je (i) raziskati ovire, s katerimi se srečujejo strokovnjaki pri širši implementaciji NBS za krožno upravljanje z vodo v Ljubljani (Slovenija) ter (ii) razumeti institucionalno pripravljenost mesta za načrtovanje NBS za krožno upravljanje voda z NBS. Skozi 14 pol-strukturiranih strokovnih intervjujev, in po analizi vsebinskega diskurza so se pojavile tri krovne teme: urbanistično načrtovanje, urbanistično oblikovanje in izvedba NBS. Ugotovitve razkrivajo institucionalno pripravl jenost Ljubljane za sprejemanje in nadgradnjo obstoječih rešitev z NBS, čeprav ovire še vedno obstajajo: neusklajenost strateških ciljev, institucionalna razdrobljenost, pomanjkanje političnih in pravnih okvirjev (pravila o javnem naročanju, zakoni o urbanističnem oblikovanju) in omejeno sodelovanje državljanov.Nature-based Solutions (NBS) and the circular economy offer new opportunities for water management and water circularity in cities. In the process towards circular water NBS planning and implementation, urban practitioners such as urban planners and environmental/water engineers operate as facilitators and change agents due to their technical expertise. Moreover, from their professional standpoint, they can navigate barriers and influence key actors of institutional readiness of cities to uptake NBS. This study aims (i) to explore the barriers that urban professionals face towards the widespread mainstreaming and implementation of NBS for water management and circularity in Ljubljana, and (ii) to understand the perceived institutional readiness for planning NBS for water management and circularity in the city. Through 14 semi-structured expert interviews, and following a content discourse analysis, three overarching topics emerged: urban planning, urban design, and NBS implementation. The findings reveal the institutional readiness of Ljubljana to adopt and upscale solutions like NBS, although barriers still persist: misalignment of strategic goals, institutional fragmentation, lack of supportive policy and legal frameworks (procurement rules, urban design laws), and limited citizen involvement. New approaches and skilled knowledge brokers are required in order to change the narrative of water being perceived as a problem, and to mainstream NBS for water circularity across the city in the future.

• Language: English
• Keywords: institutional readiness, nature-based solutions, semi-structured interviews, urban planning, water management, water circularity
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Author Accepted Manuscript
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 1-11
• Numbering: art. 128090, Vol. 89
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-151980
• UDC: 502/504:556(497.4)
• ISSN on article: 1618-8667
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ufug.2023.128090
• COBISS.SI-ID: 167549955
• Publication date in RUL: 26.10.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Urban Forestry and Urban Greening
• Publisher: Urban & Fisher Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
• ISSN: 1618-8667
• COBISS.SI-ID: 971430

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: inštitucionalna pripravljenost, sonaravne rešitve, pol-strukturirani vprašalniki, urbanistično načrtovanje, upravljanje z vodo, krožno upravljanje z vodo

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Project number: CA 17133