Nature-Based Solutions on Urban Stormwater Management: Comparison
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Urban stormwater management is a critical challenge facing cities globally, with natural-based solutions (NBS) emerging as a promising approach for mitigating the impacts of urban stormwater runoff.

  • nature-based solution
  • urban stormwater management
  • bibliometric

1. Introduction

Urban flooding is a critical issue caused by heavy rainfall intensities over a brief period of time in a small area, resulting in significant surface runoff and flooding, which harms human well-being and damages local economies [1]. The vulnerability of urban areas to pluvial floods is increasing due to the high percentage of impervious surfaces, flat land cover, and low-lying regions [2,3][2][3]. As rainfall events are becoming more frequent due to global climate change, cities must enhance their resilience and capacity to deal with urban flood hazards [4,5][4][5].
Urban stormwater management (USM) is a growing area of concern due to the impacts of climate change, over-urbanization, faulty urban planning, and weak public awareness of environmental protection. The concept of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) has emerged as a means of addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation while promoting policy objectives such as ecosystem-based adaptation, ecosystem services, and low-impact development [6]. According to Maes and Jacobs [7], NBS refers to “any transition to a use of ecosystem services with decreased input of non-renewable natural capital and increased investment in renewable natural processes”. Bertilsson et al. [8] distinguish NBS from conventional engineering approaches by highlighting their multifunctionality, contribution to the stock of natural capital, and ability to increase the resilience of landscapes. The effectiveness of NBS in flood mitigation depends on the scale of implementation and their hybrid combination with grey infrastructure [9]. To enhance the resilience of urban areas and reduce the impacts of flooding, it is important to test the impacts of NBS and grey infrastructure combinations in different scales [10]. NBS can provide a means of addressing climate change and disaster risk reduction while conserving biodiversity and promoting a green economy [11]. Policymakers have adopted NBS as an innovative means of promoting economic development and human well-being [12[12][13],13], and NBS has been incorporated into the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme [14]. Integrating NBS measures into USM can enhance urban resilience in the face of flooding and other hazards.

2. Concepts and Terminologies

TResearchis study ers investigated the typologies of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) used in the literature. NBS is a complex and multi-dimensional concept that encompasses a wide range of strategies and techniques to address environmental and social challenges [28][15]. There is a variety of terminologies associated with NBS which can sometimes cause confusion and inconsistencies in the research [29,30,31][16][17][18]. Therefore, the authors also included articles that used general definitions similar to NBS, such as green space, parks, urban forests, green roofs, green walls, memorial parking trees, and green swales, among others. Additionally, there are specific definitions related to terms such as UGI (Urban Green Infrastructure), EbA (Ecosystem-based Adaptation), ESS (Ecosystem Services), LID (Low-Impact Development), SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems), water sensitive urban design, WSUD (Water Sensitive Urban Design), and BMPs (Best Management Practices), which are frequently used by authors in different research areas [32,33,34,35][19][20][21][22]. Several scholars have already conducted research on NBS from various perspectives. Hanson et al. [36][23] reviewed the core concepts and boundaries of NBS and determined that flood mitigation is the most commonly addressed topic. Similarly, Kumar et al. [37][24] advanced the research on the modelling approach of NBS, stating that studies related to NBS have experienced an exponential increase after 2010. Among these studies, 64% of the research focuses on models and tools to enhance the effectiveness of NBS against hydro-meteorological risks, while 18% of them focus on floods, which are the largest component. All of the above studies indicate that the application of NBS in USM will become increasingly important due to its flexible and dynamic nature. NBS is undoubtedly an advanced and important method in urban flood management, as also confirmed by Ruangpan et al. [38][25]. In their study, most of the literature to date has focused on NBS in urban areas, and 82% of the articles deal with reducing runoff or mitigating flood risks in urban areas. However, it is worth noting that NBS can also be applied in rural and peri-urban areas, as well as in coastal and marine environments, to address various environmental and social challenges [39][26]. Future research should explore the potential of NBS in these contexts and identify the most effective strategies to enhance their sustainability and resilience. The diversity of NBS terminologies and the multiplicity of research perspectives underscore the need for a comprehensive and integrated approach to NBS research and practice. Future research should aim to develop a common understanding of the key concepts and principles of NBS and provide a clear and coherent framework for their application [40][27]. This will not only help to advance the science and practice of NBS but also support the development of innovative and effective solutions to environmental and social challenges in different contexts.

3. Insights into Potential Future Hot Topics in NBS Research Based on Trends in Research Topics

The trends in research topics can provide insights into potential future hot topics based on the frequency of words in the current year. The authors also combined synonyms as in the previous section on cluster maps. Figure 1 reveals that in 2018, “restoration” was the primary objective of NBS, with a term frequency of eight. “Vegetation” was another term that appeared in the same year and has continued to be an important focus, indicating the significance of plants and trees in controlling USM. The continued emphasis on vegetation and trees in urban areas suggests a potential focus on understanding the specific benefits and mechanisms of different types of plants for managing stormwater, mitigating heat island effects, and enhancing biodiversity. Future research could explore the ways in which different types of vegetation can be used to achieve specific urban resilience goals, and how different factors such as soil quality, species diversity, and urban design affect the effectiveness of vegetation-based strategies.
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Figure 1. The trend topics.
In 2019, some researchers studied the topic of “social vulnerability” with a term frequency of five, but there has not been a noticeable frequency since then. The relatively low frequency of the keyword “social vulnerability” suggests a need for more research on how NBS can be used to address social equity issues related to urban flood risks. Understanding the ways in which vulnerable populations are disproportionately affected by urban flooding and how NBS can be used to mitigate these impacts will be an important area of future research. In the same year, the keywords “risk” and “land-use” were studied and have continued to be researched. The continued focus on risk and land use suggests a need for research on how NBS can be integrated into urban planning and development processes to reduce the vulnerability of urban areas to flooding and other climate-related risks. “Land-use” emerged as a keyword in the same year, suggesting that integrating various types of NBS within existing land-use planning frameworks is another area of research focus. Future research could explore how NBS can be used to support more sustainable and resilient urban development patterns, and how different types of NBS can be integrated into existing land use planning frameworks. In 2020, various emerging terms started to appear. The increasing frequency of terms related to USM and the adaptation strategies to overcome flood risks suggests that future research on NBS is likely to continue to focus on the development and implementation of specific NBS technologies and strategies in urban areas. This could include exploring the ways in which different types of NBS can be integrated into existing urban infrastructure systems and how NBS can be designed to be more effective and resilient in the face of changing climate and environmental conditions.

References

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