The paper The Role of Water Utilities in Implementing Urban Nature-Based Solutions: An Italian Perspective, published in the international scientific journal Water (MDPI), analyses the contribution of water utilities to the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in urban contexts, with a specific focus on the Italian case.
The study contributes to the European debate on urban resilience and sustainable water resource management, exploring the role of green and blue infrastructures in addressing challenges such as climate change, soil sealing and increasing flood risk.
The paper provides a systematic analysis of the role of water utilities in the adoption of nature-based solutions, with particular attention to Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and other solutions aimed at integrated stormwater management.
In particular, the study:
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analyses the Italian national context through a review of NBS cases mapped in the Urban Nature Atlas;
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integrates a qualitative analysis based on semi-structured interviews with experts and practitioners from the water sector;
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identifies key enabling factors and barriers affecting the involvement of water utilities, synthesised through a SWOT analysis;
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defines five potential strategic roles that water utilities can play in the planning, implementation and management of Nature-Based Solutions;
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formulates operational recommendations addressed to public decision-makers, water service operators and stakeholders involved in urban governance processes.
The paper highlights how Nature-Based Solutions can represent an effective tool to integrate environmental, social and economic objectives in urban water management.
